POSTNATAL PLANNING

A Postnatal Plan is something that I carry out together with parents antenatally, and it provides an excellent opportunity to look at every aspect of your 'pre-baby' life, to then understand and prepare for the shift in dynamics that may occur postnatally. 

During a Postnatal Plan, we will look at your home environment, your lifestyle, your postnatal concerns, your past and present experience and so on, and develop a plan to protect your postnatal period through preparation and expectation. It allows you a chance to determine areas of support that may be required, which includes ensuring that rest and recovery are fully prioritised postnatally. 

A few examples include:

- "I have specific dietary requirements, how can I ensure that I eat repairing and restorative food postnatally, that work with my individual diet?"

- "How will I navigate visitors, and set up boundaries that protect both me and my new baby?"

- "How will I approach household maintenance such as cleaning, dog walking etc.?"

- "How can my partner and I remain strong during tired and testing times?"

- "What are my options in terms of parenting approaches and what feels right for us?"

- "How can we ensure that the older sibling/s feel just as included as pre-baby and not feel left out? And how will we navigate school drop offs / pick ups?"

- "How can I ask for support? Who can I ask?"

- "How can I prepare for curveballs? How will I process a birth that varied from my expectations? What are my options if I struggle with breast/chest feeding?"

 - "How can my partner learn the difference between expected postnatal hormonal impact versus a mental health impact, i.e. "baby blues" vs postnatal depression or anxiety." 

These sessions can be carried out in person or via Zoom, whatever your preference may be.