Are You Ready to Bring Your Baby Home?
{ By Cara Tyrrell }
The last few weeks of pregnancy are full of exponential growth, both yours and your baby’s, nervous excitement and edgy anticipation (will today be the day?), and a chorus of friends and family asking, “Are you ready?”.
You have a number of ready answers for very different reasons.
Are you ready to evict your sweet, bladder-pushing bundle from its current rent-controlled womb to the world? Yes!
Are you ready to sleep without a snake-shaped pregnancy pillow propping you up in ALL the places? Definitely.
Are you ready to hold your tiny human in your arms for the first time and gaze into their perfect little face? I simply can’t wait!
And yet, you know deep down that the question is bigger than physical discomfort and a longing to meet your baby.
You wonder, am I really ready to bring my baby home?
But your question is unsatisfactorily answered by a barrage of more questions.
- What comes next?
- What if my baby won’t latch?
- Is sleep deprivation as bad as they say?
- How many calories am I supposed to eat to breastfeed?
- When should I introduce the bottle?
- Can I spoil my newborn?
- When can I start a routine?
- And what does an infant schedule even look like?
So often, the seeds of new mom overwhelm are planted before you even bring your baby home!
You’re asking legitimate questions, and this blog series will provide honest answers. We’ll cover the 4 Realms of Readiness for being really, truly ready to bring your baby home.
(prefer to watch and listen? Check out this series on our corresponding short-form video show, Core4Confidental)
Now, let’s get ready to prepare ALL of you: mind, body, and spirit to welcome your little one to the world.
The 1st Realm of Readiness – Your physical body.
Think about the changes that have happened to your body over the course of your pregnancy!
The massive shifts inside your body created the beautiful baby bump you can see and feel. But have you stopped considering how much internal work your body has done? So many changes from the minute you conceived to when you become aware of the pregnancy
through the first, second, and third trimesters.
You are literally growing from the inside out!
The shifting of organs makes space for your baby’s growth, causing all kinds of internal feelings. Maybe you were sick, maybe you weren’t. Heartburn? Sciatica?
Your physical body has done some really hard work that won’t stop after you deliver.
Ever heard the phrase, 9 months in – 9 months out? Moms are stunned to see the physical growth of their babies only 9 months after they left the womb!
Your physical body’s healing takes even longer than this! Did you know it can take up to 18 months to complete the internal recovery process after having a baby?
18 months is a walking, talking, an opinion-having toddler running around your house for your body to be fully and comprehensively healed.
Why is this important?
During pregnancy, the changes happened to you and your baby in the same place! After delivery, your body’s recovery and your baby’s transition to the world happen independent of each other, even as you are responsible for their health, hygiene, and safety!
At Core4Parenting, we are all about proactive choices that create ease when you are inside the hard stuff.
So, what action steps can you take to help yourself through this recovery process? Here are four things to consider.
- Physical Recovery
- Physical Movement
- Physical Awareness
- Physical Health & Nutrition
As you approach the physical recovery of your body after delivery, remember that you are healing from the inside out. With that knowledge, incorporate physical movement into your days, but set realistic goals for yourself.
Move slowly, be intentional. Think about the muscles that you’re using. If you had a C section, this would be even more important. That’s major surgery. So it will be followed by a major recovery.
Listen to your body. This is your physical body awareness.
It’s so hard to do those first few months. You’re taking care of a small human being who needs you for everything. But your body is screaming at you too. It’s telling you what it needs to be in healthy recovery mode. Find some small tiny pockets of time to listen to it.
- If it’s telling you to sit down, sit down
- If it’s telling you it’s time for a rest, put your baby on your body and do a contact map.
- If it’s telling you that you are hungry, eat. Thirsty? Drink!
You are literally in survival mode, so physical body awareness matters.
When it comes to exercise really think it through. Don’t start anything until you’ve checked with your doctor, and then start with the basics because you’re protecting those internal spaces that are in recovery.
In summary, when it comes to your physical body, being ready for this transition and healing afterward, you’re going to pay attention to:
- Physical Recovery, healing from the inside out.
- Physical Movement, being intentional, gentle, and kind,
- Physical awareness, listening to your body and doing what it tells you to.
- Physical Health. Eat, drink, and grab 20-minute cat naps when you can.
Adopt this new mama mantra:
I am in recovery. I will listen to my body as it tells me what it needs.
Deep breath into that one.
Really listen and really feel.
Did that resonate with you? Are you in it right now? Just about to have your baby? Home with your newborn? Download your 4th Trimester Survival Guide today!
