Many parents find themselves unprepared for the postpartum period. Those first few days and weeks can feel like being thrown into a pool before learning to tread water.
And social media doesn’t help. “Not having realistic expectations about newborns and the postpartum experience sets families up to feel like failures,” says Lexi Luptak, a registered nurse who provides in-home postpartum care to new families as owner of The Mama Coach.
“Some influencers peddle a completely dishonest portrayal of the early days of parenthood. The soft lighting, the custom nursery, the perfect after-birth photography—those things, along with massive hormonal shifts, create the perfect storm.”
Instead, new and expectant parents should seek out reliable information from sources like healthcare professionals and sites/organizations like Healthychildren.org (a resource from the American Academy of Pediatrics), Postpartum Support International, and more.
We spoke with several healthcare professionals to understand the biggest hurdles to look for in the postpartum period and how to navigate them.
A HEALTHY BABY
Especially when parents bring their first baby home, there can be a lot of trepidation and questions around how the baby is developing and if they’re getting everything they need.
“The most common concerns I see from parents involve sleeping and feeding in the early days and months: what a normal sleep pattern is, how much a baby should be eating, and how often,” says Dr. Rebecca Domalski, a pediatrician at Fairport Pediatrics.
In the office, she adds, a pediatrician will weigh a baby to ensure they are gaining weight properly. At home, she recommends parents closely monitor their baby’s wet and poopy diapers.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), newborns will have a minimum of one, two, and three dirty diapers on day one, two, and three after birth, respectively. The number then jumps to a minimum of four to six diapers per day.
Newborn babies will need to feed about every two to three hours, although that can increase with evening cluster feeds, when the baby is storing up for a longer stretch of sleep.
Navigating the unpredictability of newborn sleep can also be a challenge. There are no set naptimes for newborns; instead, parents can expect short, scattered intervals of sleep. And bedtime might look different from what new parents expect.
“A newborn’s internal ‘clock’ is set much later than what people generally think a baby’s bedtime should be,” says Luptak. “If you try to put a newborn to bed at 7 p.m., it’s going to be a struggle. A more realistic bedtime is anywhere between 10 p.m. and midnight.”
Safe practices to remember for newborn and infant sleep include laying a baby flat on their back on a firm, flat surface with no blankets, stuffies, pillows, or crib bumpers, according to Dr. Michele Smith, a pediatric clinical care medicine physician at Golisano Children’s Hospital.
And while room-sharing is highly recommended for the first six months, professionals caution against bedsharing.
Most of the babies Dr. Smith sees in the hospital are admitted for a fever, jaundice, or problems feeding or breathing. A fever above 100.4°F in a baby under two months old can be a sign of infection and should be checked by a professional, she says. Viruses such as Respiratory Syncytial Virus or RSV can be much more serious in children than adults and can lead to breathing problems.
Other issues to watch for include a baby who is difficult to wake, difficult to console, or has a change in skin color.
“Most importantly, trust your instincts,” Dr. Smith adds. “You know your baby better than anyone. If your baby just doesn’t seem like themselves or something doesn’t feel right, it’s always okay to call your pediatrician.”
HEALTHY PARENTS
Recovery from childbirth, whether vaginal or via C-section, takes weeks or months. Most birthing parents will experience vaginal bleeding, cramping, fatigue, and soreness during their recovery.
Many health crises arise for birthing parents after they leave the hospital, like hypertension or preeclampsia, with symptoms for the latter including high blood pressure, vision changes, and headaches. Other symptoms that should raise alarms include sudden or sharp pelvic pain and persistent heavy bleeding, according to Luptak.
Newly postpartum individuals should stay connected with their obstetrician and gynecologist (OB/GYN) or other postpartum health provider, report any concerns, and never be afraid to call with questions.
Even when the birthing parent is healing well physically, there will be challenges to contend with, like unavoidable sleep deprivation. The lack of sleep “can make it harder to think clearly and manage your emotions,” says Dr. Smith.
“It’s also normal to feel frustrated when you’ve been rocking, feeding, and comforting a baby who just won’t settle. If you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed, it’s okay to step away.”
The most common mental health challenges that parents face postpartum include baby blues, postpartum anxiety, and postpartum depression. Parents experiencing intense or persistent worry, sadness, disconnection, or trouble finding joy in things that previously brought happiness should check in with a medical professional.
And it’s not just the birthing parent—partners can also experience postpartum mood disorders. Research shows that up to nine percent of partners experience postpartum depression, according to the AAP.
COMMUNITY
All the professionals we spoke to for this piece agreed that there are large gaps in traditional postpartum care. Specifically, birthing parents are seen six weeks after giving birth—and a lot can happen in six weeks.
“We need weekly check-ins, not six-week ones. We need someone going into [new parents’] homes, so they don’t have to leave. We need hands on deck. Need to know what to look out for, when to access help. … And for our black and brown parents in particular, we need people to listen when they say they need help,” says Julia Sittig, cofounder of Beautiful Birth Choices, who also works as a birth doula, postpartum doula, and doula trainer.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women are more than three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women.
Once the baby and parents are home from the hospital, postpartum doulas and other in-home postpartum healthcare providers can ease the transition by providing additional education, feeding support, help with housework, and more.
Dr. Smith suggests building a network of support before the baby arrives, so you’re not scrambling after birth. Ideally, that network would include a pediatrician, OB/GYN, lactation consultant, mental health professionals, as well as friends and family.
Proper support looks like friends and family who respect boundaries and assist with specific tasks like household chores or taking the baby while the birthing parents naps or showers.
“There is no prize for doing everything yourself,” Dr. Smith adds. “Getting some rest, accepting help, and having another set of hands when you need them are all part of being a great parent.”
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2026 issue of (585) Kids.
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