Who is in your postpartum support network?
Your support network will likely be a mixture of friends, family and health professionals. It can be helpful to create a list of individuals whom you can call on for different things because we all know when you’re sleep deprived and your brain is foggy it can be challenging to recall where to get help. I know I’ve had days where I’m in a total haze, and I cannot even remember who my “go to” friends are, which can lead to feelings of unnecessary isolation and loneliness. Or when you’re thinking you need help with something in particular but you don’t know which professionals are in your area and you spend hours in a deep dive googling before giving up because you get distracted, overwhelmed or convince yourself you should be able to figure it out or do it on your own.
I invite you to consider who would be your “go to” for different things - create a list and have it somewhere easy to access so that when you’re having a moment and you really need some help it can be a simple quick action to reach out and not something that requires a lot of time + brain power.
People who may be on your list include:
* A friend // family member who is a great listener, who can hold space for you to share how you’re feeling without trying to minimize or “fit it”.
* A friend // family member whose parenting style you admire & who is aligned with the approach you want to take to support your family.
* A friend // family member who loves to cook who will happily drop over meals or organise a meal train for you OR a local meal delivery service.
* A friend // family member who you would trust to come over are watch over your baby whilst you have some alone time or a nap.
* A friend // family member who loves a good clean or to organize things to call on if you’re feeling overwhelmed by household duties OR a local cleaner.
* Lactation Consultant– in case you run into some challenges with breastfeeding.
* Pelvic Floor Physio – to help aid your recovery post birth.
* Mental Health Support – psychologist, doula, counsellor or hotlines to provide you with the opportunity to debrief + support you
