Primrose Postpartum

Here’s the answer 👇🏻

👱🏼‍♀️"I’m co-sleeping"

- Yes, you can still sleep train if you are co-sleeping! There are still ways to work on independent sleep habits when you are co-sleeping.

🧕🏻 "I’m room-sharing"

- Yes, you can sleep train! The important thing when sleep training while room sharing is to make sure baby falls asleep without you in the room. You can re-enter when they’re sleeping.

👩🏽‍🦱 "My child sleeps in their own room"

- Yes, you can sleep train!

Comment SLEEP if you want your baby to sleep 10-12 hours straight at night.

Yeah Gretchen, it’s not gonna happen 🥲

(But seriously, if you need sleep advice - comment SLEEP, I’ve trained hundreds of babies to sleep through the night!)

Postpartum doulas can’t give medical advice or deliver your baby. But here’s what we CAN do:

👉🏻 Be there with you when you come home from the hospital.
👉🏻 Help you with postpartum hygiene and baby care.
👉🏻 Make sure your other child(ren) create a good bond to the new baby, if you have older kids.
👉🏻 Give you non-medical advice on ways to best heal postpartum.

I also happen to be a nurse, so I have training and experience in both fields! I would LOVE to be your support system before, during and after birth.

Comment POSTPARTUM and I’ll reach out to you to offer a free call.

Postpartum doulas can help in a variety of ways. At Primrose Postpartum we are there to be an extra pair of hands and to provide non-medical advice, evidence-based information and essential baby care education.

We strive to help families create a routine that is unique to them and their parenting philosophy and to help foster the relationships between siblings and the new baby.

If this sounds like something you need, comment POSTPARTUM below and I’ll be in touch for a free call!

Yep, that’s right. Once you’ve given birth - you’re always considered postpartum! Did you know that?

Giving birth permanently changes a woman’s body, brain, hormones - but of course the society we live in doesn’t acknowledge this…

We’re expected to “bounce back” and return to our pre-birth selves, and social media only reinforces this concept.

It’s normal to still look pregnant after you give birth for months or even years afterwards. Give your body a chance to recover and above all, try to be kind to yourself!

“Will I ever work out like I did before pregnancy?”

I hear this question all the time. And the answer is YES - you will! But you need to heal first.

While our goal is to get you back to the activities that you were passionate about before getting pregnant and giving birth, we must first look at the foundation of your core and pelvic floor. The wrong exercises or movement patterns can worsen diastasis, so it’s essential to start small and progress as you gain strength and functionality.

But eventually we'll get there!

Comment WORKOUT if you want a personalized workout routine just for you.

Exercises like sit-ups, bicycles, leg lifts, etc. may not be what your body needs. Those exercises create pressure and if you are not able to activate your inner core, or transverse abdominis (TA), it can lead to poor pressure management and can cause doming out of the diastasis, which makes the separation worse.

Using different exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor and TA will improve the diastasis and help you progress to your fitness goals.

I would love to help you! Comment WORKOUT and we’ll schedule a free call.

This is just an example of a workout schedule you can use when you’re postpartum. 20 min/day can go a long way - it's more than 1.5 hour / week! And let’s be real - it’s better than nothing at all, right?

As a new mom you don’t have much time, but I promise you - 20 min/day on a floor covered in toys while wearing your PJs is more than enough!

You can follow this after 6 weeks postpartum or when your doctor approves.

If you want to work with me to get a customized workout plan that fits you better - comment WORKOUT and we’ll schedule a free call.

Surprise surprise - a community makes you feel better about parenting. Vs a lack of community makes you feel stressed and pessimistic! Research has literally proven this, and I quote:

“Mothers without strong support from a community had higher levels of stress, and mothers with higher levels of stress were more worn down and pessimistic about parenting.

They also found the opposite true: mothers with strong support from their communities had lower levels of stress and were optimistic about parenting.”

Do you feel this is true for you? How does a community affect you, or a lack of one?

I had a few good friend that were going through the same stages of life when I had my second son and it was so helpful to chat with them. With my first son, we had just moved to London, so I was very isolated. I went out of my way to meet moms that had babies. I joined swim classes and baby sensory class to meet more people. It's hard but putting yourself out there is very important.

Share with me in the comments, I want to know!



Study: Effects of Stress and Social Support on Mothers and Premature and Full-Term Infants, Crnic et al (1983)

Recited in: https://www.riskology.co/importance-of-community/

The worst thing you can do to a new mom - or any mom - is to come empty-handed with unsolicited advice. 😅

Instead, bring a hot meal, and ask openly and whole-heartedly if you can do anything to help.

What’s one thing you need/needed as a new mom?

"For me, it was having my in-laws generously pay for a house cleaner for a few times. It helped to take that off my plate and I was so grateful. I remember being so exhausted and all I could think about was how much I needed sleep. My parents and in-laws both came to watch my older son and hold the baby so that I could rest. It made such a difference."

Remember - you can’t pour from an empty cup. Put yourself first today 👇🏻

🫖 Have a tea
🫱🏻 Ask for help
🚶🏽‍♀️ Take a walk by yourself
🚿 Take an extra long shower
☕ Go to your favorite cafe for a friend date, even if you bring your baby with you!

How are you putting yourself first today?

Personally, I'm listening to a podcast while going for an extra long walk with my puppy.

Did you know that there are different kinds of cries? 👇🏻

It’s normal to be uncomfortable when your baby cries - parents (and especially mothers) are hard-wired to make sure baby doesn’t cry (hence naturally feel super sad, uncomfortable or distressed when baby cries). 😔

But it’s super important to know that behind each cry is a different meaning! 🤫

Look out for these different cries to be able to distinguish when your baby is in pain, or just bored/fussy (this will save you a lot of stress, compared to thinking EVERY SINGLE CRY is urgent!)

⚡ PAIN CRY: High pitched shriek, sounds sudden

😖 FUSSY CRY: This cry is on and off, your child sounds upset but can also quiet down, the cries are dragged out.

🤒 SICK CRY: Your baby sounds weak, tired, and this cry is very different than your child’s regular cries (both in frequency, noise and volume).

🍼 HUNGRY CRY: This cry is often accompanied by clenching hands and is low-pitched, is repetitive and includes pauses.

Which of these did you not know?