4th Trimester yarns part 2
Many factors come into the 4th trimester. No two experiences of the 4th trimester are the same. Some families absolutely thrive, others find it more difficult, but still love it, others don't love it (see 4th trimester yarns part 1 for more about that).
For now, let’s unpack some of the factors that come into the 4th trimester experience. Over the next 2 blog posts I will discuss some key factors that impact the 4th trimester for families.
Pregnancy health of parent
It isn’t often that people pay much attention to this. We know that we have more optimal birth and recovery outcomes if parents are able to exercise, eat well, get enough sleep and have zero stress, but this isn’t real life. Sometimes pregnancy is painful, sometimes pregnant people are too sick to eat or exercise, sometimes pregnant people have other children that don’t sleep through the night yet. This is sometimes out of our control, but an important thing to consider. If you had a rough pregnancy (for whatever reason), you may need to give yourself extra grace and support in the post partum phase.
Type of birth
Here is 4 different hypothetical birth scenarios:
A straight forward 5 hour labour vaginal birth with no tearing
A 36 hour labour with an emergency c-section
A preterm birth at 34 weeks with a nicu stay for baby
An elective gentle section
All of the above scenarios have different recovery time frames BUT there is more than just the type of birth that comes into this. Other aspects come into recovery from birth too, such as, did the birthing parent feel like they had the support they needed during the birth process? Did they feel it was a positive experience or did it create trauma? All of these things play a roll in recovery and this flows into the experience of the 4th trimester.
Temperament of baby
Every baby is different, they all have different temperaments (just like adults do) and often these start showing right from the get go. If you have a baby who is a dream sleeper and doesn’t often cry, you might find the 4th trimester easier (or maybe you still find/found it hard?) With that said sometimes parents who have a baby who sleeps well and is less fussy tend to enjoy the 4th trimester more than someone who is struggling to get baby to sleep and has a baby that cry’s a lot.
Often parents struggle with this aspect, they think there is something they should be doing that will change those traits in their baby, and provided there is no colic, reflux or other health conditions going on, often as parents we need to do our best and learn how to connect with our little one amongst the chaos that can be those newborn days. For some this is easier said than done. No one really talks much about how much a child’s temperament impacts our experience as a parent. No two babies are the same.
Parent health conditions
After giving birth sometimes parents need extra medical care such as extra wound care or maybe they had pre-existing conditions leading into birth that need ongoing management after birth, with hormones raging this can be a tricky time for parents with things like mental health conditions, diabetes, endocrine disorders, the list goes on. Parent health conditions can play into the 4th trimester experience for sure.
See part 3 to find out more about other fundamental factors that impact the 4th trimester experience.
If you would like guidance on newborn sleep, settling, baby temperament, tummy time, motor development, eyesight development, hip & spine health, play ideas and more then click here to register interest for the up and coming HAPPY NEWBORN COURSE FOR PARENTS.