Postpartum Place Fan Page

04/24/2026

luv it! Nature knows

🐋 In July 2023, researchers tracking s***m whales off the Caribbean island of Dominica noticed something unusual: 11 whales that would normally be spread out foraging had clustered tightly near the surface. Then they saw blood. Then a tiny tail.

They were watching a birth in real time, and the entire thing was captured on drone video.

What unfolded over the next few hours was unlike anything documented in cetaceans before. Most of the whales present, largely female and many unrelated to the mother, took active roles in the delivery and then spent around three hours taking turns lifting the newborn to the surface so it could breathe until it could swim on its own.

What makes this scientifically extraordinary is that whales from two different families, groups that don't normally even forage together, cooperated in caring for a calf that wasn't theirs. This kind of cross-family cooperative birth assistance has never before been recorded outside of primates. The researchers used machine learning to analyse the footage and identify individual roles. The most active helpers were the mother, her sister, and a juvenile female from the unrelated family.

The findings, published in Science by Project CETI researchers, suggest s***m whale social bonds run deeper than kinship alone.

📄 RESEARCH PAPER
📌 Gero et al, published in Science (2026) / Aluma et al, published in Scientific Reports (2026)

04/21/2026

Caffeine & Pregnancy

04/20/2026

sweet ❤️ I received the most lovely thank-you card from a client & chocolate- it truly made my day. Moments like this are such a beautiful reminder of why I’ve dedicated my life to supporting families during the early days of parenthood.

Being invited into such an intimate and important time in a family’s life is something I never take for granted. Watching parents gain confidence, seeing babies thrive, and then hearing later how meaningful the support was—it’s incredibly special.

To all the families who have trusted me over the years, thank you. Your journeys, your resilience, and your love for your babies are the real inspiration behind the work I do every day. 💛

04/11/2026

Babies as young as 3 months can detect social cues and react differently to unfamiliar or uncomfortable people. At this stage, the brain is already processing facial expressions, tone, and eye contact. Babies cannot label trust, but they can feel changes in energy, voice, and behavior. If something feels off, they may turn away, cry, or become still. These are early protective responses from a developing nervous system.

Research shows infants prefer calm faces, steady voices, and predictable interaction. Their reactions are not random. They are signals based on sensory input and early pattern recognition. Over time, these responses help shape how they understand safety and relationships.

Pay attention to their cues. Stay close, observe, and respond calmly. Babies may not speak, but their reactions can guide you more than you think.

04/10/2026

If human babies stayed in the womb until their brains were as developed as other mammals at birth their heads would be too large to fit through the birth canal.

Evolution's compromise: evict them early. Before the head gets too big. Then finish the construction outside.

This means your newborn's brain is running on hardware that isn't fully installed yet. The thermostat isn't connected. The sleep-wake cycle isn't programmed. The digestive system is still calibrating. The sensory filters don't exist.

This is why the fourth trimester concept exists. The first 3 months outside the womb are essentially an external pregnancy. The baby needs the same inputs they had inside you.

WARMTH: Inside the womb temperature was constant. Outside they can't regulate their own. They need your body heat.

SOUND: Inside the womb your heartbeat and blood flow provided constant noise at 80-90 decibels. Outside is either too quiet or too unpredictable. They need consistent sound.

CONTAINMENT: Inside the womb they were squeezed from every direction. Outside is open space that feels like floating. They need the swaddle or your arms.

MOVEMENT: Inside the womb your walking rocked them constantly. Outside they lie still. They need motion.

Every behavior that frustrates you in the first 3 months is your baby trying to recreate the womb. They're not being difficult. They're 12 weeks premature by design. And you're the incubator.

04/09/2026

baby smiles = safety

A baby’s smile is often misunderstood as simple happiness. In reality, it is one of the earliest signals the brain uses to communicate safety. Before language exists, the nervous system relies on facial expressions to signal comfort, connection, and regulation with a trusted caregiver.
When a baby smiles, the brain has detected familiar cues like scent, voice, touch, or warmth. These cues tell the nervous system that danger is low. This allows the body to relax, breathing to slow, and stress hormones to decrease. The smile reflects internal calm, not entertainment.
Neuroscience shows that this response is rooted in survival. Babies are born with immature stress systems. They depend on caregivers to regulate their emotions. A smile often appears when the brain shifts out of alert mode and into connection mode through repeated safe interactions.
When parents recognize smiles as safety signals, caregiving changes. Responding with eye contact, gentle speech, and calm presence strengthens emotional circuits in the brain. Over time, these experiences build resilience. The baby learns that the world can be trusted, starting with one safe relationship.

04/06/2026

This 2024 study describes what’s normal for night-waking in nursing babies 6 to 12 months old. Not surprisingly, 97% woke and nursed at least once during the night. It’s reassuring to know that night nursing at this stage is age-appropriate, not the sign of faulty parenting or a sleep disorder.

See the full study - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37980699/

04/04/2026

One of my Easter breads looks like a breast!😂
- it was supposed to be a heart but of course that’s Ok with me !😉