OB/GYN's Advice for Postpartum After Making It Through Her First Week as New Mom

This week, Dr. Sarah Bjorkman, a board-certified OB/GYN shares her medical expertise and her own personal experience with the immediate postpartum period as she goes through it herself. In this VLOG, she covers everything from some basics about caring for a new baby, and also some great tips for healing your bottom after birth as well as all that she's learned first hand about the challenges of breastfeeding.

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Also check out our video: Pediatrician Shares What You NEED to Know About Caring for a New Baby

Intro Music: A WAY FOR ME - Nicolai Heidlas by Chem Ocampo

Keywords: pregnancy update, the doctors bjorkman, first trimester pregnancy, second trimester pregnancy, third trimester pregnancy, fourth trimester, pregnancy vlog obgyn, postpartum, postpartum depression

[MiaJohnson-xm]

Just finished reading ‘Raising Warriors: Preparing Your Children For a Godly Life’ and it really opened my eyes to some new ways of guiding my kids in their faith. Highly recommend it if you’re looking to strenghten your family’s spiritual life

[stevencattani]

Soon to be papa here and researching to find out what hardships my wife may experience so I can hopefully be more helpful to her. Found this video so helpful, thank you!

[bethanytherrell]

Some tips I’ve learned along the way: I’m a mom of four girls and these are my postpartum tips…. Since I’m going through the newborn days right now with a one week old, the tips are ever clear in my mind.

1. Give yourself lots of extra grace —- you just brought a tiny human into the world 🌎 🌹

2. It is A-OK to let even immediate family know that you don’t want visitors for the first few days or weeks when arriving home from the hospital 🏥— you just birthed a baby and you shouldn’t have to entertain people in your own house 🏠—- unless you just want to. But remember it’s perfectly ok to ask friends and family to wait until you get settled in at home before asking them to come over and see baby. My last baby was born a week ago and I’m just now sort of ok with visitors.

3. It is A-OK to let someone else take care of ALL the housework in those first few days/weeks after delivery… especially if you’re breastfeeding. Remember you won’t be able to do it all, just focus on taking care of yourself and your baby and delegate care for other children and housework/errands to your partner or family or friends. Your body needs plenty of rest even if It’s you’re not breastfeeding your baby.

4. DO NOT PUT YOUR NEEDS LAST… it can lead to feelings of sadness and mild postpartum depression. Take that shower 🚿 you desperately need & deserve —- so you fell Ike a human one again. (works wonders for engorgement for those breastfeeding mommas) Dry and style your hair at least once a week and put on makeup even if you’re not going anywhere. It will make you feel like an attractive human again & not just a dairy cow 🐄 (for those breastfeeding mommas). Seriously, take time for yourself…. If your baby is crying and you need to eat, EAT, then care for baby. It won’t hurt baby to wait even just a few minutes when you need sanity or some food in your belly.

5. Rest when you can. Period. If you have the chance to rest and you’re tired, REST. Don’t try to work on housework or your to do list, just listen 👂 to your body and get the rest that your body needs.

[JillCoxYourTitleRep]

Wanted to share a tip here for anyone expecting a baby that worked great for us (our pediatrician shared this suggestion). Instead of using baby wipes, get several sleeves of the cotton rounds, like the pads you use to wipe off makeup. Dip the small round pad into some water and use that to clean baby’s bottom. Our little guy literally NEVER got diaper rash. I feel like even the 99% water based wipes still have preservatives in them and can irritate baby’s skin. Those little cotton rounds were also just the perfect size for wiping a tiny bottom! Anyway, just wanted to share this tip because it worked great for us.

[deyandrethaxtonreniguntala]

33 weeks pregnant and preparing for labor & delivery of my first baby. Just wanted to say thank you for your vulnerability and honesty ❤️

[LucyVP]

Congrats on baby! A tip I saw from another mom with the Hakka is if it doesn’t have the suction at the bottom is to have a mug near you and put it in the mug when done with it. For me it was a lifesaver. Thought I’d share for other moms out there.

