A quick Google search of ‘what is the fourth trimester?’ and you’ll find a whole lot of information about the major developments a baby goes through in the first three months of life. There’s not much about mum, except that she doesn’t get much sleep and is often inundated with unsolicited advice.
Paediatricians and child development experts get cited about the massive development that babies go through during this time. But what about the changes that happen to mum?
During her pregnancy, and up to two years after having her baby, a new mum undergoes a huge transformation. In fact, you could say she isn’t only birthing her child, she’s also birthing herself.
Luckily, nature has got our back. From the moment our babies are conceived up until they are about two years old mothers undergo an enrichment program within themselves. It’s what makes you feel so forgetful, it’s what makes you zero in on your baby, it’s that feeling you're losing yourself. It’s baby brain and it’s neuroplasticity at its finest.
Top Comments
It's nice to think of a system wherein new mothers are supported in their adjustment to life with a baby, but I think this sort of narrative is a regressive, in that it seems to assume being a mother is the only role these women will carry out, and that nobody else is involved in care of the child. In the setting wherein a woman wishes to return to work, for instance, and have her partner fundamentally involved in the care of the baby, an exclusive "nesting" period that focusses on Mum and Mum alone is probably unnecessary and a little narrow.