The postpartum period following the delivery of our newborn is almost as difficult as the birthing process. Your are exhausted from the countless and sleepless hours it took to deliver your precious bundle. You cling onto what little dignity you have left as hospital staff whiz in and out of your room while you are in nothing but a loose hospital gown. Your hair is a mess. You haven’t been able to shower or put on fresh clothes. You have cramping and bleeding. You are immediately put on feeding duty every 2 hours for baby. On top of that, your emotions are sky rocketing due to hormone production which can ultimately put you at risk for postpartum depression.
If you are in the same boat and are in need of encouragement, I want to point you to the God who sees you (Genesis 16:13). He provides hope for the postpartum mother. He has everything you need to carry you through the next difficult months.
4 Practical Tips for Mothers of Newborns
The postpartum months can be a time of great joy as we celebrate a new addition to our families. But it can also be a time of intense vulnerability and weakness for the postpartum mother. Here are 4 practical tips that can give you hope during this postpartum season.
1. Turn to God for Strength
The word exhaustion cannot even begin to describe the way you are feeling. It feels unfair that, although you were the one who went through the grueling process of labor, you are still the primary source of feeding and care.
For a first-time mother, if she has not yet learned it, the lessons of self-sacrifice must be learned immediately. Her newborn now has a claim upon her life. Her sleep is no longer her own. Her time is no longer her own. It will be some time until baby learns to sleep through the night. Moreover, she realizes that she can’t walk out the door for a shopping trip as easily as she could before. This can be overwhelming to take on alone as she finds her fuel tank running empty.
Perhaps it is in this time of extreme weakness planned by God that we as mothers are meant to discover His immeasurable strength.
But as postpartum mothers, we have an amazing opportunity to gain something new. Instead of becoming discouraged and overwhelmed, we can tap into the supernatural strength of God that is readily available to us. Perhaps it is in this time of extreme weakness planned by God that we as mothers are meant to discover His immeasurable strength.
Isaiah 40:29-31 says:
"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
My firstborn had colic as a newborn. We tended to her needs ceaselessly around the clock. I remember dreading bedtime immensely because it was another night of sleeplessness and exhaustion. At the peak of my weariness, I cried silently to the Lord as I got up for the 5th time in the night to feed and soothe my newborn daughter.
Prayer and Scripture Meditation
Praying to God in our moments of weakness for strength and trusting that He will supply what we need are what will get us through the night. He promises strength for the weak, and we can claim it. The nights continued to be difficult for me. But by God’s grace He carried me through the brief months of sleeplessness.
Additionally, when we are tempted to despair, we can run to scripture to anchor our soul to His Word. Pouring over the Psalms can help align our thoughts and emotions when they are out of control. I find Psalm 73:26 particularly encouraging:
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Even just reading a psalm a day can nurture our spirit and keep our hearts steadfast (Psalm 57:7).
2. Overcome Challenges with Faith
Whether it is tackling sleepless nights, caring for a colic infant, or recovering over a health issue, we can overcome challenges by trusting in the One who is faithful.
Breastfeeding had always been a challenge for me. To be briefly transparent, attempting to breastfeed always resulted in me sick with mastitis. I contracted mastitis twice with my firstborn and three times with my second child. It got to the point where I requested to be put on birth control pills again so my milk production would stop. I was done. I failed breastfeeding miserably.
When I felt God calling me to mother a third child, oh did I wrestle with Him. I boldly came to Him in prayer and asked that He will grant me success and allow me to breastfeed my son. I also prayed that I will be free of mastitis completely.
When my son was born and I briefed the lactation consultant about my medical history of mastitis, she gloomily handed me my prognosis: “Because you’ve gotten it in the past, you will get it again.”
She walked out of my hospital room, leaving me speechless. I felt tears begin to well up in my eyes as darkness seemed to engulf me.
But then I said, “No!”
I refused to believe it. I felt an assuring voice speak to my heart: who will I believe? A human being, who is sincere but human nonetheless? Or the promises of God, the King of all Kings? Surely, I will put my faith in my God who will answer my prayers. Jesus declares in Mark 9:23, “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
Matthew 21:21-22 says:
"Jesus said, 'I tell you the truth if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself in the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.'"
