Postpartum Planning

Reduce the overwhelm with a postpartum plan

Have you received this advice - get generous amounts of rest, sleep, fibrous food, hydration, love and support to aid postpartum recovery? Here are a few strategies to prepare for postpartum emotionally and financially:

• Get a lactation consultant appointment, maybe two ahead of time. Many of them are booked out for months. Tip: Most of them accept major insurance.

• Prepare your meals ahead, build a meal train or budget for a meal prep/delivery service.

• Figure out your sleep plan with your parenting unit. Learn about baby's sleeping patterns and come up with a feeding/changing plan so mom can get rest. Hire a sleep consultant or take a course/class.

• Build your support group well ahead and delegate tasks. This could be family, friends, neighbors, laundry and cleaning services via apps. Your village could be virtual too- join communities like Tandem.

• Plan for childcare- night doula for the first month, babysitters for date nights, nanny for an older child, daycare if you plan to go back to work. Figure out what the right model is for your family and budget for it.

• Save for hospital bills. Average cost of childbirth is over $18,000; out-of-pocket with insurance can be over $2,500. Click below to Estimate other recovery costs for FREE.