This post contains some of the best postpartum quotes for new moms to help you feel less alone.
What’s Postpartum?
Post partum refers to the period of time after childbirth when a woman’s body goes through significant physical and emotional changes as it adjusts to no longer being pregnant.
This period typically lasts six to eight weeks, but can vary for each individual.
During this time, the uterus shrinks back to its pre-pregnancy size, the body goes through hormonal changes, and the mother may experience fatigue, mood swings, and physical discomfort.
It is important for new mothers to receive adequate support and care during the postpartum period to ensure a healthy recovery.
Related: Best 10 Postpartum Books
Postpartum Quotes for New Moms
1. “Our birth books may have had a cursory chapter at the end on the postpartum period, but typically, our libraries and preparation have shifted from what to expect during childbirth to how to raise a baby, with no orientation or guide to this pivotal time in our lives as women.” – Kimberly Ann Johnson
2. “Just as childbirth education has become a standard for most women and couples as a part of pregnancy, postpartum care (which includes self-care and community care) needs to become praxis.” – Kimberly Ann Johnson
3. “In countries all over the world, from India to Korea, from Turkey to Brazil, rituals and practices are in place to support women and, therefore, relationships and community during this time. Even just one hundred years ago here in the United States, there was a practice of “lying-in,” which simply meant supporting women as they rested in the months following birth.” – Kimberly Ann Johnson
4. “Myth: A doctor will clear you at your six-week-postpartum visit as ready for sex. Motherly’s State of Motherhood survey results indicate that 31 percent of millennial women (defined as born from 1981 to 1996) reported resuming sexual activity after giving birth before feeling ready. In addition, 26 percent of women reported that sex was a significant stressor.” – Abigail Burd
5. “Not every mother feels love for her baby instantly. For some, love comes much later. It is not unusual for those who have a history of trauma, a difficult birth, or serious postpartum mental health symptoms to feel less attached. Bonding might take longer, but your love can still grow.” – Abigail Burd
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6. “The knowledge of the special requirements for postpartum healing is not new knowledge—but it has been largely forgotten. We currently think that what is a necessity is a luxury, and it’s time that we reclaim this knowledge for ourselves and for each other, so that rather than feeling depleted, frazzled, and fragile, women can emerge from the transition to motherhood stronger, happier, and more whole.” – Kimberly Ann Johnson
7. “Women everywhere are experiencing difficulty adapting to motherhood. According to the New York State Department of Health, as many as 80 percent of women say that they experience “baby blues” after giving birth.” – Kimberly Ann Johnson
8. “No wonder as many as 15–20 percent of women experience postpartum depression. In the absence of conversation about how we can care for ourselves and be cared for when we become mothers, and in the absence of dialogue about women’s health over a lifetime, this issue is often reduced to a women’s mental health problem alone.” – Kimberly Ann Johnson
9. “If you have a baby, you will experience the postpartum period. It is a stage of life—a wonderfully and mystifyingly transformative period in a new mother’s life that doesn’t have to lead to depression.” – Kimberly Ann Johnson
10. “Many of us have been raised to value being self-sufficient and independent. I know I was. I’d like to introduce the idea of seasons of life. In general, you are in a productive life stage. You are strong and can work and care for those older and younger than yourself. But briefly, during the postpartum stage, you are in a season of needing more support.” – Abigail Burd
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11. “Many cultures share the idea of a golden month, or confinement period, that is anywhere from twenty to sixty days, and often around forty days.” – Kimberly Ann Johnson
12. “Some definitions of the postpartum period include the completion of the fourth trimester. Others consider the period to be nine months, the age when human babies reach the stage of development that other mammal babies are already at when they are born. In still another definition, two years, the age it is commonly recommended to wean a baby at, is the demarcation of the end of the postpartum phase.” – Kimberly Ann Johnson
13. “Here in the United States, what marks many women’s postpartum experiences is the six-week post-birth doctor visit. The timing mirrors the older wisdom of the immediate postpartum period; however, this visit is usually so short and superficial that women are left thinking, That’s it? A quick exam and I’m free to return to exercise and work. Okay, but HOW? Everything’s “normal,” but I don’t really feel normal.” – Kimberly Ann Johnson
14. “The length of the postpartum period is different for every woman, but it is almost universally longer than we want it to be, expect it to be, and think it should be.” – Kimberly Ann Johnson
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15. “When we remember that the postpartum period seems longer than we think it should be, perhaps we can give ourselves a break. We can adjust our expectations, and instead of insisting on our familiar, faster pace, we can soften into a slower rhythm, so we can truly relish what this time has to offer. Rather than minimizing it or trying to get through it as quickly as possible, we can decelerate, be present, and even savor the experience.” – Kimberly Ann Johnson
