For most first-time moms, those few months of postpartum days and nights are a whirlwind of feeding baby, changing baby, snuggling baby and trying to get baby to sleep—all while trying to recover from the birth experience. And despite what idealized media images might tell you, it’s not all sweetness and light.
“I really had no idea what postpartum was going to be about,” says Stacy Ni, a local Northern Virginia mom and entrepreneur. “I was making 3 a.m. Amazon purchases on a nightly basis … and I thought, ‘Why isn’t there a service where [what you need] is delivered to you so you don’t have to make frantic orders.?'”
It was that relatable experience that inspired Ni to launch Fourth Trimester Mama.
The online company, launched earlier this year, curates essential products that help women ease the physical and emotional transition from pregnancy to new motherhood during those first three months (otherwise known as the “fourth trimester”) at home with baby. For example, mothers can order a vaginal birth recovery or C-section recovery care kit with products like nipple cream, perineal spray and C-section scar balm (products that are very necessary but tend to get overlooked during baby showers focused on cute onesies and swaddling blankets for baby).
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Each box also comes with affirmation cards (with sayings like, “I am getting to know my new baby one day at a time”)—or you can order a pack of 10 cards separately—to provide inspiration and gentle reminders to slow down.
“They’re really simple quotes, but moms seemed to have really gravitated toward them,” says Ni of the affirmation cards. “It’s a word of positivity when you’re dealing with a screaming baby.”
Fourth Trimester also offers a breastfeeding essentials bundle, which includes products like lactation supplements and tea, a lactation massager and silicone breast pump.
“I really want to do my part through Fourth Trimester to elevate postpartum care, hopefully demystify that postpartum time and help [mothers] heal better,” says Ni of her mission for the new company. “The fourth trimester is an extremely important time in a person’s life.”
Aside from the essential care kits, what’s Ni’s, now a mother of two young children, best advice for those fourth trimester months?
“My first advice when I’m talking to brand-new moms is take it slow. Listen to your body. Don’t be afraid to live inside this bubble. Don’t feel like you have to go out and be doing things. Really rest and let your body do the work of healing.” // Fourth Trimester bundles: $99 each; affirmation cards pack of 10: $12
