This isn't something I figured out on my own. A lot of what I know about postpartum care came from studying traditions that have been protecting new mothers for centuries — and from wishing, in my own early days, that someone had just handed me a list.
When you're pregnant, there's so much focus on preparing for birth. But what happens after your baby arrives shapes your experience just as much, if not more, than pregnancy and birth itself.
How you care for yourself in those early days impacts your energy, your recovery, and your long-term health. How you're nourished and cared for is directly tied to how well you can care for your baby. What your baby needs most in those early days is a present mom. And that starts with you being supported.
In many cultures, this level of care is simply expected. It's non-negotiable. Here in the US, it often takes more intention.
It's my mission to help make this the norm, not the exception.
You just grew and birthed a baby. You and your baby deserve this sacred time of rest.
If you set these things up ahead of time, everything will feel different.
1. Decide how you'll honor this window
Before anything else, make the decision and the commitment to yourself and your baby. What approach do you want to take? Whether it's the 5-5-5 method or the first 40 days, you're choosing a period of time where your focus is healing and bonding, not getting back to "normal."
There will be pressure to do more, go out, and feel like yourself again. But this is a short window with this baby. The more you protect it, the more supported your recovery tends to feel.
2. Establish your birth and postpartum team
Your birth team might include an OB/GYN, midwife, or doula. Your day-to-day support at home - a partner, parent, or close friend - is someone there to take care of you, not your baby. Keeping your water filled, bringing meals to bed, running laundry, and managing the house. They're removing everything that pulls you away from resting, healing, and being with your baby.
Your extended postpartum team might include a postpartum doula, lactation consultant, chiropractor, in-home massage therapist, acupuncturist, pediatrician, and eventually a pelvic floor PT. You don't need all of this. But knowing who you'd call and having support lined up ahead of time truly changes everything, even if it's just relieving the mental load.
3. Create clear roles (with a clear timeframe)
Have a plan for at least the first six weeks postpartum. Be explicit about who handles meals, laundry, dishes, pets, visitors, and the small things like resetting your bed when milk leaks and night sweats happen.
Think through meals specifically: who is cooking, what's prepped, what's in the freezer. Clarity here removes friction you won't have the energy or mental space for.
4. Set up your space so you don't have to get up
If you're following the 5-5-5 method, you'll be in bed for about two weeks. Your body is recovering from a significant physical event. Your uterus is healing, your pelvic floor is tender, your nervous system is recalibrating. Staying horizontal as much as possible can have meaningful long-term benefits for recovery. Set up a stocked cart next to your bed, a basket you can keep on the bed, and a bathroom cart with essentials.
The goal is simple: You don't have to search for anything. It's all within reach.
5. Have food and hydration handled ahead of time
Warm, nutrient-dense meals you don't have to think about. In the final weeks of pregnancy, prep a few freezer meals. These are especially helpful in weeks three through six, when outside support may taper off, but your need for rest hasn't. Make a short list of meals you love so others can easily make or order them for you.
For hydration: Two large water bottles (at least 40 oz each), one for electrolytes and one for plain water. Set the expectation with your support person - you shouldn't have to ask for food or water. It should just be there.
6. Protect your rest (for real)
Yes, this includes "sleep when the baby sleeps." It's said a lot because it's true. But it's also more than that. Sleep when you're tired, rest throughout the day, and close your eyes when your body asks for it. Rest doesn't happen by accident. It's supported by the systems and the people around you. If everything above is in place, this becomes possible. If it isn't, it's almost impossible.
"What your baby needs most in those early days is a present mom - and that starts with you being supported."
Postpartum is the part of the experience that often gets overlooked. It's not as cute or fun as baby clothes or nursery decor — but it's one of the parts that matters most.
I put all of this into a guide because I wanted it to actually be usable in the final weeks of pregnancy, when your bandwidth is low, and your need for it is high.
If you didn't grab it when you joined, here it is again.
If any of this is landing — if you're pregnant and realizing you haven't thought this through yet, or postpartum and wishing someone had walked you through it sooner — I'd love to spend 30 minutes with you.
The Postpartum Planning Call is a 1:1 session with me, designed to help you build the support structure that actually fits your life. We'll look at what you have, what's missing, and what would make the biggest difference.
30 minutes. $97. Just you and me.
Have a question before booking? Reply to this email — I'm here.
With you,
Jen
One of the things I recommend most in the postpartum window is getting serious about cellular nutrition — specifically phosphatidylcholine, which supports the nervous system recovery that so few people talk about after birth.
BodyBio PC is what I reach for. It's one of the most bioavailable forms available, and in a season when your body is doing a lot of rebuilding, quality matters.
If this issue resonated with you, send it to a friend who is currently pregnant. The best way to support this newsletter is by sharing it with someone in this season — or heading into it. It might be exactly what they need to read today.
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