What you can’t get from Amazon
The internet and Amazon in particular has made it so so easy to buy things online. With just a few clicks and only a couple day wait, it can arrive at your doorstep. Modern society is full of messages that tell us that things can solve our problems. If you’re on social media at all, the steady flow of advertisements are telling you the same thing. If you have a problem…here, LOOK, I have the product for you!
But what you can’t get from Amazon are two really critical circumstances necessary for wellness in the weeks & years after your baby is born…and those things are…
A community of care surrounding you
The experience of feeling seen, cared for, and celebrated
If we want a culture where mothers thrive in the postpartum and not just survive each day, we need to get clear on what mothers truly need.
How many new mothers are experiencing the first six weeks without the support of extended family and community? Many new mothers are left alone for long hours each day while their partners or husbands are at work. This is not normal in our human existence. Only within the last 100 years have humans lived without deep ties to community networks. Mothers experiencing isolation and overwhelm is a symptom of a culture that lacks & devalues the need for community.
What mothers really need in the postpartum is PEOPLE CARE and authentic connection. They need other adults around them that are able to prepare food, take care of the house, listen to their stories, uplift them emotionally & spiritually, and most importantly witness them on this journey. Mom needs something that will take the worry and her “to-do” list, off her plate. For moms to be well in the postpartum time, they don’t need the fanciest stroller or another baby bow.
So when you are making your own baby registry or reading through someone’ else’s, consider these alternative gifts and skip the Amazon cart:
Drop off a homemade nutrient-dense meal for mom
Chip in $$$ for a postpartum doula, housecleaner, or dog-walker
Take older kids to school a couple times a week
Give in-home shoulder & foot massages twice a week
Run to get groceries
Call twice a week to deeply listen to mom, acknowledge her experience, without giving advice
If you are expecting a baby, put these things on your baby registry! No joke! People that will find happiness in these ways of support will gladly offer.