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How to Prepare for the Emotional, Physical, and Social Realities of Life Postpartum
Published by Self. Read the full article
This time can be overwhelming and transformative—but there are ways to make it easier.
As any parent will tell you, the postpartum period is inevitably one of the most overwhelming—if not, the most challenging—and transformative experiences of your life.
Amid the sleepless nights and cluster feeds, you’re also navigating a metamorphosis—a matrescence, if you will—from personhood to parenthood. While there’s an obvious change that happens overnight—one day you don’t have a baby and the next day you do—your sense of self and familiar routines are very much in the rearview mirror; you can see them but they’re behind you as you evolve.
Adding to these complexities is the fact that postpartum care remains woefully inadequate in the US. According to the National Partnership for Women & Families, only 19% of Americans have access to paid family leave through their employers, and only 40% have personal medical leave through short-term disability insurance. That means more than half of Americans don’t have the ability to take off from work to care for their new baby, properly recover, and adjust to their new normal.
