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What to do after giving birth ('doing the month')

Sarah Attwell
Oct 30, 2015
2 min read

In China, new mothers are encouraged to ‘do the month’. This means spending the first 30 days after giving birth doing only what baby does (eating, ‘evacuating’ and sleeping).

'Doing the month’ avoids later problems like depression, anxiety, fatigue, joint pain, infections, ageing skin, greying hair, breaking nails and loose teeth.

In our society ‘doing the month’ is easier said than done. Here are some ways to make things easier for yourself in the first weeks at home with your new baby.

Your emotions

Trust yourself. Remember that you are the best qualified person to be your baby’s mum. Babies cry. Don’t panic. Just cuddle or take a break if you need to. Accept that life has changed and go with the flow – and keep reminding yourself that it will get easier!

Surround yourself with positive, supportive people and accept all offers of help! Other new mums can be a wonderful source of emotional support, and having an ‘emergency parent’ to call on when you feel like you’re losing it can make all the difference. Negative and pushy people have no place in your life after giving birth, so if you’re not used to saying “no”, start practicing now.

Getting sleep

Getting anywhere near enough sleep will be one of your biggest challenges. Here are some suggestions that may help:

Sleep whenever baby sleeps
Agree with your partner to take turns sleeping or sleep in shifts
Put the cot next to the bed or get a co-sleeping cot
Get a bottle warmer with a cooling compartment (e.g. First Years Night and Day Bottle Warmer)

Eating

Stock the freezer with ready meals
Have meals delivered
Set up online grocery delivery from a supermarket
Get takeaways delivered
Tell any visitors to bring ready-to-eat food

Rest is more important than eating all the right things, so follow the dietary advice below only if you have the energy to put it into practice:

Drink lots of water
Eat warm, cooked food. Soups and stews are best
Avoid caffeine, as a lot of it can make a breastfeeding baby irritable

Foods that help your body recover after giving birth include apricot, avocado, basil, beetroot, chicken, cinnamon, clove, dark leafy greens, dates, dill, egg, fennel, fenugreek, ginger, jasmine tea, kidney beans, mushrooms, nutmeg, oats, potato, red meat, rice, rosemary, sesame seeds, spinach, sweet potato, thyme, yam

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