At 10 days postpartum, after the birth of my 3rd baby, I wanted to share the top 5 things I’ve been doing to care for myself in this early 4th trimester.

1. Not leaving my bed/couch/house. This is not easy! When I’m teaching, I always emphasize the importance of the 5-5-5 rule. 5 days in your bed, 5 days on your bed, 5 days near your bed. This is so essential for postpartum recovery! By day 3.5 I was already feeling stir-crazy, but I picked up a book, power-watched 3 seasons of The Office, and settled in deeper. And guess what? It’s made a huge difference. My bleeding stopped (not even spotting) by day 6 postpartum. This week my partner returned to work, so I’ve been slightly more active in caring for our 2 other children. And can you guess what happened? That’s right, I have fresh red blood for the first time in 4 days. Rest and recovery is important, and bleeding is our body’s message to slow down!

2. Eating and hydrating. This seems so straightforward, but meeting our basic needs matters. During my late third trimester, I meal prepped like crazy, prepping 40 freezer meals. I’m celebrating this now in the 4th trimester! I have 40 meals ready to pop into the oven/crockpot/Instant Pot, and don’t need to stress about cooking or grocery pickup. In addition to this, I have a Meal Train, where friends and family are signing up to drop off food for me and my family. Just today, my fabulous fellow doula Izzy dropped off a giant bag of nourishing food, including butternut squash mac and cheese, salad fixings, turkey meatballs, and granola. Dinner and lunch for tomorrow is taken care of!

3. Compression recovery garments. This is the first postpartum I’ve worn compression recovery garments, and I am SOLD! I’ve been wearing SRC Recovery Shorts – I was blessed to be given these down as a hand-me-down from another local mama – but I can tell you they’re worth every penny of their (expensive!) price tag. They are making me feel more supported and pulled together, and also significantly decreased the afterbirth pains I was experiencing. When choosing recovery garments, it’s important to look for garments that provide support for the whole core and pelvic floor system. These shorts, for example, provide perineal and abdominal support. Many popular “binders” that just wrap around the torso actually increase abdominal pressure, pushing everything down, which can contribute to prolapse symptoms. Garments like these provide support for the whole core and pelvic floor system.

4. Saying yes to help! Like so many others, it’s easy for me to adopt an “I’m fine!” attitude when asked if I need any help. And I am fine. But I’m also recovering from an enormous life/body event AND I have fabulous people in my community who truly want to support me. So instead of being “fine,” I’m saying yes when people offer support. Can I come over and do a couple loads of laundry? Yes, that would be great! Would you like me to encapsulate your placenta? I would love that! Can I drop off some food for you tomorrow! Yes, we’ll always accept food! Say yes, let your community lift you up.

5. Following my baby’s hunger cues and touch needs. About 1/3 of my baby’s life has been spent latched to my breast, actively nursing. About 1/3 of his life has been spent latched to my breast, comfort nursing/with my nipple just kind of hanging out in his mouth. About 1/3 of his life has been spent sleeping on a boob pillow. This little guy basically lives on my chest, because I am his home. I am everything he’s known – my heartbeat, my voice, my presence are what he knows. Life is easier for me when he’s laying on my chest, and life is easier for him there too. There will be years and years of his life away from me, I’ll take the moments of contact naps now while I can get them, as intense and constant as it sometimes feels.