Postpartum Support: Part 1 - Building Your Village
Created in collaboration with Madeleine Newman, the founder of Poppins Postpartum (@poppinspostpartum).
A note from Steph: I clearly remember my father suggesting to me towards the end of my pregnancy that I should consider what type of post-birth support I would need, knowing that my family is based overseas. I politely waved off his suggestion with a “Yeah, Dad.” I had worked demanding hours in high-pressure jobs, including one stint where I routinely logged 18-hour days. Surely having a newborn couldn’t be harder than that?
Well, the joke was on me. What I had failed to grasp was the relentlessness of being a new parent. Diaper, feed, burp, settling. Repeat. Every three hours at the start, often more. No, “I’ll crash on the weekend and catch up.”
The postpartum period (the fourth trimester) can be physically and emotionally demanding for new parents. With more and more of us living away from ‘our village’, formal types of help are becoming popular. And even if you’re lucky enough to have friends and family pitching in, you may still find yourself in need of professional support.
The good news is free healthcare services are available for new parents and babies. However, if you’re looking for specialist healthcare or new parent support, many of those options are paid out of pocket.
Top tip: I wasn’t at all surprised by a figure I saw recently that suggested mothers get less than 30 minutes of ‘me time’ a day. At Crayon, we’re big fans of a well-being fund so you can take care of yourself - something many of us don’t prioritise. So even if you’re not sure what you might need yet, it’s worthwhile factoring this into your baby-related expenses and savings.
If you start saving $20 per week from your 12th week of pregnancy, you’ll have $500 by 37 weeks. That will provide you with a financial cushion should you need a bit of extra help.
We teamed up with Madeleine Newman, founder of Poppins Postpartum, to explore the types of postpartum support options that are available in New Zealand. We’ve split this series into two:
General medical care: midwives, Plunket and your family doctor
Specialist medical care: paediatricians, Maternal Mental Health, pelvic floor physiotherapists, and baby osteopaths
In-home support: doulas, Karitane nurses, nannies and babysitters, and night nannies
Targeted support: sleep consultants, and lactation consultants
Of course, an individual may hold more than one specialty. For example, you may find a Karitane nurse who is also a trained lactation consultant or a night nanny who is also a trained sleep consultant. Once you’re clear on what help you're looking for, you can search for people who fit the bill.
Having personally interacted with almost every provider type on this list as a parent, I can safely say that while there is some overlap, they each fill a different need - and come with quite different price tags too. Madeleine and I hope that by getting a feel for what might help you in those first few months, you’ll be better able to find your feet as a new parent.
Now for the important legal part: The information we provide is general and not regulated financial advice for the purposes of the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013. Please seek independent legal, financial, tax or other advice in considering whether the content in this article is appropriate for your goals, situation or needs. The information in this article is current as at 29 June 2023.
Stephanie Pow
Founder & CEO of Crayon
Madeleine Newman
Founder of Poppins Postpartum