[drumsRgirls]

Firm believer that there needs to be more discussion around postpartum recovery. It was SO ROUGH and I would've handled it so much better if i knew more of what to expect. And I asked all my friends for information while I was pregnant!

[wallowinthehallows]

I'm 6 weeks postpartum and advice to first time mommas who plan to breastfeed--see lactation as much as you possibly can in the hospital! It's covered under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) through insurance while you're admitted in as inpatient with the hospital until you're discharged and if you need support after discharge, just make sure your provider (PCP, OBGYN, or child's Pediatrician) submit pre-auth for lactation. Don't be afraid to call your insurance to see which providers and what exactly is covered. And take ALL the supplies you can from the hospital. I didn't have to spend a dime on postpartum care (except for additional sanitary pads).

This beautiful and educated couple's videos have been an integral part of my and my husband's journey to parenthood. Thank you, Doctors Bjorkman!

[zen_mindset]

You're an OBGYN that's on the other side of mommyhood. How cool is that. It's pretty awesome she has two doctor parents. How wonderful. You're very humble.

[c_kennedy]

I loved hearing the doctor’s perspective but from a real life stance!

[PriscillaMB]

One week postpartum today, this video makes me feel seen. Spot on, thank you for giving me and other postpartum moms something to relate to. Best to you and your family.

[luckydragon]

You gave birth to your baby a week ago and you're already recording a video to post YouTube? You are a wonder woman! Also, thank you for this wonderful OB/GYN/New Mom perspective on postnatal care. :)

[corgimom]

I am 20 weeks pregnant and feel very in the dark. I’m the first of my friends and family to have a baby. Your videos are super helpful and as you are both doctors it gives a lot of peace of mind. Thank you!

[theresatran]

I’m an OB who just had my first baby as well, and I just want to tell you how Much I enjoy your channel! I can relate to so many things with you and it’s nice to know that even though we are in this profession, it’s totally different being on the other side now!

[leslierosales]

I gave birth 5 days ago and had watched this before and now after, and the candor and realness of this video is amazing. Thank you. Don’t feel so alone. I’m so glad I found your page.

[mykidsaresupercute]

6 time mom having my last one. One thing I'm doing different this time around are caddies. I have a nursing cady filled with things I know I'll need while nursing, like burp rags and nursing pads, the Hakka, etc. I can take it all over the house with me or if we go somewhere, and this way I don't have to ask someone to bring those items to me. There are some really cute fabric cadies out there. I also have a bath cady so I can easily have all the bath things I need for wherever I decide to bathe her (soap, lotion, towel, etc.). Another thing is no diaper pale. I'm using the Munchkin waterproof bags that I will empty in the outdoor garbage everyday. Diaper pales are way too stinky and gross. Last tip is disposable wipes for poos and cloth wipes for pee diapers. I cut some fabric up and filled a wipe container with the damp fabric that I will wash after using. I've done this before and it saves them so much from diaper rashes.

[markeisharobinson]

I would LOVE to see a video on how it was having a new born and dogs. How was it adjusting? Did the dogs feel neglected? What did you do for them to coexist smoothly? Any new rules for the pets?This seems to be a reality for a lot of new moms and a huge transition but there’s not very many videos on this topic. In my opinion brining home a new baby is such a big deal when you until this point your dogs have been your “baby”.

[brittneyfleming]

So impressed you’re already recording a video! Great job mama—it is SO hard, but you are doing great. One thing that has helped me with breastfeeding (specifically with needing more hands to hold down baby’s arms) is to leave baby swaddled while you feed her. My girl (11w) has been so strong from day 1, and will literally brace herself against me and push away from me with her little arms, then scream because she isn’t getting fed. Leaving her swaddled takes away that problem!

[samanthameyer]

Thank you for putting this out so soon after delivery! Congrats!

[lynnettehorning]

Solid advice. I felt totally blindsided by the whole postpartum thing. I'm gonna share this with my sister who's expecting her first baby.