You’ve spent a lot of time and energy preparing for labor and birth. Now’s the time to begin to think realistically about what day-to-day life will be like after the baby arrives. This article is intended to help you think through what you will need to Thrive as a new mom in the “Fourth Trimester” — the first 3 months after the birth. Please scroll down to read information about:

• Our scheduled postpartum appointments

• Suggestions for practical post birth support at your home

• Information about postpartum depression

Your Midwifery Care in the Early Postpartum

24-48 Hour Home Visit: Our plan is to visit you within a day or 2 of the birth - at your home. At that appointment, we’ll weigh the baby so we can make sure the baby is gaining enough weight, and breastfeeding is comfortable and effective for you. We’ll also do the congenital heart defect screening, newborn metabolic screening, and finalize your baby’s birth certificate.

1 week - 2 week Home Visit: The next scheduled appointment at your home is when the baby is between one and two weeks old. We need to repeat the newborn metabolic screening at that appointment. We’ll also do breast-feeding support if your baby’s weight isn’t heading back to the birth weight.

This is a great appointment to process your birth and discuss practical questions too,

3 week - 4 week Office Visit: By the time the baby is about a month old, you’ll probably be looking for opportunities to get out of the house. We’d love to invite you to come to the office on a Monday so you can meet up with the other new moms. We’ll sneak a postpartum appointment in while you’re there — weigh the baby and spend 45 minutes processing your birth and anything else you want to talk through.

6-week Office Visit: We have a love/hate relationship with the 6-week postpartum appointment. It’s always such a treat to see you and your baby. We are always so impressed with the growth in just that short time! It’s a little sad, though, because it’s our last official appointment. Our little graduation ceremony includes hanging a leaf with your baby’s first name and birth details on our Tree of Life. We have started doing these appointments on Mondays so you can continue to hang out with the other new moms at the Monday Mom Meetups. That’s our sneaky way of making sure we get to see you again :-).