The biggest mistake I see people make after birthing their baby is not giving their body the rest it needs. Your body just went through a crazy experience these last nine months and it’s important to give it time to heal and restore itself. I heard many different stories about recovery after birth from my mom’s of ‘I was walking up and down three floors right after birth’ to staying put and not getting out of the house for 40 days. I knew I wanted something in-between these two aspects and learned about the 5-5-5 rule.
5 days in the bed, 5 days on the bed, 5 days near the bed.
This gives you a solid two weeks of focused intentional rest. Framing it 5 days at a time can sometimes be really helpful for not just the mom, but for those around her who might be confused why she's resting so much. This prevents you from overworking your body or pushing yourself too hard. The #1 goal is simply to rest!
It also helps to get your priorities in order when it comes to those eager visitors. They will get to see the baby, but they don't get to make the rules (don’t get me started on this!). If you’re respecting your body and taking the time to rest, it will cause others to respect your time as well.
I wouldn't at all say that 15 days is the only postpartum time you need for rest and recovery, but I thought the concept was cool! You no doubt need more time, but it’s a great place to start.
I didn’t end up moving from my bedroom for over a week and when I did, I would walk downstairs and not go back up until the end of the night to not overdo it and let my body heal.
What did you do after birth? A long recovery or right back at it?
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