What’s life like after a baby is born? That’s a fully loaded question. But the best way to describe it is as an extension of your pregnancy for both mom and her brand new baby - also known as “the fourth trimester.”

If you haven’t yet heard of this term, it was coined by Dr. Harvey Karp as the first 3 months of a baby’s life after birth. This term became a common phrase for new moms after Dr. Karp determined that babies should essentially be spending another three months in the womb. Because of their fetus-like behaviors and rapid growth, Dr. Karp often speaks of the first three months post-birth –the Fourth Trimester – as time when babies should be considered fetuses outside the womb.

At Dr. Gena Chiropractic, a perinatal chiropractor in Plantation, we are passionate about all four of your trimesters. We’re here to ensure the first three are healthy and have as much ease as possible, and that the fourth trimester, the yummiest of all, helps get your new baby’s nervous system on the right track for optimal health and wellness.

Aside from infant chiropractic care which can help with colic symptoms, reflux, or breathing and sleeping difficulties, there are a few other important things to know about the fourth trimester:

Womb Impersonation

While you were busy stretching, growing, and adjusting to life with a developing fetus in your body, your baby was safe, warm, and oh so comfortably inside of you. The first three months of their lives require a whole lot of “womb impersonation,” which is why infants cry often to be held and feel soothed by a tightly wrapped swaddle or by being “worn”. 

Familiar Noises

Even though you often tried speaking or singing to your womb throughout your pregnancy, your baby likely heard a lot of “white noise.” The sounds of your body are a lot like that of a white noise sound machine, or a breathy “shhhhh” which is why shusher toys have become so popular. This noise will not only calm them, it’ll take them back to that warm, amazing time they had in your womb.

Feeding on Demand

While you were pregnant, did you abide by the three meals per day route or did you eat often and on demand? We already know the answer to that. Your baby, in the fourth trimester, needs to eat often and will very clearly let you know when they are hungry. Small amounts of food, frequently throughout the day, will mimic the nourishment they received in your womb and help them to continue and grow outside of it as well.

Skin-to-Skin Contact

One of the most natural and comforting times for a newborn baby is when they can lie warmly close to you, smell your familiar scent, and hear the thump of your heartbeat. These are the first sensory experiences they had within you, and getting to experience outside of the womb as an infant brings a lot of comfort and helps strengthen your bond with baby. 

But what about mama?

Just like baby experiences his or her fourth trimester in a way that requires extra care and attention, it’s no secret that mamas do, too!

Whether you’re a partner looking to comfort a new soon-to-be-mom, or you’re reading this as you’re expecting, here are a few things every new mama can benefit from in her fourth trimester as well:

Support

All new moms will go through a period of time where they will need someone to lean in and offer support. It may be right away, or it may be weeks into this new experience, but knowing someone is there to help goes a long way. Maybe it’s to do that late-night feeding when mama just needs some sleep, or to sit with her new baby for a bit while she rests/takes a walk/gets her nails done - support is key during this time.

Patience

Each mama has her own instincts, and these instincts, whether different from yours or how you’d do things, need to be respected. Be patient with a mama in her fourth trimester when she doesn’t feel like having visitors, when she makes you scrub from your hands up to your elbows before coming near her new child, or just needs alone time with her baby to adjust. Have patience; this is new for her, too.

Food//Drink/Rest

Your baby is in his or her most primal state, and you are as well. Adequate nutrition is key (now is not the time to worry about the baby weight), especially if you are breastfeeding. A well-fed mom will produce more milk than a mama who is forgetting to nourish her body. Hydration is also key in helping your body adjust to its new changes, and while rest seems far and few between, embrace it while you can. 

The bottom line is this: a woman’s fourth trimester is just as critical to both mom and baby’s development as the first three and we’re here to support you! For prenatal and postpartum chiropractic care, visit Dr. Gena Chiropractic in Plantation - just minutes west of Fort Lauderdale! We are happy to be your favorite family chiropractor and beyond!