Postpartum Support in Portland: How my Postpartum Plan with Baby #2 Saved my Sleep–and my Sanity!!
Photo Credit: Lena Sophia Photography
Postpartum is not meant to be done solo!
In all the excitement that comes with getting ready to welcome a new family member, it’s easy to find yourself wearing blinders when it comes to life postpartum–especially if you’re first-time parents. It’s not on your radar, because you’re busy getting ready for your baby’s arrival–not thinking about what it will look like once they’re a warm, snuggly, up-all-night bundle in your arms.
I know this from experience.
When I became a mom in July of 2020, my husband and I were super excited, but also basically clueless about what our lives would look like once we brought our newborn home from the hospital. The pandemic had just begun and we found ourselves in full-on lockdown mode as brand-new parents! Talk about high anxiety!
We were afraid to take our baby ANYWHERE. Even something as simple as taking Ana to regular checkups with her healthcare provider caused my heart to race and my thoughts to spiral with what ifs:
What if that person who just coughed has Covid? What if my baby gets sick?
I wasn’t sleeping.
I was barely eating.
It felt like my husband and I were an isolated island of two with our brand-new baby; we were completely in the dark about local resources for new parents, trying to do everything on our own. It was an extremely stressful and anxious first year of motherhood for me, and I know now that it didn’t have to be that way.
When we found out our second child was due to arrive in December of 2023, my husband and I immediately knew we wanted our postpartum lives to look (and feel!) a lot differently than they did with our first. We knew it wouldn’t be the same experience because we wouldn’t be in pandemic survival mode like we were with Ana, but we still wanted to be proactive about giving ourselves as much support as possible as we became a family of four!
So we made a plan:
👶 We invited my in-laws to stay at our house for the first four weeks to support our sleep. Having the opportunity to take naps and get more uninterrupted sleep was CRUCIAL for my well-being. Grandma and Grandpa took the morning shift with our toddler and newborn so Kyle and I could rest after a busy night. It made such a difference in my energy levels and overall mood. I know not everyone has the ability to surround themselves with help like that after they welcome a new baby, so I’m extra grateful we were able to do it! A postpartum doula (someone who comes to your home and helps with Baby) is also an option, if that’s within your budget.
🐤We accepted ALL offers of help we received from friends and family, who brought us meals and played with our oldest while we snuggled with baby.
👍I pre-arranged childcare for our toddler so I could have time to fill my cup with self-care.
🩷 We said YES to support within the community that either wasn’t available when we welcomed our pandemic baby, or we didn’t know about at the time.
A friend told me about midwife Sara Holt with Byenveni Baby, a collective in Portland, Oregon. Byenveni Baby is a unique community that offers education, services and support on all things perinatal (the time surrounding pregnancy and birth–from conception to about a year postpartum).
Not long after I had my second little one, I attend one of the free pregnancy, postpartum and feeding support groups offered on Mondays at noon at Byenveni Baby. These casual, drop-in groups are a time for new parents (or parents-to-be) to hang out together, share their thoughts and feelings, get advice and just generally feel supported.
Even though I had WAY more support with our last baby than with our first, I’m so glad I took a chance on the Byenveni support group because it was beyond helpful to get out of the house and meet other moms/parents experiencing the same thing I was.
I also learned from Sara how common it is for new parents to experience big feelings after giving birth (it does a number on your hormones!), and how that is different from postpartum depression and/or anxiety.
PPD and/or PPA is extreme worry and/or sadness that lasts for more than a few weeks after having a baby. Sara helps her clients manage their depression and/or anxiety safely with medication and therapy so they can ENJOY life postpartum with their new little one. So important!
Website: https://byenvenibaby.com/
The Byenveni Baby group was just ONE of the wonderful local resources for new parents I used this second go-round. Here are some others!
🧘Emily Spaeth, PT, DPT, IBCLC, is a physical therapist (and a doctor of physical therapy) as well as an international board certified lactation consultant with Be Well Baby.
Dr. Spaeth offers a postpartum yoga class that I took with Baby Callie and it was so great for helping me physically reconnect with myself. Highly recommend!
Dr. Spaeth offers the following services:
Pelvic Health Physical Therapy
Infant Physical Therapy
Lactation Support
Craniosacral Therapy
Prenatal + Postpartum Yoga
Website: https://www.bewellbabypdx.com/about
😴Court Wright is a holistic sleep coach (!) with Green House Doula, offering holistic family sleep coaching and postpartum doula services.
Every Friday at 10a.m Court leads a free sleep support group for parents in the community looking to catch more Zzzs with their babies. Dropping in on this group was helpful to me because getting regular, restorative sleep while being a mom to little ones is my biggest parenting challenge–baby sleep, toddler sleep, and especially MY SLEEP. Making sure everyone’s sleep needs are being met is hard! It was so helpful to get Court’s expert advice and to talk with other moms navigating postpartum sleep issues. Seriously, check out this group because things are just easier when you’re rested!!
Website: https://www.greenhousedoula.com/
Mendwell Pelvic Health
The importance of good pelvic floor health isn’t something most of us learned when we were growing up, but giving birth vaginally can make that a necessity if you don’t want to pee a little every time you cough or sneeze! Mendwell is an excellent local resource for pelvic health physical therapy, and may be covered by your insurance.
Website: https://www.mendwellhealth.com/
🌸Molly Ouellette, DC, with Jade Chiropractic is a chiropractor who helped both me and Baby Callie. My shoulders were sore from breastfeeding and Dr. Molly gave me chiropractic adjustments to ease the pain. She performed Craniosacral Therapy on Baby Callie to help with her latch during breastfeeding, and her services were completely covered by my insurance.
Website: https://jadechiropractic.com/dr-molly-ouellette/
Northwest Women’s Clinic
I saw the doctors and midwives at Portland’s Northwest Women’s Clinic for both of my pregnancies and felt so heard and supported by them. They’re an amazing team!
Website: https://nwwc.com/
👶Ashley Treadwell with Cascadia Lactation has been a great support for me during breastfeeding. She accepts most types of insurance and offers in-home, virtual, and in-office visits. Breastfeeding/chestfeeding can be tough (especially for first-timers), so don’t feel like you should instinctively know what to do to feed your baby this way.
Website: https://www.cascadialactation.com/
You know that saying about how it takes a village to raise a child? It’s so true. Parenting was never meant to be a solo sport! There’s a world of support and resources out there to take some of the stress, worry and anxiety away from your parenting journey, and I encourage you to find your people!
Something I’ve learned since having two babies is that your life changes every time you add a new little person to the household–and having a plan in place to support yourself and each member of your family is super important to maintaining everyone’s well-being.
So enjoy each step leading up to your sweet baby’s arrival, but take the time to set yourself up for an easier and more joyful parenting experience by making a support plan and saying YES to all the help!
You’ll be so glad you did.