Asking For Postpartum Care & Support
If you’re growing a babe there’s a good chance that beautiful people around you are considering what gift to send your way.
It’s okay to communicate that more things are not what you need right now. Indeed, as you prepare for life with a little one, things do truly start to accumulate on every surface. And that can feel overwhelming.
It’s okay to say: We’re set up for babe, and now we want to consciously redirect our resources to supporting us through this transition.
To ask your loved ones to join with you to help create a more supported postpartum experience.
It can feel like an awkward ask, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, using your voice to communicate your needs clearly is such a fantastic skill to carry into the early mothering years. This as an opportunity to be brave, and to practice asking for what you need.
Compared to a heap of cute onesies, cot blankets and toys, a supported postpartum is the one thing that will really make a tangible difference – improving the experience ahead for all of you.
I’ve got some ideas about how to ask for a supported postpartum in lieu of gifts. You could attach a version of the below text to your baby shower or mother blessing invites, or share around with your community via email. Whatever makes sense for your story and your relationships.
The best part of it is, when you take brave steps like these, you give others the permission to do the same. And pretty soon, no one will end up with fifty 00 size onesies, and instead they’ll have the funds to call in a psych, an acupuncturist or a women’s health physio. To put the money towards what they need. That’s the world I wanna live in.
Feel free to use my words. Borrow as much or as little of the text below as you like. Alter it to align with your values, circumstances, needs and wants. Flex that asking muscle. It’s a skill well worth learning.
You’ve got this.
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Script For Calling in a Postpartum Support Fund
We’re having a baby, and look forward to celebrating with you.
We acknowledge that it’s tradition to bring a gift to occasions like these. The truth is we are already prepared to meet babies needs.
We’ve poured over all the essentials like clothes and blankets. They’re washed and ready. Getting organised has helped us feel more connected and prepared for our new arrival.
Having prepared the material things babe will need, we are now looking to shift our attention to the supports networks, services and health professionals we might draw upon to support our whole family units health and wellbeing over the coming months.
We want to honour postpartum. We want to put our best foot forward for breastfeeding. We understand and acknowledge the common occurrence of mental, physical and emotional load of this transition.
We’ve gathered together a list of services and health professionals that we might engage over the coming months. For those wanting to support us by means of a gift, we would love your support in building a Postpartum Fund that will allow these things to be within reach should we need them.
A Postpartum Fund will allow us the possibility of considering support like:
Meal Prep Service
Postnatal Doula
Lactation Consultant
Acupuncture / Chinese Medicine / Naturopathy / Nutritional Medicine
Osteopath / Women’s Health Physiotherapist / Massage
Psychologist / Mental Health Professionals
Home Cleaning
Dog Walking
We don’t know exactly what is going to be important for our story in the coming months, but we’re keen to seek supports like these as needed. We know they will allow us to share the load when things do feel overwhelming.
Our current culture can make it uncomfortable to ask for what we want. We are choosing to challenge this because we know (and many of our friends, family and health professionals have reiterated to us) that a supported transition matters. We know our new family has the best chance to thrive with supports like these services and professionals in place.
In lieu of gifts we would be grateful for you to consider making a financial contribution towards our Postpartum Fund. Any amount will ripple a clear positive impact, and it’s important to us that you don’t feel pressure to offer beyond your means.
$5 incentivise a sleep deprived parent to walk to the shops with babe for some fresh air, a hot drink and a chance to engage in adult conversation. $20 buys us dinner so we don’t have to cook or clean up. A bunch of $10 contributions becomes a massage for sore muscles or a psychologist to speak to. It all takes the pressure off. It all matters.
This ask is completely optional. We love you and we feel your support.
We’re excited for you to be a part of our new lives with babe.
Yours in gratitude,
What do you think?! Could this be a way to actively call in the support you might need?
Amy