The Postpartum Plan

How to prepare for a healthy postpartum experience

Dec 15, 2025

child's hand gripping person's pinkie finger — Photo by Tembinkosi Sikupela on Unsplash

I am nearly 2 months postpartum and I have a problem with how we define the postpartum period.

First of all, most services for postpartum are only for 3, 6 or 12 months if you're very lucky! But birth and early child development is all encompassing for up to four years for mother and child. A mothers hormones are all wrapped up in baby's for over 3 years and birth affects birthing bodies for as long or longer.

Too many moms don’t have what they need to fully honor their bodies and this transitional period of life. This bothers me. Years ago I ran a postpartum support group online. There were women who almost didn't join because their children were over the age of 2.

There were women who felt forced into another pregnancy because they were supposed to be healed from the last, but they weren't.

Women who went back to grueling work immediately after birth and those who were fired and struggling due to their pregnancy. Most if not all, struggled to feel financially secure and supported as a mom. There are almost zero jobs that truly accommodate early motherhood, even for the partners.

The only true answer, the way I see it, is the same answer for healthy birth and birth outcomes…wise women coming together. Our wisdom together is stronger than any medicine!

This fact has inspired me to reignite my passion for birthwork. Not only am I planning to start attending births as a doula and open a birth school, but I am also writing a book about birth and motherhood, the whole journey.

Not just my birth experiences but the birth experiences and motherhood experiences of many other women and how these experiences offer us healing.

Personal, community and intergenerational.

When I did doula training years and years ago I never attended a single birth. I focused only on the postpartum period for a reason.

Because postpartum women are forgotten. Our postpartum traditions are forgotten.

The culture around postpartum recovery is forgotten because its more internal and subtle than the journey of pregnancy but both experiences reflect each other.

If you are pregnant or postpartum, know someone who is or never fully received a rich postpartum support, I invite you to meet with me and share support around this transitional period of parenthood.

As time goes on I'll be sharing bits of my birth stories, postpartum stories and journey as a mother through poetry and more. Follow me to see my progress.

Please give your feedback on my poll as I navigate how I show up through this process of returning to an acting from a place of empowerment.

In other news I've posted on Karmaisabiz this week, check it out!

I'm also running a Village Building Skills Challenge here!

And soon a Montessori Home for the Holidays Challenge

Let me know if there's anything else you'd like me to do.

In addition to preparing by having things you might need I shared this in my substack notes not long after giving birth:

So, yeah, have expectations. Expect to be cared for during birth, postpartum and your vulnerable moments, expect that you can solve your challenges and have a satisfying family life.
Have expectations and then plan accordingly. Don’t rest on the expectations especially when it comes to other people but don’t act as if its unreasonable to expect good, smart, helpful situations to happen in your life.
Again, expect--then plan accordingly. My pregnancy and postpartum support circle is happening soon where I share reasonable expectations and planning for a healthy birth and postpartum experience.

If we were in community I would also share these things below.

I'm finally sharing my affiliate list of my postpartum recommendations:

Rest & Relaxation: home set up, essential oils

A bedside table
water pitcher
diffuser/humidifier
lamp
essential oils (I also recommend a citrus oil, frankincense and a carrier oil like jojoba or almond oil)

Nourishment:

prenatals (this is extremely important and the only brand that works for me as a highly sensitive person)
water
snacks
warm drinks (I recommend peppermint, ginger/lemon, chamomile, lavender and red raspberry leaf tea)

Entertainment: I read over 6 books in a month while pregnant and postpartum. It was the best way to recharge my mind, relax and calm restlessness. If you read digitally or listen to audio books this doesn't need much prep, but if you're a physical copy girly like me, get a bunch of books, more than you can read, just in case.

A great way to bring community in is to ask your people what books they recommend and why you need books (healthier entertainment than doomscrolling)! Super bookish friends might lend you their faves!

Social: obviously can't tell you how to socialize but I find the need for socialization is more urgent postpartum so please have people or community in mind for this period of time.

I have online community chat as an option and I'm open to starting in person and online movement-based guided social program if there is any interest.

Let me know if you’re interested.

Karma Yoga Village- Connecting Families

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