Written by Emma Ferry, New Mama and DSMG Contributor

The fourth trimester is a wild time. Whether your labor was only a few hours or a few days, you come out the other side a completely different person. The whole world has changed, and in what feels like a blink, the hospital is releasing you back out into the wild to fend for yourself and your new little sidekick. 

I’m in the thick of postpartum with a sweet baby boy. This season feels a little bit like a blur due to the combo of not recognizing my body, lack of sleep and being a human milk machine. While it’s all one hundred percent worth it, it’s not always the easiest. Thankfully, the Des Moines area has all sorts of great businesses and resources that I’ve been able to use to help me dive right into motherhood with as much ease as possible.

Body

One thing that I truly believe has helped me feel most comfortable in my skin is consistent chiropractor visits. I went to the chiro weekly during pregnancy and returned about 5 days after my little one came. This has helped me feel aligned despite carrying a baby all day, not to mention what my hips went through bringing a human into the world. My little one also visits weekly since there’s tons of data that gentle chiropractic care can help with early development. There are plenty of great chiropractors in the area, but I really love True Roots. They take great care of my whole family and the entire staff is full of the nicest people in town. 


I’ve also been going to physical therapy to help restore my pelvic floor. Believe me, this is not glamorous by any means, but I refused to accept that I’d just need to cross my legs every time I sneezed for the rest of my life (those who know, know). Not only has this helped me heal my more personal region back to its original state, physical therapy has also helped with rebuilding my core and muscle relief from those long nights hunched over a baby. I’ve been seeing the team at Breathe  and I can’t recommend them enough. 

Beauty

I’ve always leaned a little more towards clean beauty products, but this became especially important to me during pregnancy and now that I’m breastfeeding. Thankfully I’ve found a few local products that I love. Olga’s Organics makes great clean beauty products. I particularly love the body whip as it has held my belly together through all forms. You can purchase either online or at the Des Moines Farmers Market this summer! 

I also love Locust Grove Farm Co soaps and lotions from Bramble Wood Acres. I’ve found these items at Des Moines Mercantile and THE COLLECTIVE. 

Health

There’s a lot of pressure to “bounce back” right away after birth, but I’m convinced that slower paced recovery is for me. So instead of running multiple miles or joining an intense HIIT class to get back into shape, I’ve been focusing on gentle movement. One of my favorite ways is to walk, plus it’s easy to bring the little one along. Des Moines is full of great bike trails for walking, and I particularly love walking around Gray’s Lake and Waterworks Park. On rainy days the downtown skywalks are also a great option! 

Baby

One of the extra perks of being a mom is shopping for all the cutest baby accessories. Janes has been one of the most fun places to visit for all things baby clothes. Everything in the store is so beautiful. They also have great gender neutral options so if my future babies are girls they can still wear the hand me downs. 

 

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A post shared by Janes – Family Shop (@janes.dsm)


While these resources have made the fourth trimester so much more comfortable, I’ve found the biggest support is community. The city has great programs to meet people and find support as new moms. Whether it’s a breastfeeding support group at Sacred Health or Healing Passages, story time at the library, or a local mom’s group, having people in your corner makes this part so much easier!

Want more?

We’re so grateful to Emma for sharing her story in motherhood so far. Are you in that new parent stage of life? Would more “new parent” or parent-to-be content be helpful? Let us know what you’d like to see more of from Emma!

Let’s chat.