How to Build the Best Postpartum Support Team for Excited New Parents

💡 Summary: Building a strong support system for the postpartum period is crucial, yet many new parents feel they must navigate this journey alone. This blog explores how to strategically build your care team by combining professional and community support, ensuring that your needs are met in areas like recovery, mental health, sleep, and nourishment.

Building Your Postpartum Care Team

For whatever reason, we often believe we need to navigate the challenges of being a new parent on our own. We're expected to figure it all out without asking for help, but this mindset does a disservice to us and our well-being. It’s essential to strategically build a care team and clearly communicate how others can support us in the postpartum period. Unfortunately, while many friends and family members want to help, they often don’t know how, and we’re left without the etiquette or framework to get the support we need.

We’ve all heard the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Yet many of us find ourselves without that village—or needing to hire it—because our loved ones don’t know how to show up in the right way. This course will help outline the areas of support that you need and identify the people in your community who can assist during your postpartum period.

Areas of Support to Consider

The transition to new parenthood is challenging, and the newness can feel overwhelming without the right support system. To distribute the load, you need a care team that addresses various areas of postpartum life. Here are some important aspects to consider:

• Bodily Sensations and Recovery: Who will help you manage physical recovery after birth?
• Sleep Hygiene: Who can give you the chance to rest and recover?
• Mental Health: Who will support you in maintaining mental wellness?
• Nourishment: Who will help feed you and your baby?

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‍Professional Support Options

Having professional support is a privilege, but also can be costly. There are several areas where professionals can play an important role in your postpartum care team:

• Medical Care: This includes your doctor, midwife, perinatologist, or dietician, depending on the needs of your pregnancy and postpartum.
• Body Care: Bodywork professionals like an acupuncturist, massage therapist, chiropractor, pelvic floor therapist, and your doula.
• Mind Care: Mental health specialists, partner support, and your doula.
• Postpartum Care: A lactation specialist, postpartum doula, and a pelvic floor therapist for postpartum recovery.
• Baby Care: The pediatrician will be your go-to for baby-related medical needs.

‍Leveraging Your Community for Support

If hiring professional help is not feasible, there are other ways to ensure your needs are met by involving your community. Here’s how your family and friends can fill in some of the roles traditionally covered by professionals:

• Lactation Support: If you have a friend who has breastfed before, reach out to them. They may have wisdom and experience that can guide and support you on your breastfeeding journey.
• Postpartum Doula Role: A close friend, your mother-in-law, or sister can help fill in for a postpartum doula with clear instructions from you. They can help by nourishing you, holding your baby while you nap, or simply assisting you with daily tasks like taking a shower.
• Nourishment: Your community can also help by making sure you and your partner are nourished. They could organize a meal train, contribute to a meal delivery service, or come over and cook for you.
• Mental Health: While it’s important to have professional mental health support, your community can still play a valuable role. Designate a trusted person to listen when you need to vent, share struggles, or simply feel heard—just make sure it’s someone who can provide that space without judgment.

Creating Your Postpartum Care Plan

Remember, postpartum etiquette is not commonly understood in our culture, and it may take explicit conversations and boundary-setting to get the help you need. Take the time to write down your plan. Reach out to your loved ones and let them know how they can be your community and part of your support system.

It is never too late to build a care plan for yourself. You deserve support as you navigate the challenges of being a new parent—remember, you don't have to do it alone.

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Watch our YouTube video on the topic or listen to the full episode on our podcast.

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