Push Presents Aren’t Enough Postpartum

What on earth is a blog focused on dad’s doing writing about postpartum? I think the better question is, why aren’t more? One of the realizations that my wife, Lindsay, and I came to recently is that the weeks after our daughter was born were more difficult than we originally may have thought. And a big part of that was dealing with postpartum emotions.

That’s right this post is all about the days, weeks, and months after baby is born. It isn’t limited to postpartum depression, but rather all the emotions that occur. That could be depression, anxiety, fear, or any other change that you are facing.

As a first time dad and husband of a new mom, I did a pretty crummy job supporting her after the baby was here. I thought I was doing great but I think “you don’t know what you don’t know”. I helped a lot and felt like I was making a difference but that probably wasn’t enough. I’ve been very enlightened as Lindsay and I have talked through this in the recent weeks.

After a recent conversation about this topic I happened to be reading a classmate’s project where she was talking about her business. I was ecstatic to find out that it was a cool resource for new moms. I quickly read through to the end and then looked up her site. I was blown away by the thoughtfulness and quality of what she was doing!

Meet Rebecca, one of the kindest and most supportive people I have met recently! She has been a Midwife for 9 years, and is a tireless champion of moms. I can attest to this because I have read her weekly emails and even I feel encouraged by them!

The Product

So what exactly did Rebecca make? A beautifully designed and printed product called Little Mother’s Helper.

“Little Mother’s Helper™ is a cool deck of cards and app guiding modern mothers in the days, weeks + months following childbirth.”

This deck of cards focuses on 4 key aspects that mother’s face difficulty in postpartum: body, mind, heart, and soul. As well as the occasional #ProTip for the stuff you didn’t know you needed to. What makes these cards so helpful is that you don’t have to google the answer and fight through information overload or find the right page of the right book to get the answer. Instead a mother (or dad) can pull out a card and get real, evidence based help in a matter of a few minutes.

Little_Mothers_helper-details-dadsigner

Each card has a headline or illustration on one side and a short synopsis of actionable tips on the back. The tips are easy to digest and give enough information to answer your questions without overwhelming you. The cards cover everything from breastfeeding to anxiety; sex to sleep; and much more. There are even tips for partners to remind them that rebounding after childbirth is a process.

I appreciate the approach that these cards take. The format makes it easy to know that not every card is needed for every situation but the information is there when needed. I am so happy I bought a pack of these and know that if/when baby #2 comes along for us we will put them to good use.

Little_Mothers_helper_illustrations-dadsigner

So what?

For all the parents out there that don’t know where to turn for advice I can’t recommend these enough. If you going to a baby shower, buy these for the mother to be. If you are a parent of an expecting daughter, buy these for your daughter. If you are a husband that is about to be a first (or second, or third) time dad, buy these for your wife. If you have a friend across the country that just had a baby and is struggling, buy these for her.

I’m pretty sure that anyone reading this post can find someone that could really use these cards. You may not think that you or your friend are struggling with this issue, but I guarantee you that these cards will make a huge impact either way!

Comments

  1. Reply

    Hey Dadsigner,

    Though I’m not currently a Dad, and am not yet sure when I will become one, one thing I appreciate about your style, and about this post, is the ability to see into the future through your eyes.

    These cards sound pretty exceptional. You mentioned there was an app, as well. Have you given this a go? Will that be a future review?

    I was also interested by something you said, that this isn’t just limited to postpartum depression, but a range of emotions for all of us.

    Can you tell us about the card that most struck a chord as a Dad? Was there a card that most struck a chord as just as “regular guy”?

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