Postpartum Planning: The Step Parents Often Skip (But Shouldn’t)
No one really tells you how quiet the house feels after birth.
The baby’s finally asleep, the visitors are gone, and you’re left wondering, what now?
You prepared for birth. You made the nursery perfect. You packed the hospital bag and memorized your birth plan.
But no one said much about what happens after.
And that’s where so many parents get caught off guard.
Because postpartum isn’t just the “after” part of birth.
It’s the beginning of an entirely new season. One that deserves just as much preparation, compassion, and care.
Why Postpartum Planning Matters
Postpartum planning isn’t about controlling everything; it’s about creating space for healing, rest, and connection.
You’re recovering physically, adjusting emotionally, and learning to care for a tiny human who depends on you for everything. Without a plan for support, it’s easy to end up exhausted, isolated, and overwhelmed.
Here’s what planning ahead can do for you:
1. It protects your recovery.
Your body needs time to rest and heal. Prepping meals, asking for help with chores, and planning naps instead of visits, it all makes recovery gentler.
2. It protects your heart.
Postpartum hormones are no joke. Having trusted people (or professionals) you can text, cry to, or lean on can make a world of difference.
3. It protects your peace.
Laundry, dishes, groceries, they don’t pause. But you can decide what can wait and who can help. Your mental load deserves relief too.
Building Your Village
This is the part so many skip.
Postpartum planning isn’t just about logistics; it’s about people.
Think of your village as the circle that holds you. The ones who show up, check in, and help you breathe when it all feels heavy. That might look like:
✨ A partner who takes night shifts
✨ A friend who drops off warm meals
✨ A neighbor who folds laundry or walks the dog
✨ A postpartum doula who brings calm, structure, and reassurance into your home
You don’t have to wait until you’re struggling to ask for help. You can build your support before you need it.
Common Mistakes Parents Make
Most parents focus on the birth and forget about what comes next. Some think they’ll “figure it out.” Others feel guilty asking for help.
But here’s the truth: you’re not meant to do this alone.
Skipping postpartum planning doesn’t make you strong; it just makes things harder. You deserve the kind of support that helps you thrive, not just survive.
How to Start Planning
Create a Support List – Who’s in your circle? What kind of help can they offer? Meals, cleaning, childcare, errands?
Communicate Clearly – Don’t assume people know what you need. Tell them. Be honest and specific.
Line Up Professional Support – Postpartum doulas, lactation consultants, or therapists can make the transition smoother and more supported.
Schedule Rest – Seriously. Block it off like an appointment. Your healing depends on it.
What to Include in Your Postpartum Plan
🍼 Meals & Nourishment – Stock your freezer or line up meal trains. Postpartum hunger hits hard.
💤 Rest & Sleep – Schedule shifts with your partner, family, or a doula. Rest is recovery.
🫶 Emotional Support – Identify a friend, therapist, or doula to check in with you weekly.
🧺 Household Help – Laundry, dishes, groceries. Tthese don’t make you less capable; they make you human.
💜 Visitor Boundaries – Decide what feels good. You can love people and still say, not yet.
🧘 Self-Care & Recovery Tools – Think pads, peri bottles, snacks, cozy clothes, and quiet moments.
Because You Deserve More Than Just Survival
Preparing for postpartum isn’t overplanning, it’s self-preservation. It’s saying, “My wellbeing matters, too.”
Because when you plan for postpartum, you create space to actually enjoy those early days instead of just surviving them.
And if you’re in Seattle or PNW, Village to Village Doulas is here to help you build that support system. Our postpartum doulas walk beside you through recovery, rest, feeding, and finding your rhythm again, so you never have to navigate the fourth trimester alone.
Let’s build your village before baby arrives. 💜 Because you deserve a postpartum that feels peaceful, supported, and seen.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Aijanae Young, Founder Village to Village Doulas
Village to Village Doulas provides birth and postpartum support with care that extends beyond the client—we support the entire village, including the doulas doing the work. Our trauma-informed, culturally responsive care is rooted in equity, lived experience, and community. We make it easier for families to find trusted Doulas and connect them with resources like lactation, body work, and mental health—because no one should have to do this alone.
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