Why Do I Need Postnatal Support?
Why Do I Need Postnatal Support?
By Colleen Wilson Registered Midwife at Nurtured Mums
Most pregnant women do a pretty good job at researching birth and labour and writing up a birth plan.
However, birth is not the end of the story. It’s the start of a much longer journey into a lifelong phase of motherhood, or matrescence, which comes with its own challenges and joys. Your own birth as a mother has to happen now.
Physical changes continue to happen in your body after the birth as well as a roller coaster of emotional feelings brought on by hormonal changes, sleep deprivation and an uncertainty of the unknown. Maternal depression, depletion and anxiety can easily occur.
Preparation for postnatal ideally needs to start while you’re still pregnant because once your baby is born, those first few weeks often pass in a blur of exhaustion, overwhelm and not knowing what to do.
So how should I prepare for my postnatal experience?
Ask any parents down the track how much stuff they bought (or were given at baby showers) that they didn’t really use. Most would say in hindsight that a lot of it was a waste of money and could have been spent on something more useful... like SUPPORT instead.
So ask yourself this question: “what would I NEED as a new mother to feel nurtured and supported in my immediate postnatal period?”
“what would I NEED as a new mother to feel nurtured and supported in my immediate postnatal period?”
Here’s exactly where I can help you with your postnatal preparation. As an experienced midwife of 30 years, postnatal education and support is my specialty.
Fourth Trimester Workshops - especially for first time mums (or if it’s been afew years in between births).
These are workshops to let you know what to expect in the immediate hours, days and weeks following the birth. That’s right. All your preparation so far has been focused on the birth. Now we’re going to uncover the secrets of what happens AFTER the baby is out. There’s still a placenta to think about. Your body changes.
What’s normal and what’s not. Cramps, bleeding, hair loss, sweating, and do I really have to poo?? What your baby will look like and how they will behave. But don’t all babies look the same? Nope. There’s meconium, and vernix, and moulding to know about.
Dressing for climate, that belly button thing, and how do I know if they’re getting enough? And what about registering the birth and how do I get a medicare card?
Even if you’ve had babies before, there’s a lot you forget, so do a refresher.
Book online here at https://nurturedmums.com.au/workshops/
Postnatal Support Packages
Regardless of what number baby this is for you, every time you have a baby you deserve help and support from a whole village.
I’ve combined my extensive 30 year midwifery experience with nourishing nutrition and nurturing massage to create postnatal packages to suit your every postnatal need and budget.
Check them all out here at https://nurturedmums.com.au/in-home-support/
It’s always an honour and privilege to guide and support pregnant mums through the last weeks of their pregnancy and throughout the first six weeks following the birth of their babies.
You need and deserve this support.
And lastly...
Baby Massage Classes.
Another service I offer to Gold Coast mums is teaching you how to massage your baby.
The researched and proven techniques and sequences to help your little one settle and sleep better, have less issues with wind, colic, constipation, reflux and eczema. And of course, the wonderful benefits of bonding and forming a much deeper connection with your little one.
It’s all on the website at https://nurturedmums.com.au/infant-massage-classes/, so go check it out now.
Colleen Wilson is a midwife with over 30 years experience and her area of special interest is preparing pregnant couples for the postnatal period, and to come and provide support for the first six weeks following the birth of their baby. She loves to help pregnant couples transition into parenthood feeling in control and supported during their postnatal experience. The education and support she provides aids parents in their ability to enjoy life with their newborn, feeling peace and joy rather than anxiety and overwhelm.
Jade Read
Maternity | Newborn | Family Photographer
0423 372 338 | jade@jadereadphotography.com.au
www.jadereadphotography.com.au
Studio: Helensvale, Gold Coast