Optimizing Your Home For Ease In Postpartum
Our home can be a place of solace that supports our well being and self expression.
But we know all too well that it can also be a place of stress and mess, especially when there’s kids involved who don’t care about the state of the living room as much as we do. Although we may not always notice it, we have set up our home in little ways that support our day to day life. For example, that little table by your front door that houses your keys and bag, or the drawer that’s full of thoughtfully placed “junk”. But how does this change after having a baby? Well, let’s take a look at some of the general changes that come with postpartum.
Physical changes - after giving birth, getting around might be uncomfortable. Especially after a cesarean. Not to mention, physical rest is vital to a healthy postpartum.
Schedule changes - before baby, you likely weren’t waking up at various hours to feed and change another human. This is sure to throw a wrench in your daily schedule.
Mood changes - with all of this change happening around you and hormones fluctuating, you’re going to have your fair share of difficult emotional moments.
Now how does all of this play into your home space? As we mentioned earlier, your home can bring stress or well being depending on how it's managed and set up. After baby comes, we need all the peace we can get. Keeping the above changes in mind, here’s some ways you can make sure your home is set up for a manageable postpartum transition.
Put all your essentials in a moveable cart
While rest is a huge priority postpartum, you may be moving from couch to bed throughout the day to get a change of scenery or see visitors. You can make these transitions easier by placing all of your essentials in a cart with wheels. Your essentials might include breast pads, tissues, snacks, water, chapstick, nipple cream, portable phone charger, and burp rags. Have your partner or caretaker wheel it to your next spot to prevent walking from room to room to grab things.
Even better, think about the spaces that you end up using things the most and stock items there. For example, if you find yourself postpartum having a lot of pain that interrupts your sleep, place hydration and pain meds right at your bedside so you can take it before you might need it. The same with snacks. Especially if you are breastfeeding, you may need small and protein dense snacks in the middle of the night. Place a variety of shelf stable snacks in the same place you breastfeed your baby, that way you can snack while baby snacks.
Create a baby basket
It’s likely that wherever you go, your baby will go too! Create a basket filled with your baby’s needs for easy transitions around the house. This basket may include a diaper changing pad, diapers, wipes, extra clothes, face wipes and burp rags. Bonus, these items are easily transferable between diaper bag and basket!
Comfort is King
Sometimes we don’t notice the amount of work our body is putting out just to sit down! Your muscles, joints, and everything is going to need some extra support postpartum. You can help your body’s healing processes by resting in supportive and comfortable spots. Bring out all the pillows and blankets and stack em, wrap em and use em to your advantage. Have your helper get you in a position with support objects that leave you feeling like you’re in a cloud. The idea is to prevent your body from overcompensating the work it takes to sit, breastfeed, or lay. Pro tip, avoid sitting on hard surfaces for long periods of time!
Use all of the chairs!
We don’t want you to feel defeated when putting your shoes on to go to baby’s first appointment or waiting for the dog to go potty is difficult. Chairs are here to help! Put them around your house in all of the areas you might normally stand. In the kitchen where you prep snacks, by the backdoor to put on your shoes, in your kiddos playroom. Think of the chair as a friend saying “hey, don’t push yourself too hard”. Choosing rest in the little moments will help your body heal from pregnancy and birth. Physically, mentally, and emotionally.
To wrap it all up, we know postpartum isn’t the easiest thing in the world but we can use our environment to support us rather than make things harder. As occupational therapists, we recommend spending some time before baby comes to set yourself up for success. Nesting is fun especially when setting up the nursery, but consider what you need to do to also take care of yourself. We hope this blog helps, but if you find yourself needing more 1:1 support, we are your gals! After experiencing childbirth and motherhood ourselves, we want to help moms like you find ease and joy in your journey and your home.
Occupational therapy for mothers can help support the mental and physical health of mothers, babies, and their families. If you think you might benefit from seeing an occupational therapist (OT) through your transition to motherhood, schedule a free consultation to see how we can help.
Matrescence Occupational Therapy is a concierge occupational therapy practice that specializes in providing individualized support during preconception, postpartum, and beyond. We are happy to serve families in Austin, Texas and surrounding communities.