Once you know you’re expecting, it’s easy to get wrapped up in euphoria. Your aspirations change as you prepare to become a parent.
Maybe you implement healthier eating habits or swap out toxic cleaning products for safer ones. You’ll begin researching baby products, feel an urge to “nest,” and envision your new, exciting life with your little one. And while all these beautiful, life-changing experiences are happening around you and to you, it’s easy to overlook a critical moment in parenthood: the fourth trimester.
The fourth trimester is best known as the postpartum period for the birthing person or the first three months post-birth. It’s an essential period of connection and recovery and is often overlooked by societal pressures to prematurely “bounce back” after delivery.
In a world where birthing people can be left to face parenthood’s physical and emotional challenges all too quickly, we’re here to offer a different approach. One that allows you to slow down. To prepare for your recovery. To consider you, the birthing person, just as much as the new baby.
You deserve to be cared for equally, and we’re here to better set you up for your fourth trimester.
“We do a disservice to each other when we don’t talk about the uncomfortable parts of parenthood.”
I’m Sarah, mom to Amelia (3) and Zoey (5 mo.), and Founder of Poppylist.
When I had my first daughter, Amelia, I was grossly unprepared for the days I’d return home from the hospital and the months after. I was the first of my friends and sisters to have a baby. And while I worked with plenty of moms, somehow, this “fourth trimester” was left out of the conversation.
I had no idea what to expect. I had no clue what products I needed to better aid in my recovery. I wasn’t aware of hormonal changes and imbalances, I wasn’t educated on how to heal better with nutrition, and the list goes on.
We do a disservice to each other when we don’t talk about the uncomfortable parts of parenthood, but I’m here to change the topic.
You deserve to have the resources and support for your fourth trimester, and here’s exactly how you can build a baby registry that prioritizes you—the birthing person, just as much as the baby.
This is the book I recommend to everyone I know who’s preparing to become a parent. It was my bible heading into my third trimester and beyond.
I loved the recipes, homemade tea recommendations, and their encouragement to create a sacred space for yourself as you enter the fourth trimester for the first forty days.
“Author Heng Ou channeled her own experience with zuo yuezi, a set period of postpartum “confinement,” in which a woman remains at home focusing on healing and bonding with her baby, into The First Forty Days, a book that revives the lost art of caring for a mother after birth. “
If you’re serious about your fourth trimester, this book is for you. And good news, it’s already in the Poppylist product catalog!
The Care for Birth Box is a kit you’ll be thankful someone gifted you!
This award-winning complete care package contains 11 research-backed products and two guidebooks—one for you and one for a supporter—offering the perfect solution to help you or a loved one feel prepared.
Of course, you can piece all of these items together individually, but by registering for this kit, you’re giving someone a tangible way to care for you during the fourth trimester.
My favorite thing in the kit? The upside-down peri bottle— it’s a game changer.
As first-time parents, we don’t know what we don’t know. And with a gift card to Ruth Health, you’ll have access to experts that can help provide on-demand, personalized care during and after your pregnancy journey.
I love that Ruth Health offers gift certificates that you can apply to any session, like pelvic floor training, c section recovery, or lactation support.
They’re the telehealth clinic that can answer everything we don’t know, with a team of experts who’ve been there and experienced that. Ruth Health is the safest online environment to get you healing.
Take it from me, a mom of two. If there’s one thing you deserve to invest in (or have someone gift you) is a high-quality robe.
Your clothes won’t feel comfortable during the postpartum period; you’ll want something easy to pump and nurse in if that’s how you to chose to feed your baby, and a robe makes skin-to-skin cuddles easy and impossible to resist.
Whatever robe you decide to register for or buy, make sure it has pockets! You’ll want pockets to hold your phone, chapstick, and other small items for quick access. If you can’t be in a five-star resort, you might as well feel like it with the robe you’re wearing!
Suitable for a vaginal or cesarian delivery, you’ll be thankful for comfortable, breathable underwear.
While soft, the mesh underwear from the hospital is not breathable. I had a terrible heat rash on my lower back after both pregnancies, and I can only attribute that to the mesh underwear.
Since I was sitting on my couch for prolonged periods, my lower back got way too hot, plus the material of the mesh underwear irritated my skin.
I recommend registering for at least two packs of these UMMISS cotton underwear. You’ll appreciate having multiples on hand (equals less laundry), plus they provide the right amount of support for your belly.
If there’s one thing you will not feel like doing as a new parent, especially early on, it is thinking about meals, let alone making them.
Your community can support and care for you through food, even if they don’t live near you. Since Poppylist is a universal baby registry, you can add any Spoonful of Comfort food package to your registry.
My favorite? The New Parent Care Package. This comes with two 32-ounce containers of soup (4-6 generous servings) and a half dozen rolls. Soup is super easy to freeze, too. So you can eat this right away or save it when you don’t have the energy to cook something up. They offer vegan and gluten-free options, too.
When you add this to your Poppylist baby registry, you can include a message to your gift-giver that lets them know your soup and cookie preference. Bon appetite!
One thing you’ll need to prepare for, regardless of delivery method, is postpartum bleeding.
You’ll change your pad constantly throughout the day, and if you share a bathroom with your partner, it’s a good idea to have a separate trash bin for your soiled pads, used wipes, etc.
I love this one from Amazon. I usually line the trash bin with plastic bags from the grocery store, and when they’re full, I tie up the bag and ask my partner to take it out. This way, there’s a bin for the usual bathroom trash like q-tips, tissue, disposable contacts, etc., and one just for you!
Trust me on this one. Add multiple Instacart gift cards or other local food delivery service options in your area.
For the same reasons I recommend Spoonful of Comfort; you shouldn’t have to prepare yourself meals or cook during the period when you should be resting.
Of course, your support partner can help make meals, but there will be days when you don’t have the energy. Use these gift cards to order groceries, smoothies, comfort food, and anything else you might crave.
Sarah Hollingsworth is the Founder & CEO of Poppylist.
After a difficult return to the workforce from maternity leave, Sarah decided to step away from her career to focus on family, and health and to pursue a new entrepreneurial journey.
In July 2020, Sarah launched Poppylist— a simplified baby registry platform that helps parents be who they want to be, starting with the right products for their growing family.
Sarah resides in Austin, Texas, with her husband, Scott, and two daughters, Amelia and Zoey.
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