Postpartum recovery is a journey. It’s not linear, or easy, and it’s not the same for each woman. While every new mother has their own unique experience, the below 6 were the most shocking aspects of recovery to go through.
With total openness and kindness I hope by sharing my experience you don’t feel so alone, and are able to come away with an increased feeling of connectedness to the human experience of the 4th trimester.
PMS hits hard during postpartum recovery
Thought typical PMS was bad? Try postpartum PMS. The rage I felt throughout those first 8 weeks were nothing I had experienced before, I would get in unnecessary arguments with people, and tiny things that never bothered me before made me incredibly irritated.
The good news is it only came in waves and didn’t last long, my solution was always to have a meal or snacks I loved and to limit time around others until it passed.
You’ll bleed for who knows how long
Forget the typical timelines you’ll find when searching “how long does postpartum blood last”, every woman is different therefore the length of time is irrelevant. My experience was 10 days of bleeding followed by lochia for about two to three weeks.
Then I was in the clear for a few days and bam, extremely heavy bleeding AGAIN for 4 days. That’s why you should take the timelines you read online with a grain of salt.
When it comes to what you’ll need to buy to prepare for the bleeding, don’t overbuy products that claim to heal you faster. They won’t, your body just needs to go through the process.
RELATED: Popular Newborn Baby Products to Skip as a First Time Mom
Crying is normal and will happen often
The first 2 weeks after having my daughter I cried a lot. Waterworks would come totally out of the blue and I couldn’t stop them. My poor partner had no idea what to do, and honestly neither did I because I wasn’t quite sure why I was crying.
This also didn’t last very long, and was on and off. Remember, everything during postpartum is just a phase.
Having a support system will make or break your postpartum recovery experience
This was a really hard one for me being away from friends and family, but my neighbours were very sweet and knew this so they dropped off food, checked in on me and offered themselves if I needed.
Although they don’t replace the support of close loved ones it really helped me not feel so alone.
I did have family and friends texting me often which was crucial, so make sure you have close friends and family around or at least let them know you’ll be needing close contact and support following the birth of your baby.
Without a support system postpartum recovery can be a very scary, sad and lonely place and you don’t want to go through it alone.
Your feelings toward your baby won’t be what you thought they would
It took me 5 weeks for the anxiety to subside and 8 weeks to fully feel connected and utterly in love with my daughter. This doesn’t mean anything other than the hormones are so strong they mess with your mood, feelings and emotions.
You are not yourself during this time. Embrace that, accept it, and know that it’s only a phase. You will feel all of the incredible, euphoric feelings at your own pace and time.
Your body is not someone else’s so don’t compare to what you see online
Honestly, who cares what your body looks like during postpartum recovery. You just had a baby! That is HUGE and so incredible.
You do not need to fit into your jeans right now and you do not need to look like Maria on Instagram with a 6 pack and a 7AM morning workout routine at 7 weeks Postpartum. Screw her and screw the “snap back”.
If you’re looking for ideas on how to dress your changing body with confidence, check out my full guide on postpartum outfits. It’s all about rebuilding your wardrobe in a way that feels good for you.
