When people find out that my second son was a ‘covid’ baby, the first question they ask is ‘How was it during lockdowns – it must have been hard’. I reply ‘Yes and no’. Yes, because we had little to no help and it was hubby and me with a 2.5-year-old and a newborn. I say No because hubby was working from home and around more during the day when you know what was hitting the fan.

But, I did miss key elements right from the moment my son was born as he was born at 2:30 pm and we went into a lockdown that night due to rolling lockdowns and a newborn that hadn’t had all of his injections our village was rather small.

I put up a post recently on Instagram with a quote that resonated with many people ‘As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child, but it also takes a village to support a working mum.’

This is something that this week’s guest, Dr. Renee White (found of Fill your Cup – a postpartum doula service and all-around great person) spoke about on this week’s episode of the Working Mumma podcast.

If you are pregnant and planning for your birth and postpartum or returning from maternity leave, here are tips & advice from Renee

1. It’s entirely normal to go through an identity change as you become a mum 
We are led to believe that we finish school, do further study, and get a job and that’s our path. Then throw in motherhood and it often makes you think ‘What is important?’

2. We don’t talk about postpartum enough ​

There is a lot of focus on birth but not as much on recovery. As Renee put it, if you were training for the New York City marathon in 6 months’ time, you would prepare, plan ahead, have a support team, and think about the race and the recovery afterward.

3. You can have a beautiful pregnancy but there is trauma in postpartum 

Renee shares her personal experience of postpartum and how her mental health suffered and this lead her to become a postpartum doula to support other women to ensure they don’t have the same experience she did.

4. Don’t think you can or should do it all

The societal expectations, especially in Western culture, have been lead to believe they need to ‘do it all’, and in reality, no one can do it all. It’s ok to ask for help.

​5. There is value in planning for the postpartum phase (fourth trimester) 

This helps ensure you are on the same page as your partner, visitors, and the help you will need (yes, accept the help). Your partner can then act as a gatekeeper if you agree, then you aren’t left with the mental load of visitors etc as you have enough going on.

Renee and I go much deeper into this topic and she shares so many great tips and pieces of advice.

Listen now 

Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Connect with Renee White and Fill Your Cup

Via Instagram @fillyourcup_ and website