4th trimester is not just a big transition for your little one, is also a very big change for you. When your baby is trying to adapt to the new world; your body is going through an immense reformation and adaptation as well.

4th trimester: Is that even a thing?

Yes, it is!

And it is not only a relevant term for your baby’s first three months but also a pretty big thing for you as a new mom. Your baby still perceives themself as a part of you and has a constant need of being close to you and feeling your warmth.

What is your little one going through during the 4th trimester?

After spending 3 trimesters in your warm, cozy womb; your baby is now thrown into a colder, chaotic world filled with various sounds, smells, and sensations. It is a huge transition for a little human being who is also now meeting new concepts such as hunger, thirst, digestive gurgling, heat, coldness, and fatigue. Keep in mind that during this period, your baby can see but have blurred vision. They can hear but have no understanding of what those sounds mean. Furthermore, they can feel, but now instead of being in the comfortable and reassuring womb; they are in this unknown big open space.

What are you going through during the 4th trimester as a new mom?

When your baby is going through all these getting used to’s, you are still recovering from giving birth, your organs are trying to get back to their original positions, your body starts to produce milk, your hormones are normalizing which causes mood swings/also known as “baby blues” for the first 10 days after birth. Not even mentioning the normal postpartum bleeding, sensitive tender nipples, and the leakage you face in the middle of the night. At the same time, you are facing the exhaustion of taking care of a newborn.

The truth is that the 4th trimester is real, and it is challenging both for you and your little one.

5 Tips to Guide You Through the 4th Trimester:

• Try wearing your baby hence including them in your daily routines.
• Swaddling your little one might help them to have a better sleep.
• Skin to skin contact helps babies to feel comfort, warmth, and love and it soothes them.
• Motion is perceived in the womb for 9 months. Try to go out for a walk or rock your little one when they are being fussy.
• Do not neglect yourself! As a new parent your physical, mental, and emotional health are fragile. Keep in mind: when you feel good, so does your little one.

Give yourselves grace and patience; it gets much easier after the first three months!

Sources:

1. Dubinsky, Dana. “The Fourth Trimester: Your Baby’s First Three Months.” Babycenter, www.babycenter.com/baby/baby-development/the-fourth-trimester-your-babys-first-three-months_10415518. Accessed 18 Nov. 2021.
2. Marygrace, Taylor. “What Happens in the ‘4th Trimester’ (and Is It a Real Thing)?” What to Expect, 9 June 2021, www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/postpartum/what-doctors-wish-moms-knew-fourth-trimester.
3. Wisner, Wendy. “Everything You Need to Know About the 4th Trimester.” Verywell Family, 13 Sept. 2021, www.verywellfamily.com/4th-trimester-4705945.