The Fourth Trimester

We reached out to Anna Rhodes, who is a birth doula and the founder of First Embrace Birth Services. We asked her some tips on Postpartum care since sometimes this important “4^th Trimester” gets overlooked. Here are some tips from Anna.

Don’t do too much too quickly. Birth is a major event for your body, and although you may feel up to walking and lifting, there can be consequences. Diastasis recti, uterine prolapse, prolonged bleeding- all of these can be caused or aggravated by over-activity, especially in the first few months immediately postpartum. It seems like our current busy society wants to applaud and praise those who return to normal activities in record time. But this first year is so important for healing. I promise that nothing is more important than this! Rest as much as possible and when you do decide to be up and about, wear something for core support.
Have someone you can talk to openly. The first year after birth is both beautiful and challenging. Even with the best scenarios we all need someone who can help us as we navigate this transition after birth. Exhaustion, family adjustments, hormones, and difficult births or recoveries can leave you feeling alone or even helpless. There are so many reasons that postpartum depression and anxiety occur, so we all need someone close to us to check in on our mental health. Choose someone who can listen and speak truthfully about seeing a shift that seems abnormal enough to seek professional assistance.
Find a support community. As a surrogate, your postpartum period is unfamiliar to most. Join a group online or find one locally who can assist in the days following birth and maybe your experience and input can be helpful to other individuals as well.

Anna Rhodes has been a birth doula serving the Oklahoma City metro and surrounding areas since 2016. She supports both hospital births and out-of-hospital births with all family structures. Along with chiropractor Jessica Ray and maternity/birth photographer Danielle Murray, she helped to form the 405 Birth Workers Society, which aims to support and connect members of the birth community through continuing education and networking.

When she’s not at birth, Anna can be found shuttling her kids around, listening to too many podcasts, or working out. For more information on her doula services, you can contact Anna at firstembracebirthservices@gmail.com or find First Embrace Birth Services on Facebook.