Expecting a baby between now and October 2016?
Are you unsure what to expect from motherhood?
Do you hope to transition peacefully to motherhood?
Do you have a birth plan, but no postpartum plan?
Are you excited about welcoming your baby, but apprehensive about how your life is going to change?
Have you been given tons of unsolicited or conflicting advice about caring for your baby?
Do you want ideas to help you get the postpartum support you need?
We Are On a Mission…
to break the silence about the postpartum transition. Being pregnant and giving birth are major life events. With so much focus on pregnancy and birth, the postpartum time period often gets overlooked. We were surprised, overwhelmed, and challenged by the transition to motherhood and we felt drastically under-prepared. We have had many conversations with the theme “we wish we knew.” We talk often about why this transition is so challenging and why so many mamas feel blindsided by their entrance into motherhood. There seems to be great pressure to keep up a facade that becoming a mother and caring for a newborn is pure bliss and nothing else.
Our goal is to help new mothers have the best postpartum experience possible. We have identified 4 ways to support expecting and new mothers and, by focusing on all 4 aspects across a variety of postpartum topics, we believe we can help improve the experience of new mamas. Our 4 aspects of postpartum preparation and support are:
- Sharing our own stories and the stories of all mothers
- Demystifying and normalizing the postpartum experience
- Identifying self-care strategies
- Explaining how to access the social support that you need
Explore More About Each Aspect
Posts on Postpartum Planning for Pregnant Mamas
A Smoother Transition Coming Home from the Hospital
So your baby is here. She is healthy and you’re healthy and you’ve been discharged from the hospital. If you’re like me, you’re super excited to get back to the comfort of your home. However, pretty quickly after you return home, you realize this isn’t all it’s cracked up to b
7 Things I Did to Make my Postpartum Period Easier
My second daughter will be seven weeks old on Friday. She came into the world in a totally different way than her sister and this postpartum experience has been totally different for me as well. I spent many posts on this blog sharing my postpartum plans this time...
Letter to My Postpartum Self
Congratulations you have just birthed your baby. I know that you’ve been hearing that a lot lately, and you may not feel like there’s anything to celebrate right now. You are wounded, tired, and overwhelmed. You are in shock about the reality of what having a new baby is like. It’s not what you thought it would be like. This baby needs you all the time. You knew that would be the case, but you didn’t KNOW.
*New Mama Project is not intended to be a substitute for professional support if you are experiencing symptoms of a postpartum mood disorder. We hope to encourage you to start sharing your struggles and seek mental health support if you need it. If you think you might have symptoms of a postpartum mood disorder, please contact your care provider.