29/08/2024
WOCHENBETT
My 3 postpartum experiences
in a nutshell
As I settled into Wochenbett (the first 40 days after birth) with my third baby, I thought back to the other two experiences I had.
1st baby:
I didn’t do any preparation for Wochenbett, I didn’t even put much thought into it, to be honest. We had no family around for support, didn’t ask any friends or professionals for support, and depended on ourselves. I guess we were positive, confident, yet naive.
I ate lots of Müsli and bread, or whatever I could prepare quickly and eat with one hand (iykyn). I drank lots of coffee and Stilltee, and ultimately fell into postpartum depression, which I believe was due to the lack of support and lack of other mom friends. (I didn’t recognise this until later). It’s so often said, but it really does take a village.
I thought the feelings I felt were the ‘baby blues’ people spoke of, not realising it was more. In the midst of it I quickly became pregnant again and had my…
2nd baby:
I also had not prepared much for Wochenbett, as we were in the middle of Covid with a toddler. Most courses had been cancelled, we barely had seen friends and family at the time. Luckily, I knew what I was capable of from my first birth experience, so I went into it confidently.
Once again, I had thought about birth, but not about postpartum. This time we had two under two. A lot of different needs from all members of the family, and I felt as if my postpartum was never ending.
I felt as if there was no time to rest or recover. It took me a good two years after the birth of my second baby to feel like myself again. It was a journey.
About another two years later we had our…
3rd baby:
This time had to be different. I ordered healthy frozen meals for the freezer. I set up a meal train for friends and family to sign up. I was in contact with postpartum doulas/ Mütterpflegerinnen for support. I found a midwife to support me. My husband and I discussed the first weeks.
It made all the difference….
