Your Six-Week Postpartum Care Plan: A Daily Guide for New Moms

A daily postpartum care plan to help you do something each day that is either useful, nourishing, or fun throughout the early days of motherhood.

We hope you love this as much as our email readers have. One new mother said,

“You have NO idea how much I needed this! I’m three weeks and had just started to feel like a human again but didn’t know what to do with myself. These tips are helping me feel like I’m getting the most out of these precious 10 weeks off with my new babe!”

Why You Need a Postpartum Plan

Most expectant moms have a birth plan, but the birth rarely goes according to said plan. While there’s so much emphasis put on a strategy for having a baby, there’s not much of a roadmap for the days post birth.

Sure, you may know to “sleep when the baby sleeps” or “drink plenty of water” but there’s not a lot of guidance around how to proceed from hour-to-hour or day-to-day. Unfortunately, many new moms are on their own while they navigate this new and intimidating period of motherhood.

In the book, The Female Brain, Dr. Louann Brizendine shares a study involving mother monkeys that revealed something profound about consistency and routine. Researchers divided mother monkeys with their babies into three groups:

• One group received abundant, consistent resources daily
• One group received limited but predictable resources daily
• One group received unpredictable resources (abundant some days, scarce others)

They discovered that both the abundant-resource and limited-resource mothers were able to care for themselves and their babies effectively, as long as the resources came consistently. Essentially, both of these groups thrived.

The mothers with unpredictable resources, however, struggled significantly with self-care and caring for their young. The lack of knowing what would happen next was so detrimental, they stopped the study early.

The key finding wasn’t about quantity but predictability. This study illustrates why creating consistency (having a routine or plan in place) helps our nervous systems feel safe, even when resources aren’t abundant or we are in an unfamiliar situation. 

In an effort to lend new moms a little emotional support and predictability, we’ve created a postpartum care plan to help guide you through the early days of parenthood.

Your Weekly and Daily Postpartum Plan

The goal is for new moms to do something each day that is either useful, nourishing, or fun. And hopefully having a daily touch point to accomplish will help stimulate you mentally, creatively and physically.

Feel free to mix around the daily goals, repeat your favorites, or skip any that don’t speak to you. The whole plan is created to make your days a little lighter. So, follow it as long as it brings you joy.

1 Week Postpartum: Enjoy your baby bubble

Take it extra easy and enjoy this time and space to heal and just BE with your baby.

“I did so much preparation when I was pregnant but then had such a hard time once I actually had my daughter,” says Amy Motroni, creator of The Postpartum Party. Amy points out that while doing things for yourself might not be easy, it can help you to feel like yourself again.

Days 1-3: Do nothing outside of care for your body and your baby. In other words just lay-in with your baby. Accept offers of help if they feel nourishing and truly helpful.

Day 3: Take a natural sitz bath for postpartum recovery and exhale.

Day 4: Play your favorite music. This helps you hang on to yourself when your newborn is taking up every minute of every day.

Day 5: Order your favorite take out — maybe even something that has been off limits throughout your pregnancy. Sushi anyone?

Day 6: Say something nice to your partner. The first week is filled with diaper changes, feedings, swaddling, rocking. Make an effort to get out of your head and the newborn care cycle, by connecting for a moment with your partner.

Day 7: Find a podcast to listen to for entertainment value only. Don’t get too concerned with educating yourself right now. Stay away from true crime right now. Your hormones are in an upheaval, and you need to signal safety to your body every chance you get.

Podcasts and fun TV can be a great escape while recovering from birth and while sitting for hours feeding a baby.

Leigh Anne O’Connor, IBCLC

2 Weeks Postpartum: Look for connections to the outside world

Day 1: Watch a feel-good TV show or movie. Maybe start with something you’ve already seen, so if you happen to catch a nap while your baby is snoozing, you won’t miss anything.

Day 2: If you are so inclined, follow a mom-influencer. Look for a parent you can relate to, some specialize in areas like breastfeeding or babywearing, so their posts can be both entertaining and educational. Or maybe a funny take on parenting is more your style.

Day 3: Text a friend. And ask them for help. Whether you could use someone to drop off groceries, walk the dogs, or just to hang out with while you go through the new mom motions — your friends will likely be more than happy to help. They may just need some direction.

Even quick calls, texts and IMs help remind new moms that they have a life outside of their baby and while it doesn’t feel like it now, they will have that life again.

Amy Motroni

Day 4: Pick a podcast for new parent advice. Save yourself some googling and find a podcast that might cover some of the new mom topics that are on your mind at 2 weeks postpartum.

Day 5: Sign up for an email newsletter about natural parenting, baby milestones, recipes, astrology, or celebrity gossip. A brief newsletter can keep you informed or connected to the adult world even if you only have one hand and three minutes to read it.

Day 6: Choose a quick self-pamper ritual like putting balm on your feet, braiding your hair, or deep breathing… and then do it.

Day 7: Take a selfie with your newborn. Of course, you’re taking dozens of pics of Baby, but be sure to get yourself in the picture. Trust the members of our team – we ALL wish we had more pics of ourselves with our littles.

3 Weeks Postpartum: Start actually connecting to the outside world

Day 1: Start assembling a support group — whatever that means for you. Whether you create a group chat of mom friends or sign up for a mommy and me class, try to formulate a group of parents who can be there for you throughout the ups and downs.

