A Six-Month Guide to Set Yourself Up for a Supported Postpartum

How you spend those first few weeks and months after birth will shape your motherhood journey long past the fourth trimester. In fact, traditional Chinese medicine believes that the way you care for yourself in the first 40 days after birth will impact the next 40 years of your life.

Postpartum deserves as much planning as birth. It’s not just about surviving—it’s about creating a foundation for rest, recovery, and nourishment. But where do you even start? Start planning your postpartum during your pregnancy.

This six-month postpartum planning guide will help you prepare step by step, so by the time your baby arrives, you feel supported, nourished, and truly held. If you are reading this and you are already 6, 7, 8 months pregnant, it’s okay! You may not get as much postpartum pocket money saved but you can definitely fast track the other tips.

Postpartum Pocket Money Saving (6 Months out)

One of the biggest reasons postpartum care feels inaccessible is because we don’t budget for it. We prepare financially for the baby—the nursery, the pram, the clothes—but we rarely think about what we might need to feel supported in the months after birth.

Now is the time to start a weekly savings plan specifically for your postpartum care. Whether it’s $20, $50, or $100 a week, this is money set aside for things that will support and nourish you.

Postpartum savings could go toward:

• Postpartum doula support
• Meal delivery or nourishing foods
• Lactation consultant or physio appointments
• Childcare support for older siblings
• Acupuncture, massage, or postpartum treatments

Postpartum care isn’t a luxury—it’s an investment.

Postpartum Vision & Planning (5 Months out)

Now is the time to start thinking about what you want your postpartum to feel like. We plan birth preferences in detail, yet postpartum often gets left as an afterthought. But a well-thought-out postpartum plan can completely change your experience.

Ask yourself:

• What kind of support will I need in those early weeks?
• What boundaries will protect my rest and recovery?
• Who will help me with meals, housework, and emotional support?
• How do I want my postpartum to feel?

A postpartum plan doesn’t just guide the early weeks after birth—it helps shape the months leading up to it, making your transition into motherhood feel less overwhelming.

Not sure where to start? My ebook, A Postpartum Guide, walks you through creating a postpartum plan that feels intentional and supported.

Get A Postpartum Guide Here.

Gather Your Village (4 Months out)

Postpartum isn’t meant to be done alone. This is the time to start gathering both your personal and professional village—because support is the foundation of a well-held postpartum.

Your Personal Village:

• Who do you trust to be in your space after birth?
• Who will show up in ways that feel nourishing, not draining?
• Who can drop off a meal, fold some laundry, or simply hold space for you?

Your Professional Village:
Now is also the time to connect with postpartum practitioners who can support your healing and well-being. Consider reaching out to:

• Doulas
• Lactation consultants
• Women’s physios
• Acupuncturists
• Naturopaths

Need help finding the right support? Village for Postpartum is my postpartum directory designed to connect mothers with trusted postpartum practitioners across Australia.

Explore the Village for Postpartum Directory Here.

Even if your village is small, having just one or two people you can rely on can make all the difference.

Fill Your Freezer (3 Months out)

Nourishing food is one of the most important pillars of postpartum recovery. But here’s the reality:

• New mums should be horizontal in bed and not in the kitchen.
• You will rely on a variety of nourishing meals and one handed snacks.
• Warm, easy-to-digest meals are both essential for postpartum recovery and perfect for freezing.

Now is the time to stock your freezer with nutrient-dense, postpartum-friendly meals.

If meal prep feels overwhelming, simply double the dinners you’re already making and freeze half for later.

Looking for perfect postpartum meals? My cookbooks One-Handed Bites for Postpartum & Beyond and Village for Mama – Nourishment for the Fourth Trimester are filled with nourishing, freezer-friendly postpartum nourishment.

Consider a Mother’s Blessing (2 Months out)

Instead of a traditional baby shower, consider hosting a Mother’s Blessing—a gathering focused on celebrating and supporting you as you prepare for postpartum.

Baby showers often miss the chance to rally your village for what truly matters: holding the mother while she holds her baby. A Mother’s Blessing creates space to:

• Share your vision for postpartum
• Ask for the support you need
• Set intentions for your birth and transition into motherhood

It doesn’t have to be spiritual—just a space where the people closest to you come together to nurture and uplift you. A Mother’s Blessing is also the perfect opportunity to hand out your Village for Mama recipe cards and organise your meal train.

Need ideas? I’ve written a journal post on how to plan a Mother’s Blessing.

Gather Your Postpartum Essentials (1 Month out)

With just a few weeks to go, it’s time to stock up on essentials—not just for baby, but for you too.

Your Postpartum Essentials Checklist:

• A fully stocked postpartum trolley
• Recovery and nourishment essentials
• A hospital bag packed with postpartum in mind (because rest, recovery, and nourishment don’t stop at birth)

Want a full, clickable checklist? I’ve created a FREE Postpartum Essentials Guide with links, discount codes, and everything I recommend for a well-supported postpartum.

Download My FREE Postpartum Essentials Guide Here.

You Can’t Postpartum Yourself

Postpartum isn’t something to just get through. It’s a time to be held, supported, and nourished—not just physically, but emotionally too.

Start planning now so you can enter postpartum feeling prepared, not overwhelmed.

• For step-by-step guidance, get my ebook: A Postpartum Guide
• For meal planning and gathering your village, grab my postpartum recipe books: Village for Mama – Nourishment for the Fourth Trimester & One-Handed Bites for Postpartum and Beyond.
• For postpartum support in your area, check out my Australian Postpartum Directory.