The Ultimate Guide: 4th Trimester of Pregnancy (2024)
What we’ll cover in this post:
When it comes to pregnancy, we tend to focus on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd trimesters. These three trimesters are what make up a pregnancy, from conception to birth.
What happens right after birth? What about that immediate postpartum period? What about adjusting to life with a new baby? We tend to do so much prepping for pregnancy, birth, and baby items that we forget about the postpartum period, or the 4th trimester.
What is the 4th Trimester?
The 4th trimester is from birth to around 12 weeks postpartum. This is a period immediately following birth when:
Your hormones are raging
You’re emotional
You’re learning how to be a parent (either for the first time or incorporating a new child into your family)
Your body is doing crazy things while it tries to go back to it’s non-pregnant state
You have a new life to care for
Your baby is also trying to adjust to the outside world
The theory of the 4th trimester came about by a pediatrician named Dr. Harvey Karp who believes that babies are born too soon (easy for him to say!).
Dr. Karp goes on to talk about how human babies are essentially helpless for the first 3 months of life. Most other mammals, like baby horses, who are running within a few hours after birth. If it weren’t for a human baby’s brain/head size, they would likely be content in the womb for another 3 months. This understanding gives us this 4th trimester concept, where we need to focus on helping baby adapt to an outside world that they may not be quite ready for.
Not only is your brand new baby adjusting to this outside world, but YOU are adjusting to this new life of becoming a parent as well.
Why the 4th trimester is important
The 4th trimester is a huge adjustment period for not only mom / birthing person and baby, but also other members of the family as well. It’s an important time for everyone to get acclimated to this new life, and for the new baby to acclimate to the outside world.
The 4th trimester is an important time for postpartum healing. Postpartum can be quite difficult for some folks. Your organs and trying to find their way back to their places, your hormones are going crazy (which can cause a slew of emotions), you’re experiencing vaginal bleeding, and you’re healing from either a vaginal/perineal wound and/or a cesarean wound.
Along with the mental, physical, and emotional healing, you’re also figuring out how to care for a newborn baby and also possibly trying to combat the feelings of wanting your pre-pregnancy body back.
The 4th trimester is not only important for healing and acclimating, but also for discovering a new part of you. Becoming a parent is life changing, and although it can be very trying at times, it’s the most rewarding job in the world!
Is the 4th trimester hard?
The 4th trimester can be difficult for some, while it may seem like a breeze for others. Just like every pregnancy is different, every postpartum experience is different too.
Your 4th Trimester experience can depend on:
Your birth experience
The severity of your birth wounds
Whether or not you develop a perinatal mood disorder
If/when you have to leave the home to go back to work
If you feel like you are struggling, it’s important to ask for help! A strong support system can make a world of a difference.
Tips for surviving the 4th trimester
Surviving the 4th trimester may be more difficult for others and it may be tough to get into the swing of things. There are some things you can do to try to make it a bit easier.
Give yourself some grace
As parents, we tend to put a lot of pressure on ourselves. During this delicate time, it’s important to give yourself some grace. If you need to take a nap, take a nap. If you need to step away and take a shower alone, ask for help from a partner, family member, or friend. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it's okay and totally normal!
Try not to put pressure on yourself to:
Look “put together”
Get out of the house
Cook
Have a clean house
All of these tasks will be there waiting for you when you’re ready and it’s okay to do the bare minimum to just survive.
Ask for help
For some, it can be really hard to ask for help. As difficult as it may be, try to rewire your brain into realizing that being a parent takes a village. Take advantage of a supportive partner, family, and friends. Is your mom coming over to snuggle the baby later? Go shower, take a nap, or ask her to bring something for dinner.
Most of your loved ones are going to know what it’s like to go through this adjustment period and they are going to be more than willing to help however they can.
Don’t be afraid to set boundaries
Having a new baby can cause a flood of emotions. You may want all of your friends and family to meet your new baby right away or you may end up just wanting to soak in these few weeks with your new little family. Whatever you choose is perfectly fine.
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Getting those phone calls and texts asking: “When can we come see the baby?” May get super overwhelming; especially if they’re coming from people you haven’t spoken to in months/years. During this time, you need to put yourself and your baby first.
If you’re worried about hurting people’s feelings (which you totally shouldn’t be), come up with your response now.
How to avoid visitors until you’re ready:
Have a point of contact, like your partner or your mom, be the one to filter out visitors. It takes the pressure off of you to have them set the boundaries you’d like.
Make a post on social media and/or send a mass group text. You can say something like: “We appreciate everyone’s love and well wishes. We are at home soaking in all of this time with our new sweet baby. At this time, we’d like to bond as a little family and we will let everyone know when we are ready for you all to come meet him/her.”
Some people would rather just get it over with than to wait for people to come visit. In this case, maybe have someone help you plan a “meet and greet” or a “sip and see”. This is when you have some little finger foods/appetizers and drinks and invite your loved ones over to meet your sweet new baby. This way, it’s a couple of hours of chaos and then it’s over with!
If you’re really unsure how to handle some people or you’re feeling nervous, just don’t tell anyone you’ve had the baby! No one needs to know when you’re in labor or when your baby is born. Once you’re ready, announce the baby's birth; that’ll buy you as much time as you need.
