Fourth Trimester Recap

Ok, so I am publishing this post about a year after I wrote this…but it still deserves a place on the blog! (so read it like I am 3 months post partum, not with a 15 month + old lol)

You may be thinking, “Fourth Trimester? I thought we were done with these recaps?” I had never heard of the “Fourth Trimester” either until I was halfway through my pregnancy.

So what is it? The Fourth Trimester is the first 12 weeks after your baby is born. You know, when your baby is adjusting to life in the “real world” and you are adjusting to life post-pregnancy and as a new parent. Historically, after you have a baby, people just focus on how cute they are and no one talks about what happens next. Thankfully, this trend is slowly changing and hopefully this post is my little contribution to that as well.

We were warned that the first two weeks are survival mode and I think that is relatively accurate. When you are waking up every 2-3 hours to feed the baby, it is literally impossible to feel rested. We had an easy baby who essentially slept if she wasn’t eating, so I was definitely getting sleep, but interrupted sleep is not real sleep, its like a slow torture. Thankfully by 5 weeks we had two 4 hour blocks of sleep at night and by 7 weeks she was sleeping 8 hours straight, so we could not have expected much better there!

How I Felt

After seeing my OB monthly then weekly leading up to the birth, it felt really strange not seeing him for 6 weeks. On top of that, when I had my appointment he got pulled into emergency surgery and so I was seen by a nurse practitioner that I had never met before. It was really disappointing for that to be “the end.”

Breastfeeding sucked. Literally. Breastfeeding was not some magical unicorn bonding time like people make it out to be. It was painful and time-consuming and really not enjoyable. Thanks to COVID I could only do virtual Lactation Consultation appointments until she was 3 months old. That was something I had not even thought about before she was born. Lactation Consultants are definitely a resource that is less known but very essential! The good news there is, breastfeeding did slowly (very slowly) get better and now at 6 months we are doing great and mostly pain free.

I didn’t get any postpartum depression. I know it can be relatively common and it is important to look out for but I just didn’t have it. I felt like myself, just a bit more of a bloated version of myself. I didn’t mind having everyone waiting on me and helping out with everything and honestly I didn’t mind being parked on the couch binge watching television lol.

Teamwork

I don’t know how it is for anyone else but I hope everyone’s partners are as helpful and supportive as my husband. Things probably felt easier for me because my parents and husband literally did everything while I recovered. I fed the baby, cuddled her, and slept (not with her). Everything else was handled. Cooking, cleaning, diapers, even my water bottle was magically filled every time it got low. Nothing like creating a human to lead to being totally spoiled. You have to let yourself be spoiled too though as part of your recovery. It is easy to start to feel guilty about not doing things but you literally just underwent trauma to your body, you NEED to stay put and let people handle the world around you if you have that option. It is also probably why my recovery went so well.

Fitness

As far as recovery goes, my Fourth Trimester wasn’t terrible. While I did have a c-section, I walked every day from the day she was born through the end of my maternity leave. Sure, initially I was walking slower than a 90 year old with a cane, but eventually I was able to walk at a normal human pace again without being in pain. I definitely think that the fact I worked out every day up until she was born helped ease my recovery there.

C-section recovery is longer than a natural birth so you basically can only walk the first 6 weeks and really some will say longer because it takes a lot longer to heal. I basically just walked the first 2 months then roller bladed for a month before starting back in the gym with weights and light cardio at 3 months.

What I Wore

Robes. I wore robes and button down pajamas almost exclusively for 3 months. I bought those high-waisted underwear, some more high-waisted leggings, more spanx, and more robes. C-section recovery + breastfeeding = you want things tight on your middle but loose on your top.

I absolutely lived (…still do) in these Milkmaid Robes. They are the coziest softest things ever. I wore one in the hospital and immediately bought more.

If we did go out in public, and by public I mean to the pediatrician lol I wore maxi-dresses. With the exception of the leggings for walking, I did not wear pants for 3 months. No regrets.

Fourth Trimester Essentials

Water bottles to stay hydrated
Robes to be cozy
Belly wrap for recovery
High-waisted leggings for walks
Nursing bras that still look good
Back massager because my back hurt forever
Heating pad – for my back and the bassinet (to warm for baby)
DoorDash, Waitr, or Uber EATS, 100% delivery

Hope this helps someone on their journey!

Kali