What IS the fourth trimester?

In this podcast episode, we are beyond thrilled to be in conversation with the two magnificent women who created Fourth Trimester Foundations. Carly and Meg are registered nurses who work on the frontlines - they are present with moms in labor and delivery every day. They’re also moms themselves, and have experienced firsthand the many gaps in the healthcare system that doesn’t prepare people for the fourth trimester experience.

In this episode you’ll learn about:

• The pediatrician who brought forth the science behind fourth trimester
• The concept of still being a “unit” with your baby after birth
• How taking POSTPARTUM CLASSES is equally as important as taking  CHILDBIRTH CLASSES
• The question Carly and Meg get most after EVERY patient gives birth - no matter if it was vaginal or surgical
• The importance of setting FIRM boundaries to start, knowing that postpartum is YOUR experience and you get to change your mind if you feel like it
• Stories from nurses who have seen it all and are tired of society telling women they have to keep their postpartum struggles under wraps

Notable Quotes from Carly & Meg:
“There's a couple of reasons that people don’t prepare for postpartum. Frankly, you don't have to, nobody's gonna make you do it. You can still show up in labor and you'll get to the other side, and you'll still have your fourth trimester, whether it's good or bad, or somewhere in between, and you'll survive and life will go on - you don't have to do it. I think the other reason that people don't [prepare] is because the society portrays to us that you're done after you give birth - the event is over. You know, it's not like any other experience in the hospital. You go into the hospital sick, you get treated, you get better, you go home, and it's over. You go in for surgery, your surgery’s done, you recover from your surgery, and it's over. Your birth, whether it was surgical or vaginal, it's not a finished experience. Once your birth is over, people forget that there's this whole life left to live. The collateral damage of what happened to your body in the process doesn't have to just fall apart.”

“There's so much focus on creating a registry for baby and having all the right baby products and making sure you have every kind of bottle or every kind of product you could possibly need for all of your motherhood journey. [But] there's a better [use of] time, finances or the support you’re being gifted with to prepare for postpartum before it's there.”

Resources & Links
Learn more about Carly and Meg and Fourth Trimester Foundations on their website where you’ll find the free postpartum planner and post-birth warning signs guide mentioned in the episode. Use code DEVOTEDMAMAS20 for $20 off any workshop or 1:1 call!. Carly and Meg also keep it real on Instagram + TikTok:

If you’re postpartum and ready to start your core and pelvic floor recovery, check out our Postpartum Repair & Restore 8-week program with LIVE coaching. In this program, we guide you through the exact workouts you need to feel your muscles strengthening + the education and LIVE supervision you need to know you’re doing it right.  For more information, go to devotedmamas.com/repair

If you’re currently pregnant, check out our Expecting to Flourish membership, a mom-driven and expert-guided virtual community that we created to help you stay your strongest during pregnancy, physically practice for birth and move easily into early postpartum. Find out more at devotedmamas.com/flourish