Know what’s normal when it comes your baby
Like we talked about, we tend to focus so much on the pregnancy, birth, and baby items, that we forget to learn about the baby. Try to educate yourself on what’s normal for your newborn baby.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
Some babies have a “witching hour” when they’re super fussy. If you’re breastfeeding/chestfeeding, this may be a long span of time where you’ll need to just feed your baby on and off for an hour or two at a time. This is normal. If you’re not breastfeeding, you may need to do a lot of holding, swaying, rocking, and shushing.
Babies make some strange sounds. Until you’ve heard them, it’s really hard to describe the weird sounds that can come out of a new baby. Know that, majority of the time, these weird noises are normal. If you’re ever concerned, don’t hesitate to call your pediatrician.
Baby’s are born with some reflexes, including the startle reflex. The slightest noise or movement can make them jerk their whole body and temporarily flail their arms out.
Some babies may go cross-eyed while they’re looking at something. This can happen for up to 2-4 months and is totally normal as they adjust to seeing outside of the womb.
Babies have soft spots on their heads. There’s one right on top and one in the back. You’ll most likely notice the one on the top of their heads the easiest. These soft spots are there because the baby's skull is not fully fused together yet. This helps their heads mold through the birth canal. You may notice this spot pulsating sometimes; this is totally normal. If you ever notice a soft spot that looks sunken in, that can be a sign of dehydration and should be addressed by a medical professional. If you ever notice a consistently swollen or bulging soft spot, this is also something you’d want to get addressed by a medical professional. Temporary bulging can be normal, especially if your baby is crying.
Does parenting get better after the 4th trimester?
Yes and no! Even parents of teens will tell you it doesn’t always get easier, it just gets different. Things that were challenging and unthinkable months ago will get easier, but some new developmental milestone will make something else challenging.
Once you’ve had a few months to become adjusted to having a new baby, life may seem to fall back into place. Conversely, being a parent comes with constant change and adjustments. For instance, just when you think your baby is sleeping through the night, they start cutting a tooth or they go through a growth spurt and it throws everything off!
Being flexible is helpful in parenting because kids are constantly changing. Asking for help when you need it, trying to take time for yourself when possible, and giving yourself grace through the challenging times will make parenting a bit smoother.
How to help your newborn adapt to the world
Since a newborn is so used to the warm, wet, dark, and cozy environment of the womb, it may take them some time to adjust to the outside world. Although this adjustment period can be a bit exhausting, there are some things you can do to help your newborn adjust to this new world.
Here are some tips on how to help your baby adjust to the outside world.
Swaddling them
Sometimes, babies like to be swaddled during those first few days/weeks. At the end of pregnancy, they don’t have much room to move around, so they’re used to feeling a bit constricted within the walls of the womb.
Some babies are houdinis and are experts at breaking out of swaddles, so this might take some practice. Some babies may also prefer to have their hands by their faces. It’s also important to safely swaddle your baby to avoid things like hip dysplasia and suffocation.
A lot of this 4th trimester, and parenting in general, comes with trial and error.
Be conscious about exposing baby to the sun during the day and darkness at night
It’s not uncommon for newborns to have their days and nights mixed up. This happens because they’re used to a dark environment 24/7 while in the womb. This can lead to babies sleeping for the majority of the day (when they were rocked to sleep in your belly) and wanting to be awake more during the night.
During the day, you should try to keep blinds open, go outside, let the environment be a bit noisy, and go about your day. At night, maybe try to get into a bit of a nighttime routine (i.e. bath, eat, pajamas, sound machine, bed) and try to keep the environment dark throughout the night.
Shushing sounds/white noise
Noises like “shhhh” and sound machines with white noise often soothe babies because it sounds similar to being in the womb. While inside of you, your baby can hear the sound of your blood whooshing through your body, which becomes soothing to them.
A swinging or rocking motion
While in the womb, your baby is being rocked all day long while you are moving around. Once they come earth-side, they tend to be held in a stationary position or placed in a bassinet. Most babies love motion; whether that be you rocking/bouncing them or by placing them in a swing. If your legs and arms are tired, try putting them in a sling or baby carrier and bouncing them on an exercise ball! Make sure swings are safe and haven’t had a safety recall.
Sucking
All babies have an innate instinct to suck. Sucking is not only important for them to eat, but it also “pacifies” them (hence the term pacifier). Babies tend to be more calm when sucking on a breast, finger, or pacifier.
The Takeaway
Becoming a new parent can seem super overwhelming. You have to make a registry, get a nursery together, buy a ton of baby supplies, check your app every day to see which vegetable your baby resembles, and pack your hospital bag. In addition to all of these things, preparing for the 4th trimester isn’t a bad idea.
The 4th trimester is the period of time between birth and 12 weeks postpartum. This time period can be a huge adjustment for you and your new baby. While some thighs are best to just learn as you go, there are some things you can prepare for.
Being a new parent can be tough, but it’s the best job in the world. Those first few months may seem like they’re never ending, but trust us; you’ll miss those days. Our best piece of advice is: Do whatever you need to do in order to survive.
You’re doing a great job!
🤍 The Motherboard Team
