You made it through your third trimester, delivered a healthy baby (or multiples!), and now here you are, post-partum with your newborn/s. Welcome to the “fourth trimester,” so named by Dr. Harvey Karp, MD, FAAP, because while your body is recovering from pregnancy and labor—from readjusting hormone levels to physical changes—your baby is getting adjusted to life outside the 24/7 nurturing environment of the womb. It’s a lot of change, for both of you. 

While parenting a newborn is always a surprise-filled adventure—whether it’s your first child or your fifth—there are ways you can prepare now and in the moment, so that you and your baby don’t just survive the fourth trimester, but you both thrive. 

Tips For Managing The 4th Trimester

Create a postpartum plan

A postpartum plan is an outline of support you will need during the first 12 weeks after your baby is born. You can share it with your partner and other family members ahead of time, so that they understand how to give you the support and resources you’ll need. There are many different postpartum plan templates online that will help you think about things like: 

• Your biggest concerns about the postpartum period
• Medications you will need to continue or restart after your baby is born
• Your general sleep needs, and how you can continue to get enough sleep in those early weeks after childbirth
• What sort of assistance you might need during the daytime (a friend or loved one to do light housekeeping/laundry, for example) and at night (a partner to handle overnight feedings)
• Your usual methods of handling stress, and how you plan to handle stress once the baby is born
• The top three people you can turn to for support if you’re feeling overwhelmed by tasks or by your emotions

Even if you don’t create a formal postpartum plan, there are certain steps you can take to make sure your fourth trimester is a healthy, safe, and nurturing time for you and your baby.

Ease the transition from womb to real world

• Ease the transition from womb to real world: You know that feeling when you’re in a warm bath, shower, or swimming pool, and then you have to get out? Shock to the system, right? Now imagine how newborns feel, emerging from their cozy womb into the harsh light of day. Techniques like skin-to-skin contact, swaddling, shushing noises (from you or a sound machine), and swaying motions will all help trigger a baby’s calming reflex.
• Consider this a time of recovery: No matter how easy your labor and delivery experience was, the fact is your body has gone through an incredibly taxing experience and needs time to heal. Creating life is no small thing, Mama! Accordingly, treat your body with care: return to physical activity gently and under your doctor’s guidance, don’t exert yourself past your limit (even if that means letting laundry sit for days), and eat and drink adequately to keep yourself hydrated and nourished. 
• Get the rest you both need: “Sleep when your baby sleeps” may sound easy in theory, but in practice it can be tempting to try and answer emails, tweeze your eyebrows, or empty the dishwasher when your infant is napping—simply because those things are impossible to do when they’re awake! That said, resist. Lie down when your baby does, if only to let your mind relax. If you drift off, it’s a sign your body needs the rest. If you don’t fall asleep, you at least get a chance to mentally regroup before the next round of feeding and changing. 
• Bond with your baby: Peaceful feedings, cuddling, songs, and sweet baby smiles (is it gas? Who cares, it’s cute!) are all a key part of this early stage of life with baby. Make sure your partner gets in on the action with some bonding time, too. It’s not only crucial to your baby’s development, but also to developing bonds as a family. (And while your partner is bonding, you can tackle any to-dos you feel like you missed during your nap.) Older siblings can get in on the bonding too, with these 7 fun ways to bond with baby.  
• Check in with your emotions regularly: Baby blues are real, and postpartum depression is, too. If you’re feeling despair, overwhelmed, depressed, anxious—or even feeling nothing at all, good or bad—help is there for you. Let someone know how you’re feeling, and ask them for help. It can be your partner, your doctor, your mom or sibling, best friend—even a relative stranger in your “new moms” group. 
• Find a routine that works for you both: Full disclosure: Generally it’s the newborn who drives the bus when it comes to routines, with new parents along for the ride. Your baby will let you know when they’re hungry, need a change, or are tired (though it’s up to you to decipher their signs!). That said, once you learn their cues and figure out a sleep, feed, change, and play routine that works for both of you, life will seem a little less chaotic and more calm and structured. 

Final Thoughts

While at times those first twelve weeks after your baby’s birth might seem to go by so very slowly, the fact is it’s a brief chapter in your parenting journey, and an amazing opportunity for you and your baby to learn more about each other. With just a little preparation and support from loved ones, you can enjoy the new experiences of the fourth trimester.