Articles & Expert Guides on Postpartum Care

Medically-reviewed expert guides, tips, real-life stories, and articles on Postpartum Care

Can’t Keep Your Cool? Surviving Postpartum Rage Without Losing Your Mind

Tassia O'Callaghan

What’s an Epidural Headache & How Can I Treat It?

Katie Mill

Your Complete Guide to the 4th Trimester

Tassia O'Callaghan

First Night Home from the NICU: What to Expect

Dr. Frankie Harrison

Postpartum Discharge: How Long Does It Last?

Keshia Sophia Roelofs

Postpartum Workout Plan Tips: How to Start and Why

Keshia Sophia Roelofs

Postpartum Preeclampsia: Risks, Symptoms, and Treatment

Keshia Sophia Roelofs

Postpartum Hemorrhoids: What You Need to Know

Deborah Vieyra

What is Postpartum Thyroiditis? Triggers and Treatment

Keshia Sophia Roelofs

Why Do I Get Postpartum Night Sweats?

Deborah Vieyra

40 Postpartum Essentials for Mom After Birth

Tassia O'Callaghan

Postpartum Diet: Top Tips On What to Eat After Birth

Keshia Sophia Roelofs

All You Need to Know About a Vaginal Tear

Keshia Sophia Roelofs

Sex After a C-Section: 6 Things You Need to Know

Keshia Sophia Roelofs

What are the Possible Postpartum Complications?

Deborah Vieyra

What’s Causing My Postpartum Headache?

Keshia Sophia Roelofs

Postpartum Bleeding: What’s Normal and What’s Not

Peanut

Postpartum Hypertension: High Blood Pressure After Birth

Mairi Bunce

Your Guide to Postpartum Swelling

Deborah Vieyra

How to Deal With Postpartum Gas

Deborah Vieyra

From the community

Feelings towards mother in law

For abit of context I currently live with my Sikh in laws. During pregnancy my mother in law was lovely. After I gave birth it has been hell, throughout the whole of postpartum she disregarded my feelings, would just take the baby from me even if I said no, try to make decisions about my baby etc. I won’t ever leave her alone with my baby for other reasons. At the moment my baby is crawling and trying to stand and my MIL will block or isolate my baby in a small area and when my baby get frustrated because he just wants to learn my MIL picks him up and just sits him on her lap. I say every time put him down he doesn’t need to be held (my baby is usually fighting to get on the floor).
She will also say things like ‘bye mummy’ to my baby to imply that I need to leave but I don’t. She just tries to over step boundaries constantly or ignore me.
So for me to start correcting her and actually say something or ignore her comments now has taken me so long I felt so alone during postpartum because my husband would just say ‘she’s helping’ he has now realised that it isn’t help at all.

I cannot shake this feeling though that I can no longer stand her, I can’t stand to be-in the same room as her, everything she does with my baby just infuriates me.
I get dread when I come downstairs in the morning and the thought of having to interact. ( we are currently in the process of buying a house so I know it’s not forever) but I can’t seem to shake this feeling like I feel like I want to leave today and never return.

There is so much more but I would need to write a book on everything she has said/done to me since having a baby.

postpartum migraines

did anyone else suffer from migraines after having their baby? my little one is 2 months old and i’ve been taking candesartan that i was previously prescribed for chronic migraines as i had them throughout my teens (no cause found) and they were much worse back then but should i be making a doctors appointment? is it just coincidence that after 3/4 years they’ve come back right after having a baby or could the two be related?

Rant/WWYD

My sister (youngest, 24) has two kids, 4 & 1, and i (oldest, 30) just have my one who’s 6mo old right now, so i ask her for advice or call her to vent about things sometimes. Well im tired of her turning around and telling my other family members that I’m “losing my sh*t.” Literally have not lost my sh*t nor have i ever freaked out to her about my baby, i just call her to talk and tell her what stage my baby is in or talk through how im feeling, but she chooses to tell people that im like a complete nutcase or something which worries me that my family is going to start being judgmental about me as a mother or looking at me funny like I’m some fragile ticking time bomb.

What would you do in this situation? I’m already pretty much decided that I’ll stop telling her anything about my struggles, but I’m almost at the point where i feel like it should be confronted because she, of all people, should understand what I’m going through.

When does it get better?

I was crying on the phone with the perinatal mental health team today and the lovely lady, bless her, kept assuring me that it gets better. I kept telling her I hope so because people have been saying that since having my LO and it just feels like it keeps getting worse. She assured me it gets better....

Mum guilt

Is there anyway to stop myself from feeling overly guilty when tending to my 4month old and my nearly 2 year old is getting upset because they want me too.

It often gets me so so upset that I can't split myself into two

So anxious when my stepdaughter is around.

It seems like every time she’s here my 9 month old gets sick or injured, I’m starting to feel like she’s bad luck. When my baby was 4 months old, she gave her Covid. Last weekend, she was sitting with her & my baby ended up falling off a chair & thankfully was ok just a little bump. My stepdaughter just got dropped off & hasn’t been here for a full hour & she was playing with my baby & not watching her apparently bc she ended up just busting her lip on the table. On all occasions, I’m sitting nearby but trusting her to bond and play with her baby sister & she just fails every single time. Now whenever she wants to hold her or play with her I feel like I’ve got to be the bad guy & say no bc she keeps getting hurt when you’re nearby.

Postpartum

I’m only 3 days postpartum (FTM) and already have extremely bad anxiety. I’m crying every night, as I think of another night of no sleep. My baby will not settle in his cot, he cries every moment we put him down unless in his chair rocker. So me and my partner are having to alternate after 3/4 hours of being awake with him downstairs. I’m trying everything to get him to settle. It’s a load of overwhelming stress. I’m 23, I was desperate for a baby and now I have one and feel completely useless. I miss it just being me and my partner.

Abandonment

I had an epiphany last night and I recognized I have severe abandonment issues. Everyone in my life has abandoned me at one point or another including people most important to me. I constantly do for others to try and keep them in my life and get them to realize they love me and need me so they won’t leave but I end up being disappointed. I’m exhausting my husband with the constant need for his presence and reassurance. I need help. I had an appointment for therapy just to be told they are out of network the day before. I am trying to go through my insurance but I have Medicaid and need something virtual for now because I have an infant and my husband works all day. I can’t afford out of pocket. I am desperately trying to find something so please don’t comment and say do therapy. What I’d like to know is if you have had/have these same issues what helps you? What has your therapist told you to do? I need something to help me in the meantime while navigating this process.

Separation Anxiety

How are we living with little one going through separation anxiety? My little one just started and only wants mom. She loves her Daddy but as of lately only wants to play with him if she’s on mom’s lap. I can get nothing done because she wants to be with me 24/7. The only break I get is when grandma is here (maybe she looks enough like me), not sure why because dad is home everyday and gives her so much attention. But it’s at the point where I can barely shower without her screaming.

When did you circumcise your baby?
If you DID NOT or DO NOT have a circumcised son DO NOT comment this post is not for you!

Did you wait a certain amount of time or have it done immediately?
Again respectfully, this is only for the parents who choose to do so.
opinions about how not necessary it is will not be appropriate for this post. Thank you in advance. 🩵