Day 2: Make a mama mantra. Whether you go with a tried and true phrase like, “this too shall pass” or you want to make up your own unique expression, it can help to have a mantra to recite in the more difficult moments of new mommyhood.

Day 3: Call a friend. At 3 weeks postpartum you’ve experienced so many new things to talk about!

Talk! Tell your birth story, new parents need to process this life changing experience–all the good and all the bad.

Leigh Anne O’Connor.

Day 4: Take your baby for a walk. Weather permitting, of course, fresh air can be great for the both of you.

Day 5: Read something, anything, about your interests. “It is easy to get lost in new motherhood so keeping some of your interests can help you to maintain a sense of yourself and to have something to look forward to, says” Leigh Anne O’Connor.

Day 6: Establish a mama and baby activity–read a book, sing a song or look at the trees dance in the wind, creating a ritual the two of you share can help you bond and pass the time.

Day 7: Do something you have always loved to do. At 3 weeks postpartum, you have (understandably) spent all of your energy on your little baby.

“I always encourage my clients to do something they enjoyed doing before they got pregnant,” says Kristin White, a health and wellness coach who helps women with the transition into motherhood. “Whether that is happy hour with girlfriends, watching movies, taking long showers or hiking, she has to do it. It’s been shown that if not resolved, a lot of this loss of self can lead to Postpartum mood disorders.”

4 Weeks Postpartum: Look for childcare help if you haven’t already

Whether you are going back to work or plan to stay at home with your baby, it’s smart to have a go-to caretaker you can call if you’re in need.

Day 1: Take one-month photos of your baby. Putting a prop next to your baby can help show how much they grow over time.

Day 2: Read something about baby care or one-month milestones.

Day 3: Ask for help. People want to help, but they aren’t mind readers. Invite a friend over and ask them to bring something to eat or make you one of these restorative postpartum soups.

If you have trouble asking for help make a wish list and put it on your refrigerator or share via email or social media and let people see it.

Day 4: Take your baby for a walk. Yes, you’ve seen this one before! If the season permits, you may even want to make this a part of your daily routine and postpartum care plan.

Day 5: Give yourself a facial massage as you wash your face… or just wash your face.

Day 6: Order something for yourself. New parents order baby items constantly. Get a little something for you. It doesn’t have to be a big purchase, just something that will make you smile. 

Day 7: Journal. Jot down your favorite moment from the last week or your worst moment of the day. Write a message of encouragement to yourself or just write your baby’s name down and see what comes next. Your postpartum care plan should help get your mind working in creative as well as practical ways.

5 Weeks Postpartum: Shift some focus to your needs

Day 1: Indulge in some light stretching. Try to relieve some pain from that kink in your neck that we know you have: look up for ten seconds and then look down for ten seconds. Then look left for ten seconds and right for ten seconds. Repeat one more time.  

Day 2: Print some pictures. We bet you’ve accumulated a fair amount of baby pics on your phone. Find an online printer and place a few in an album or a frame.

Whenever my baby was sleeping, I tried to do something for myself. Sometimes that meant taking a nap and sometimes that meant watching TV. I knew the dishes and laundry could wait for another time.

Amy Motroni

Day 3: Invite a friend over to hold the baby while you take a nap.

Day 4: Take a shower and put on a top that doesn’t have baby drool on it. 

Day 5: If you have a trusted friend or relative, ask them to stay with baby while you go on a 1-2 hour outing. Get a pedicure or make a quick grocery or farmer’s market run solo to get yourself out among the world again.

Day 6: Look at your closet and remove some clothes you don’t want to wear. This includes maternity and pre-baby items!

Day 7: Take your spouse or partner on a date — even if it’s just to the living room. Put on that pretty top you uncovered after your closet cleanse yesterday, brush your hair (and your teeth), and spend some quality time with your partner.

“With the new baby, lack of sleep, and pretty much chaos, relationships get put on the back burner and emotions can be at an all-time high, says Kristen White. “Talk with your partner about what you both enjoyed doing before baby and try and recreate it.”

6 Weeks Postpartum: See to Your Own Health

Currently, as many as 40% of women do not attend a postpartum visit, don’t overlook your own health. It’s fundamental to your baby’s wellbeing, too!

Day 1: While your health is top of mind, try to make any other doctor or dental appointments you may need. Or take some time to read up on natural solutions, like this treatment for hemorrhoids, for any lingering post-birth pains.

Day 2: Read your baby something that you can also benefit from, like this guided mediation script for relaxation.

Day 3: Take a bath.

Day 4: Read something about the world. At six weeks postpartum, your baby is the top headline of your life, today and always, but take a beat to check in on world events.

Day 5: Take baby for an outing and meet up with a friend for coffee or a quick lunch. If you are planning on returning to work after maternity leave, check out this guide with useful tips for going back to work after baby.

Day 6: If your healthcare provider gave you the green light to get moving at your checkup, find gentle ways to exercise. Today, maybe just research some options and you can get moving next week.

Day 7: Filter out newborn or outgrown clothes from your baby’s closet.

Mama, while it’s great to stay busy, remember that this time flies, so take a breath and enjoy these early moments. Don’t get too worked up about following your daily postpartum care plan to the letter. Enjoy your little one and shower them with all the love you can.

And don’t forget about yourself in the process. A happy mom makes for a happy baby after all.

Inspired to help other new moms through their postpartum journey? Consider making a recovery postpartum kit and share this daily guide with them!