So I clung to His promise that if I believed what I asked for, He will answer. And guess what? I successfully breastfed my infant son until he was weaned. And I didn’t contract mastitis, not once. God answers prayers!
What challenges are you facing that God is leading you to trust Him with? If we pray according to His will, we can be confident that He will answer our prayers to overcome our current challenges.
3. Exercise to Combat Postpartum Depression
Exercise may not be possible for the first 6 weeks of postpartum. Our gynecologists may still have to clear us medically before we can resume workouts. Working out at the gym will probably be the last thing on our minds as we tarry through the sleepless nights any way! But once baby starts sleeping longer at night and nightly feedings are becoming less frequent, our days begin to return to normal. This is a great time to establish a workout routine. Exercise is an effective way to combat postpartum depression.
This couldn’t be more true for me as I struggled with PPD to a degree with my first child. I would be overcome with panic attacks during breastfeeding. Sometimes I found myself crumpled on my closet floor weeping.
What made a difference in my mood swings was establishing a workout routine at the local gym. Thankfully, childcare was provided, and I was able to have a solid hour or two of workout. I would feel refreshed and energized following my time at the gym.
Even if you begin with just a 30 minute brisk walk or jog in the morning, building an exercise routine can greatly improve your mood and overall health. Rebuilding muscle strength, improving cardio fitness, and burning baby fat can incredibly improve our mental health. Improved mental health, in turn, effectively combats PPD.
4. Find Your Beauty in the Word of God
Mothers of newborns can be extremely vulnerable to insecurities as postpartum recovery can be an unglamorous time in our lives. Pregnancy can wear and tear the female body and greatly impact our body image. This, in turn, can impact our self-esteem. But turning to the Word of God will not only free us from our insecurities, but we will also discover the unfading beauty the Bible offers us.
After my first pregnancy, I was not prepared for how much my body image would change. I had gained 50 pounds, and I was unsettled when I saw my reflection. I was most prone to insecurities during this time, and my self-esteem plummeted. However, I found solace and hope in the Word of God.
Turning Away from Culture and Social Media
First, what I found to be vital was making a conscious effort to turn away from what the culture says about beauty. I avoided magazines, movies, and TV shows that placed too much emphasis on physical beauty. Even social media posts of moms showing off their body image can immediately flood our minds with insecurities. I had to guard my heart and mind by turning a blind eye to certain entertainment and social media. By avoiding these things, we guard ourselves from feeling insecure and obsessing over our own less-than perfect body image.
Turning to God’s Word
Secondly, what is more essential than a workout routine is a quiet time routine. Quiet time is an uninterrupted time in your day when you can spend a certain amount of time in prayer and scripture studies. This block of your time should be guarded. It is your time to have fellowship with the King of kings. This is the time when you can know Him more intimately.
You will then realize that the more you spend time studying God’s Word, the less preoccupied you will become with the world and its obsession with physical beauty. The Bible’s definition of beauty is what we should ultimately pine after. Proverb’s 31:30 says, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised.” Our bodies are slowly wasting away. Pursuing physical perfection will only leave us feeling empty in the end.
1 Peter 3:3-5 says:
"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful."
This “gentle and quiet spirit” is something that must be learned and cultivated over time. Its beauty is unfading and divine. When we learn to value what’s beautiful in God’s eyes, then what the world says about beauty doesn’t matter. To learn more about the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, I highly recommend reading True Woman 101 Divine Design: an Eight-week Study on Biblical Womanhood by Mary Kassian and Nancy Leigh Demoss.
Conclusion
So hang in there mamma. The hardships of the postpartum months are brief, and there is light at the end of the tunnel. He has called you for such a time as this to mother your precious newborn. And He has not left you to yourself. Everything you need in the Lord is yours for the taking! God bless!
P.S. Click below to download a free printable Mother’s Day Card for your enjoyment!
