When you think about planning for postpartum, what comes up for you? Hours filled with freezer meal prep? nursery set-up?  Folding bottomless piles of baby clothes? Those may be components of your end of pregnancy experience, but making a postpartum plan can be FAR simpler.

Start your postpartum planning in about 10 minutes

Here’s how:

1. Create your postpartum timeline.
   Divide it into immediate postpartum (birth to 2weeks), 4th trimester (up to 12 weeks), and then “return to normal” (3mos-6mos)
2. Under each timeframe, create the categories: focus, support & delegation, and logistics.
3. Fill in those categories for each phase asking yourself: what do you need to support birthing person and baby?
   For example, your focus for the first two weeks will look vastly different than at 5mos postpartum and will impact what support you need, the logistics of life (sleeping arrangements, leave, childcare, etc).
   
   
4. From there, start to create your to-do list, starting on that immediate postpartum period. You can take 10-15 minutes a day through your third trimester to check things off.

You may notice that based on your plan… 

👀 Having the nursery completely set from top to bottom, may no longer be a priority for immediate post-birth timeframe. Maybe you plan on co-sleeping and your toddler is still in the crib, so the baby is going to bunk with you for a while.

🍉 Packing the freezer with meals may not make sense logistically. Maybe you have limited space, have a meal train planned, or your partner or parent is home with you for a while to help with meals. You may only need some essential meals.

👯‍♀️ You need additional care support through the fourth trimester, but not in the first two weeks. Maybe your mom is staying with you and your partner is on leave, but then week 3 hits and you’re flying solo. So having a postpartum doula, nanny, friend, or other support person on call is key during this timeframe.

Or a myriad of other things.

Getting clearer on what YOU may want and need through this transition (not just what the internet says) can relieve a lot of end of pregnancy stress and enable a smoother postpartum experience.

Need support creating your postpartum plan? Here for it! Be sure to check out my Ultimate Guide to Preparing for a Better Postpartum. This 10-day course is delivered directly to your inbox! Each day breaks an essential task for postpartum planning that takes 15 minutes or less. This guide is for you whether this is your first or fifth baby (because yes, you need a plan each time).