Finding Support for Postpartum
Postpartum can be such a hard time.
Not only is your body going through massive amounts of physical changes, but your hormones are all over the place. You are still bleeding, your vulva is sore, you might have hemorrhoids, your breasts are leaky and sore, you might be recovering from major surgery, and you are trying to function on the least amount of sleep you have ever gotten.
As great as partners can be, they just don’t experience postpartum the way moms do. They might have seen the baby come out of your body and watch you breastfeed. They might help you change your postpartum diaper and hold the baby while you nap. But they really have no comprehension of what exactly is going on inside you.
Finding a local, in person postpartum support group is such a benefit.
Emotional Support
You are surrounded by other postpartum moms. They have been right where you are…or maybe exactly where you are at that moment. They understand you on a level that not many people do.
Reduce Isolation
Postpartum can be so lonely sometimes. If you are the first in your friend group to have a baby, your friends might not know how to best support you. It might feel overwhelming to try and plan play dates when your baby is just days/weeks old. But finding a group that meets on a very regular basis can be just the kind of outing you need.
Building Confidence
It can be very scary to try and breastfeed a baby in public for the first time. But doing it in a room surrounded by other women who need to feed their babies can be helpful. Most moms can feel overwhelmed when their baby cries in public. But in a room full of other moms with small babies, it doesn’t seem quite as scary.
Normalizing Challenges
Finding a place that you can feel safe opening up about your struggles can be extremely freeing. Hearing other moms struggle in their marriages, parenting older children while also having a newborn, transitioning back to work, lack of sleep, feeling a loss of identity…all that can validate your own challenges and help you feel not so alone.
If you are local to the Fort Worth area of Texas, please consider joining Mom Like Me. It is a free, weekly support group facilitated with certified birth professionals but is led by peers. We meet every Monday evening from 6:30-8pm at City on a Hill church.