Referred to by many as The Fourth Trimester, postpartum is commonly defined today as the six weeks that follow the birth of a baby.
In the United States, we PREPARE for birth. We attend classes, we talk with other families, we tour birth facilities and interview potential care providers - we hire doulas, we read books and we create gift registries. Very few of us, however, pour any measurable effort into planning or preparing for our postpartum period (aside from setting up the nursery and talking with Human Resources about our PTO).
Today, in the United States, many of us push ourselves back into the same routines we'd had prior to giving birth, loooooong before we are ready. Physical and emotional exhaustion can lead to a wide variety of health problems - including postpartum depression.
Today, in the United States, many of us push ourselves back into the same routines we'd had prior to giving birth, loooooong before we are ready. Physical and emotional exhaustion can lead to a wide variety of health problems - including postpartum depression.

Each year, in the United States, nearly one million women are reporting their experiences with postpartum depression (http://www.postpartumprogress.com/how-many-women-get-postpartum-depression-the-statistics-on-ppd).
Here, in the U.S. many women state "lack of knowledge" as the reason not to start or continue breastfeeding (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK52688/).
Contrast our modern-day American experience with other cultures around the globe where, traditionally, mothers and their families are cared for daily by members of their community: grandmothers, aunts, friends, neighbors, or even a person or team of people hired by the family to help. In these post-birth traditions, new mothers are fed foods and drinks that nourish their healing bodies, they are massaged, bathed and supported emotionally into their new role as "Mother."
At Southern Minnesota Midwifery, we've placed a high priority on supporting families in and through postpartum. We have AMAZING postpartum doulas as part of our care team (each family working with Southern MN Midwifery has postpartum doula care included in their home birth package). We do our best to stay current in new breastfeeding and postpartum research and continually work to build on our foundation of traditional postpartum care practices.
But, last winter, Amber and I bonded over a cup of tea and a shared passion to DO MORE. How can we, as midwives, better support families after baby's birth? How can we, as midwives, reach out and support families within our broader community who are choosing to give birth with other midwives, doctors or unassisted - in hospitals, birth centers and homes? From that shared passion, an idea and a partnership were formed - Amber and I decided we would create and participate in our own little experiment. We asked ourselves, "Would things be different if today's mothers were cared for in a traditional lying-in period?"
At Southern Minnesota Midwifery, we've placed a high priority on supporting families in and through postpartum. We have AMAZING postpartum doulas as part of our care team (each family working with Southern MN Midwifery has postpartum doula care included in their home birth package). We do our best to stay current in new breastfeeding and postpartum research and continually work to build on our foundation of traditional postpartum care practices.
But, last winter, Amber and I bonded over a cup of tea and a shared passion to DO MORE. How can we, as midwives, better support families after baby's birth? How can we, as midwives, reach out and support families within our broader community who are choosing to give birth with other midwives, doctors or unassisted - in hospitals, birth centers and homes? From that shared passion, an idea and a partnership were formed - Amber and I decided we would create and participate in our own little experiment. We asked ourselves, "Would things be different if today's mothers were cared for in a traditional lying-in period?"
Hypothesis: With focused planning, a loving and supportive community and a team of skilled care providers checking-in, new mothers will more easily transition to life after baby.
Our goals are very simple:
- Reduce rates of postpartum depression in our country, one woman at a time
- Improve breastfeeding statistics in our country, one woman at a time (this applies to women who want/plan to breastfeed - fed is best and we hold no judgment regarding your personal choices)
- See new mothers thriving - physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually - in and beyond their postpartum periods
Throughout the month of October, we will be talking about little other than the postpartum period.
We'll also be gifting our Lying-In to three beautiful families, so stay tuned!
We'll also be gifting our Lying-In to three beautiful families, so stay tuned!