Smart Strategies for New Moms: Automating Your Environment For Support During Postpartum
The postpartum period is a time of immense change and adjustment. It’s often filled with the gratitude that comes from “counting your blessings” mixed with the frantic feeling of “what have we gotten ourselves into?!”
While you might be surrounded by well-meaning friends and family offering support in their own ways, there’s a unique kind of help that often gets overlooked: the support from your environment.
Automating your home systems and routines is a way to reduce mental load, create structure, and give you the space you need to heal and bond with your baby.
Let’s explore how automating simple tasks and systems around the house can provide essential support during postpartum, allowing you to focus on recovery, your little one, and your own well-being.
1. Use the Timer on Your Coffee Maker
Waking up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee is a small but significant win in the morning. A coffee maker with a timer means you can set it up the night before, so it’s ready when you wake up…at 3am..or 6am…or 9am….
Whether its caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee, this automation serves as a form of support during postpartum, providing you with some familiarity of warmth, smells, and routines that you likely enjoyed in pre-baby times.
2. Use Your Chat GPT Bestie for Meal Planning and Grocery Lists
Meal planning and grocery shopping are often overwhelming for new moms who are focused on caring for their baby. Thankfully, automation can lighten this load. Using tools like ChatGPT can help you plan meals that suit your nutritional needs, tastes, and time constraints. Give the tool prompts to help you out like “Make me a list for 7 family meals that take less than 5 minutes to prep”. And then, if you like the list it creates for you, ask it to make a corresponding grocery list. One peice of great news here it that you won’t hurt it’s feelings if you don’t like it’s ideas! So tell it to make you multiple lists or give you 10 meal ideas and then you pick your top 5 favorite.
Then use your favorite grocery pick-up app to get it all done faster and with less time or energy.
3. Use Calendar Blocks to Prevent Overwhelm & Decrease Avoidance
By automating your calendar with time blocks for everything from doctor’s appointments to laundry, you take the guesswork out of your day. Blocking off time ensures these tasks are prioritized, rather than put on the back burner, so you feel less overwhelmed.
4. Automate Household Chores with Smart Devices
Smart home technology can be a lifesaver in the postpartum period. Devices like robotic vacuums, smart lighting, and smart thermostats handle simple tasks that can easily slip through the cracks when you’re managing a newborn.
5. Use Paper Plates to Reduce Dishwashing
One of the small, yet impactful adjustments you can make during postpartum is switching to paper plates and utensils. While it may not be the most environmentally friendly option, it can be an absolute lifesaver when you’re exhausted and trying to balance everything. It’s one less thing to worry about!
6. Double Up on Tasks to Feel More Productive with Less Effort
You can maximize your time by doubling up on tasks. For example, while you’re playing with your baby on the floor, incorporate stretching or gentle yoga to offer your body some movement. You can do stretches or mobility exercises while you sit and interact with your baby, allowing your body to move and stretch without needing separate time for exercise.