16. “Postpartum doulas provide care for women and their families in the weeks immediately following birth. They nurture you as you heal, support you as you learn to breastfeed (or bottle-feed), and offer tons of education surrounding your physical and emotional well-being, as well as caring for your newborn. Some postpartum doulas offer services such as meal preparation and light household work.” – Jill Koziol and Liz Tenety
17. “This immediate forty-day window postpartum is considered so potent that a woman can heal lifelong illnesses and restore her health, or she can become vulnerable to diseases that take a lifetime to attend to.” – Kimberly Ann Johnson
18. “In Hong Kong, women are fed special soups, first for elimination and ease of digestion, and then to rebuild blood and life force. In Korea, soups are made with many kinds of seaweed, which is full of rich minerals. While there are variations in ingredients and spices from culture to culture, what the postpartum foods have in common across cultures is that they are warming, easy to digest, mineral rich, and collagen dense.” – Kimberly Ann Johnson
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19. “During the birth and postpartum period, women’s bodies are going through tremendous changes. Organs are returning to their optimal positions. The body is returning to a normal blood and fluid volume. Hormones are recalibrating. To assist in all these changes, to flush the lymph and to optimize circulation, bodywork is an integral part of a woman’s recovery to vibrant health. Because of this understanding, Asian cultures pamper new mothers. In Korea, a new mother gets a massage every day for forty days to help restore organ position and circulation. In India, women receive abhyanga, circulatory massage with herbal-infused oils, from sisters and aunts.” – Kimberly Ann Johnson
20. “Even though we may have a desire to go slower, the way most women enter their postpartum period these days is a bit like they are flying down the freeway at high speed—but then they have to hit the brakes and come to a screeching halt. Many of the women I work with, from public defenders to professors to personal trainers, have so little maternity leave that they are forced to choose between time off before birth or after it. Understandably, many women work as close to their due date as possible, so they can use the time to spend it with their babies afterward.” – Kimberly Ann Johnson
21. “Just as your birth plan allows you to think through and communicate your ideal birth, a postpartum sanctuary plan is an excellent way to anticipate and plan for the support you will need to have the smoothest sacred window possible. I recommend that you create your plan with your partner in your third trimester.” – Kimberly Ann Johnson
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Quotes to Help with Postpartum Depression and Anxiety
22. “Essentially, postpartum depression (PPD) is depression occurring during the first year after giving birth. A well-respected study of 10,000 women published in JAMA Psychiatry in 2013 documented that 21 percent had PPD in the first year. For simplicity’s sake, we can call this one in five.” – Abigail Burd
23. “Approximately 80 percent or more of birthers experience a period of the “baby blues.” You might feel tearful, sensitive, and tired. However, the baby blues is not as severe as depression. The baby blues often starts around four days postpartum, as your body experiences hormone shifts, but it usually lifts after two weeks postpartum. If you have been feeling down for longer than two weeks, it’s not the baby blues anymore.” – Abigail Burd
24. “I like to think about anxiety as a spectrum. We all experience some anxiety or stress. A little bit can motivate us to do the things we need to do. Too much anxiety gets in the way. If you are having excessive worry about your pregnancy or your baby’s health and can’t be reassured, think about getting some help. Other concerns are being unable to sleep due to worrying or having panic attacks.” – Abigail Burd
25. “The symptoms of postpartum mental illness can be difficult to sort through and categorize. That is not your job here. Your job is to put yourself in front of a mental health therapist. They will take it from there.” – Jill Koziol and Liz Tenety
26. “You might think only veterans can get posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, any event in which you or someone you love was in serious danger can trigger a posttraumatic response. Approximately 30 percent of births have some kind of trauma, such as the mother’s or baby’s life being in danger or a stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Symptoms of postpartum PTSD include intrusive memories, avoidance of triggers that remind you of what happened, mood changes, difficulty sleeping, and being easily triggered or scared.” – Abigail Burd
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27. “The baby blues generally last about 2 to 3 weeks and then taper off. However, if they last longer than that, and the tear-triggering and downward spirals lead to feelings of despair, hopelessness, or unending bouts of negativity, you might be experiencing postpartum mental illness.” – Jill Koziol and Liz Tenety
28. “Untreated or undertreated depression has lasting consequences during pregnancy, in the postpartum stage, and when parenting. A pregnant woman’s untreated depression is dangerous to her unborn baby’s health. Some of the other risks of untreated depression during pregnancy are miscarriage, preeclampsia, and reduced fetal responsiveness in utero. Children born to depressed mothers are more likely to have delayed development and reduced attachment and behavioral problems throughout childhood and into adolescence.” – Abigail Burd
29. “Postpartum depression is often an anxious depression. Many women feel like they can’t stop worrying about their baby.” – Abigail Burd
30. “Postpartum mental illness is treatable. Within a short window of time, you can get to a point where you are feeling significantly better. Whether it’s talk therapy, medication, or a combination, there absolutely is hope. Please ask for help.” – Jill Koziol and Liz Tenety
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