09/18/2026
The newborn phase. The trenches. Those blurry first weeks. The fourth trimester. Bringing home a baby.
Whatever you call it, it’s a disorienting, sleep-deprived identity whirlwind with a side quest of keeping a tiny human alive.
So, from your friendly neighbourhood postpartum doula, here are a few secrets to surviving it:
🤍 You are not “bad at this.” You are just awake, again, at 2:13am and yes, that is HARD.
🤍 Nothing about this phase is particularly efficient. Stop trying to speedrun it. You’ll spend 20 minutes getting yourself comfortable only to have the baby wake up immediately. It happens.
🤍 “Sleep when the baby sleeps” is a pipe dream. In reality, you might spend that precious window staring at your phone, overthinking your entire existence, or finally drinking that coffee you reheated for the third time. You’re not alone!
🤍 If the baby falls asleep on you, congratulations. You are now furniture. Do not disturb the baby. Embrace your inner sloth. Nothing wrong with contact naps!
🤍 You will Google things that sound absolutely unhinged, like “Why is my newborn grunting like a baby goat?” This is normal. But I will remind you that Google has never had a baby, and I am happy to be your resource!
🤍 You do not need to “figure your baby out” immediately. Newborn potatoes are adorable, but they don’t know what’s going on either. You’re both learning. You’re both guessing. And that’s okay.
🤍 Some nights you may start thinking you’ve made a terrible mistake. By morning, you’ll probably feel much less dramatic about it. Sleep deprivation is a liar. Don’t let the hard moments win.
This phase isn’t about thriving.
It’s about surviving. Recovering. Finding your flow. Asking for and accepting support. Nourishing your body. Hydrate, rest, repeat. Laugh when you can. Cry when you need to.
If you’re in the thick of it right now, please hear me:
This is hard.
You are not doing it wrong.
You are learning.
Your baby is learning.
And you do not have to do it all alone. 🤍
