Fourth Trimester
“When a woman feels supported, the baby thrives, the relationship thrives, our community thrives, and our planet thrives.”
We made it ya’ll-Gaia Zoe is 3 months old and we have concluded the fourth trimester. I first heard about the fourth trimester when pregnant with Isis. My understanding then was that it related to the needs and development of a newborn. Towards the end of my pregnancy with Gaia I read the Fourth Trimester: A Postpartum Guide to Healing Your Body, Balancing Your Emotions, and Restoring Your Vitality by Kimberly Ann Johnson. Her writing broadened my understanding of the fourth trimester from just newborn care to mother care. So much energy is spent on preparing for the birth and it IS a transformative experience AND the days and weeks (and years) after birth require tremendous strength, endurance and grace. Kimberly says there are five universal postpartum needs: extended rest period, nourishing food, loving touch, presence of wise women and spiritual companionship and contact with nature. In the U.S. culture these needs seem like a luxury with limited if any paternity leave and one follow-up visit at 6 weeks.
The book shares traditions for caring for postpartum women from around the world. Some of them include going back home to live with the mother’s parents, yani steaming, eating warming foods, belly wrapping, and lactation support. These practices often happen in multi generational communities where grandmothers, mothers and sisters care for postpartum mothers and there are systems in place that allow for it. Most women in the U.S. do not live in these kinds of communities and if they do the systems are not in place to support such care. Our communities are fractured and what knowledge and experience does exist around birthing and healing is monetized.
We did not anticipate a cesarean birth and were clueless about all that would entail for recovery while caring for a newborn and five year old. For the first 40 days we chose to not have visitors. This time allowed our nuclear family to bond, rest and transition from a family of three to for. Artemus took off work to cook three meals a day and care for Isis. We had postpartum home visits from our midwife nurse and doula. We gave ourselves time to process and integrate the experiences and emotions of Gaia’s birth. I sought out Mayan abdominal massage, learned self massage techniques, took warm baths and yani steamed. I took lots of herbal galactogens, drank tea, ate warming foods and napped.
It seemed impossible to have a fourth trimester experience like many traditions have with our family five hours away, friends spread all over the country and living a new community. Yet our community of friends and family really showed up to support us. Family and friends chipped in to cover the costs of our amazing doulas (Roxy, Evan and Chelsea), pelvic floor physical therapy and grocery. Our neighbors organized a meal train that provided yummy meals for us several nights a week. La Leche League volunteer leaders helped to troubleshoot breast milk supply issues. A dear friend generously gave her pumped breast milk to supplement Gaia’s growth. A friend made me a wooden seat for yani steaming. We received countless text messages from friends checking in and offering support. Friends dropped off grocery, diapers, flowers and picked up Isis for a play dates. I have immense gratitude for the love and care.
We transferred to the hospital after trying all the natural induction methods at the birth center. Artemus was an amazing birth partner and continues to ground our family during this transition.
Grandma and Grandpa McCallum came to hang with Isis during our hospital stay. Isis was so excited to meet Gaia and has been an awesome big sister.
Neighbors supported us by cooking delicious vegan meals, like these sweet potato black bean enchiladas.