For Partners of New Moms: Postpartum Doesn't End at the Six-Week Checkup

Transcript

This is a message for all the partners of new moms out there. Hi, if you don't know me, I'm Dr. Jana. I'm a licensed psychologist who specializes in moms. And I think there's a misconception about what postpartum is because moms go to this postpartum checkup at six weeks and they get cleared. And I think the message there is that, okay, postpartum's over. Mom should be back to normal. She should be bounced back. But that is not the reality. The reality is that the postpartum period is at least 12 months, if not more. it takes a long time to heal from pregnancy and childbirth. Her hormones are probably shifting, especially if she's breastfeeding or weaning. Her brain is now tracking an enormous amount of information all day. When did the baby eat and how much did they eat and when do they next need to eat and are we out of diapers and do they have a pediatrician appointment? It's a lot. So if she gets suddenly really angry that you left a bottle out on the counter, it's not really about the bottle. This might just be the moment that she realizes, oh my gosh, I am responsible for like noticing and remembering everything. It's overwhelming. What I find helpful for partners to do for new moms is to notice what needs to be done around the house with the baby and then doing it. Because often carrying part of this load for a new mom is the most helpful thing that you can do.