Why Are Postpartum Boundaries Important For a New Mom? How To Set Them?

It’s all nice and cozy to hold a newborn in your arms and snuggle them to sleep. What’s not nice is having 10 or more people standing right on top of you staring at you and your baby. A new mother has a lot to process and learn about her and the baby. 

Having people hovering around them is not only disturbing but painful. It is difficult for people to understand that a mother doesn’t need the baby to be taken away from her. If you want to help a new mother, help them with their chores. 

Sometimes people forget that a new mother needs her privacy, she doesn’t want people around her when she nurses her baby or bathes the baby. As I said, it is difficult for people to understand that you need your space, that’s why you need to tell them. 

How can I tell people to give me space? By setting healthy boundaries… Want to know more about it? 

Here you go…

Why Are Postpartum Boundaries Important?

We all know how exhausting the whole pregnancy and the final hour of giving birth can be. Many of us have gone through it and those who haven’t have an exact idea of how exciting, exhausting, and overwhelming time it is for a new mother.

Setting Postpartum boundaries can help a new mother get enough time to figure out what she needs to do and how she can manage things having a newborn around. During postpartum a mother’s body experiences drastic changes in her emotional and physical self.

Also read: 6 Common Postpartum Depression (PPD) Myths And Facts to Know

Her hormones are draining rapidly, her body is tired and the last thing she wants is to attend to visitors. New mom boundaries are important because they can keep unwanted visitors and unsolicited advice out of your way. 

When it comes to friends and family, they need boundaries too. When you set your postpartum boundaries, it is easy for your friends and family to understand when and how much help you need. Here are some more reasons you should set postpartum boundaries;

• Helps you reduce postpartum stress
• Helps you get enough time to cater to your and the baby’s needs
• Gives you time to relax 
• Helps you manage your emotions

Most mothers face problems in setting boundaries because they do not even know they need postpartum boundaries to solve their problems. If you are pregnant, planning to have a baby, or have just delivered, here are some tips for you to set postpartum boundaries…

How To Set Postpartum Boundaries?

Before we move on to setting boundaries you need to understand that expressing and implementing your boundaries is as important as setting them. There is no point in setting postpartum boundaries if no one knows about them.

Be gentle yet assertive about what you want and how much help you need. You’re a new mother and it’s exhausting, of course, you’ll need help. Communicate your conditions openly and clearly. 

Here are a few tips to help you set healthy postpartum boundaries;

1. Restrict visitors or set visiting hours:

You need to get uninterrupted time to rest and recover. It is also important for the baby to stay away from outsiders since their immunity system is still in the making. 

2. Me time:

It is very important to have some alone time away from the baby and everyone else. You are a mother now but you don’t have to put your needs aside. Choose a suitable hour of the day to spend with yourself, relax, and do what you enjoy.

3. Accepting help from others:

You have to be very clear about where and when you need help. When your friends and family offer help, don’t hand them your baby, you can politely ask them to help you with your chores so that you can get some relaxing time with your baby without worrying about the chores.

4. Personal boundaries:

Different people have different choices, so make sure you are vocal about your choices. How much physical contact do you want to allow with your baby or yourself, do you want them to enter your baby’s nursery, do you want to allow them to co-sleep with your baby, etc.

5. Sharing pictures of you and your baby:

It is the era of social media and not everyone is comfortable with having their baby’s pictures posted online. Set your boundaries around how much of your baby you want to reveal to the online world so that others know what you’re comfortable with.

6. Working conditions:

Your employer needs to know how you will be working after having a baby. Communicate your expectations and intentions openly so that there is no confusion.

7. Focus on your health:

The baby needs care and so do you. Make sure that you take very good care of yourself. Eat good food, take enough rest so that you don’t sacrifice your body while taking care of the little one. Babies need a healthy and happy mother more than anything else.

Also read: 7 Signs You Have Unhealthy Boundaries

That’s all folks!

I hope you found this blog about setting postpartum boundaries helpful, informative, and interesting. Do share this blog with your friends and family especially expecting mothers because the earlier you set your new boundaries the better. 

Thanks for reading. 

Take care and stay safe.