Nurtured By Ruta

Ok, you have planned your birth plan, how about your postpartum plan??

A postpartum plan is just as important as your birth plan. It's your roadmap for the crucial weeks after baby arrives—supporting your recovery, rest, and bonding time.

Here’s what to include:

🍼 Support System
Who will help with baby, meals, or older kids? List your go-to people—partner, family, doula, or friends.

🍲 Meals & Nutrition
Prep meals ahead or set up a meal train. Nourishing food fuels healing.

🛏️ Rest & Recovery
Plan for naps! Sleep when the baby sleeps is easier said than done—so get help where you can.

🧼 Household Help
Delegate chores. Your job is to heal and bond—not clean the kitchen.

💬 Mental Health Check-ins
Postpartum emotions are real. Know your signs, and have a therapist or support group in mind.

🩺 Medical Care
Schedule follow-ups for both you and baby. Don’t skip your own appointments!

💗 Self-Care & Boundaries
Say no to unexpected visitors. Protect your space and peace.

✨ A little planning now = more peace and healing later.

Start your postpartum plan before baby comes—you deserve to be cared for, too.

A postpartum recovery guideline for new mothers.

The 5-5-5 Postpartum Rule

Your body just did something extraordinary. Now it deserves extraordinary care.

💗 5 days in the bed – stay tucked in, rest, bond, recover.
💗 5 days on the bed – still resting, but sitting up, moving gently.
💗 5 days around the bed – slow return to light activity while honouring your healing.

This gentle rhythm isn’t about rules. It’s about giving your body and spirit the grace to recover, bond with your baby, and feel supported.

🌿 Gentle Care for Your Fourth Trimester 🌿

Bringing a new baby into the world is beautiful—but it can also feel overwhelming. As a certified Postpartum Doula, I’m here to nurture you as you nurture your little one.

💛 What I Offer:

Newborn care support (feeding, soothing, sleep routines)

Emotional support for parents adjusting to new roles

Light household help to ease daily tasks

Guidance on infant development and family bonding

A non-judgmental, compassionate presence

✨ My goal is simple: to help you feel rested, supported, and confident during this precious season. Whether you’re a first-time parent or growing your family, you deserve care too.

📩 Message me to learn how I can support your family in your own home.
Let’s make your postpartum journey calmer, gentler, and filled with joy. 💛

Simple things to keep in mind with babies. They just need our calm presence.

Babies don’t need flawless.
They need connection.
Your presence. Your love.
That’s what helps them grow.

You’re exactly who they need, just as you are.

Some babies prefer to eat from one side only. Reasons include:
🌟How the milk flows (fast or slow) or volume of milk differences from side to side
🌟Difference in size and/or shape of the ni**le
🌟Tension in baby’s head, neck or shoulders from intrauterine positioning or birth trauma
🌟Baby discomfort from ear infection, illness of teething
🌟How you’re holding based on your hand dominance or your holding preferences

It is very, very normal for women to have one side that produces more milk or that is more comfortable to feed on. If the side presence is from birth and baby appears uncomfortable on the tricky side, have baby seen by a infant trained osteopath, chiropractor, or craniosacral therapist to bring symmetry back to baby’s body.

Other strategies to help with side preference include:
🌈Try the opposite hold on the opposite side. If baby prefers cross cradle to the right, try football to the left as this keeps baby’s body in the preferred position.
🌈Laid back or side lying nursing can take pressure off baby’s body and your hands
🌈Watch where your hands are and tension in your body in anticipation of a bad latch. You’d be surprised how much your energy can impact baby’s latch
🌈Breast compression and massage on the slower flow breast can help increase flow
🌈Offer the least preferred side first to help stimulate increased milk. Or if baby won’t take it at all, consider pumping that side to help increase supply
🌈In extreme cases it is possible for baby to maintain full nutrition from one breast only

If you’re still breastfeeding into toddlerhood, no, you don’t need to offer cows milk. The American Academy of Pediatrics AND the World Health Organization recommend breastfeeding until 2 years old as a complete source of toddler nutrition. Your milk does not lose nutritional value after the first birthday and you don’t need to wean it offer cow’s milk unless you want to. After 2, you can wean to water and table foods or to any kind of milk per your family’s choice. Which includes continued breast milk!

If you decide to wean from breastfeeding between 1-2 years, yes and no. Cow’s milk provides a convenient source of a lot of nutrients, including calcium, protein, fat and vitamin D that are important for building bone and brain development. But if your toddler won’t drink it, has an allergy or intolerance, or your family follows a vegan lifestyle, a well-planned diet can provide these nutrients too. According to the USDA, children ages 2-3 need two servings of dairy per day (milk, yogurt, cheese, or calcium-fortified non-dairy beverage), children age 4-8 need two and a half, and kids 9+ need three. Can you use a milk alternative such as soy, almond or oat? Yes, but they’re not one-for-one swaps. For instance, almond and rice milk have only 1 gram of protein per serving, compared to 8 grams in cow’s. When choosing a non-dairy milk, make sure it’s fortified with calcium and vitamin D. Homemade versions won’t have this fortification. Shake milk substitutes well before serving, the calcium settles on the bottom. Look for varieties labeled “unsweetened” as many milk alternatives contain lots of added sugar! If you’re choosing not to offer your toddler cow’s milk, and you’ve weaned, make sure they’re getting a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, beans, grains and meats to get them the vitamins, minerals, fats and protein they need for growth. When in doubt, discuss your specific nutrition needs with a pediatric dietician

Being responsive to your child's needs helps them develop a healthy brain, enabling babies to understand that the world is safe because their needs are being met!

April showers bring May flowers 🌸🌹 Today will be warm but cloudy with storms in the Ottawa/Gatineau region. If you're out and about, stay safe and dry.