We all know about the three trimesters of pregnancy, but do you know about the fourth? Yes, this is a thing, while most women don’t know about this, there are equal amounts of health practitioners that are aware of the needs of women postpartum but are not aware of how critical this 4th-trimester stage is.
There has always been a focus on medical care in the prenatal period, during, and immediately afterward. But very often no one focuses on a period of 12 weeks postpartum. This is the period that is considered as the 4th trimester. Often, so many people involved in the life of the mom and the new baby don’t even know about this period. So what exactly is it?
What is the Fourth Trimester?
The 4th-trimester is the 12 weeks immediately after delivery of the baby. As mentioned above, there are a lot of people that have never heard about this period before. However, it is a stage that every mother and their new baby go through. During this phase, both have a lot of going on emotionally and physically. Your baby is adjusting to this new life outside the womb and you are adjusting to the responsibility of caring for this new and fragile human being.
What Happens During the Fourth Trimester?
During the last weeks of a woman’s pregnancy, a lot of close attention is paid to her with weekly visits to her OBGyn. After birth, the attention turns to the baby with their pediatric providers. Within the first week of birth, the baby has the first pediatric visit, after which they are monitored closely for the next couple of months of life. And what happens to the mom?
Well, there is that postpartum visit after six to eight weeks – yes there is just that one visit. Women who had low-risk pregnancies tend to have a longer interval towards the end of that range for returning to their obstetric provider.
For some women this long gap for a return visit is okay. By this time they would have been over their hemorrhoids, which came in the first two to three weeks after birth, their pain from any surgical procedure would have subsided, breastfeeding woes would be mostly over, and so on with many women overcoming their baby blues by this time by default.
Albeit this time is fun for many, there are some who are very vulnerable through this all and need support socially, physiologically, and emotionally. It is during this period that we call the 4th trimester that a lot of mothers need the support, anticipatory guidance, and monitoring that we give the babies in their first weeks of life. This can help women to feel safe, physically, and emotionally. So many women would benefit from this type of support during the 4th trimester as they require.
For this to happen the 4th trimester needs to be spoken of more often. If you are pregnant or your loved one is pregnant, ask your OBGyn about the possibilities for 4th-trimester care. Find out if they have ever heard this term and find out what their general beliefs on the matter are. If you are not yet pregnant but are planning a pregnancy, this may be something you want on that list that helps you to determine who you choose to be your OBGyn.
How Do You Get Through the 4th Trimester?
The first couple of months after the birth of your bundle of joy can be exciting and fun, they can also be very exhausting, busy, and hard to navigate. This is the 4th trimester, a time that may be confusing and hard to navigate thanks to that “mom brain” fog. But hey! Your body grew a tiny human and you can do this. Here are some of our favorite tips for helping you to get through the 4th trimester.
1. Slow Down
This may seem like it is a given, but many women struggle with this. You want to be everything for everybody, but during this season you really should cut yourself some slack. Get family members to help out with your other kids and have your older kids take on more chores and responsibilities around the house so you can rest physically, emotionally, and mentally while enjoying your new baby.
2. Listen to Your Body When it Comes to Food
You want to nourish your body for your little one, especially if you are breastfeeding. So right now you shouldn’t be worrying about your pregnancy weight gain or your waistline. You can start worrying about that more towards the end of this period.
Your body will need the extra calories so you may even have cravings from time to time. Listen to your body and give it what it needs. Remember your body just went through a lot and it needs to be properly nourished to recuperate. If you are breastfeeding this will add to the work that your body is doing, and so it will require more nourishment.
3. Cry if You Must
This is something that a lot of mothers experience during this time. If this is your first pregnancy, know that this is natural and you are not alone in what you feel. You will be emotional and it’s okay to feel these emotions and show them as well. Share how you are feeling with your support person, a spouse, a mother, a best friend, just don’t keep that in.
4. Hydrate and Then Some!
This is especially important if you are breastfeeding. Ensure you are drinking adequate amounts of water throughout the day. This will help your body to recover and will also help to ensure that you have enough milk for your baby.
5. Get Breastfeeding Help
If you are having trouble with breastfeeding, get the help of a lactation consultant before throwing in the towel. With just one visit you could see a big change in feeding your baby adequately.
6. Rest Up!
You know how everybody always says “sleep when the baby sleeps”? Yes, that’s right, do that. With a proper support group in place you should be able to do this. In the beginning it is very important that you follow this advice, overtime as the baby adjusts to the outside world it gets easier. You will need all the rest you can get especially during the first couple days after birth, remember your body just did a lot of work and it will need to rest and recuperate. Getting adequate rest also puts you in a better mood to enjoy baby when they are being needy.
If you can get additional sleep when the baby is awake, then by all means take advantage of that too.
7. Don’t Be Hard on Yourself
There are going to be days when you feel like you should be stronger, or you should be eating healthier, and so on and so forth. There are a lot of things looming, but don’t pressure yourself to fill these roles. You just did a super fete by having this baby, but you’re still a little cry off of being a superwoman. Don’t give in to the feeling that you need to be more and do more. Take you time to get back to being you ensuring that your body recovers well and you spend precious time with your precious baby. These are your number one priorities during the 4th trimester.
8. Embrace the Way You Heal
Every woman heals differently after a baby whether it is their 1st or their 5th child. Completely healing from the birth process takes a while, even though we don’t realize this. Embrace this reality and stay in the moment, do not rush the process but also take care of yourself. You want your body to heal slowly and carefully.
9. Stay Active
When you have had the approval of your doctor you can start exercising. Of course, you are going to start off slowly. You can start with a walk, and bring your baby along with you. Start slowly and increase gradually as you have the strength to do so. Remember dear superwoman, you don’t have to be super right now, move but don’t push yourself too hard.
What Happens After The 4th Trimester?
In the weeks after the 4th trimester, as you watch your baby change and grow, this period will be a distant memory. When going through it, it will feel like each day lasts more than 24 hours, but this too shall pass.
Just know that the feelings you go through are normal, and they will go away after the 4th trimester goes away. You may not imagine missing these days while you are in them, but there are some things that you might miss when they are gone. Take the moments in and savor those extra cuddles. Take in every whiff of your newborn and fully enjoy them before they start moving on to their next season in life.
Conclusion
The fourth trimester is that period of 12 weeks after delivering your baby. Women need support during this time even though it is not given a lot of attention. Times are changing though. More and more health care providers and practitioners are aware of this period and the unique needs of the mother during this period. The aim of support during this period to reduce levels of stress and the chances of postpartum depression.
Knowing how to get through this period and what to expect can help you to make healthy choices for you, your baby, your, your family as a whole.
Cris
