Surviving the 4th Trimester

4th Trimester: A Whole New World

A guide into everything about the 4th trimester. What to expect during those months, tips to help baby thrive and pointers to ease parents into new parenthood.

What is a 4th trimester?

Simply? The 4th trimester is the moment until your baby is born until 3 months old. Not so simply, it’s the period of great change and development in your newborn, as your babe adjusts to the new world outside the womb. During these months, the mental and physical progress your baby will endure are as important to their development as those they made in your womb. These are the months of no sleep, routine shaping and anxiety for all parents. Here are some tips to help get you through it all!

What Can New Parents Expect?

Parents can expect their little ones to be full of curiosity and wonder while getting used to the variety of noises, sights, smell and sounds of the outside world. It’s the first time they’ll be using their senses, so it’ll be overwhelming! You can tell this is a major change by the womb to world comparison above.

Making sure to offer a ton of love and support during these months will help baby adjust to the new surroundings.

You also may notice your baby doing the following:

• Breathe more steadily
• Startling less
• Having controlled movements
  • • Improved vision - This is the part of the body that develops the most in the first three months. By the second to third month, their vision will become clearer and able to differentiate objects. Fun fact: By 8 or 9 weeks, their sight will be on par with an adult's eyesight!
    • Fussiness and crying - By three months, your baby will ease from crying, but it does peak at around 5-6 weeks.
    • Doing the wiggle
    • Settling into consistent patterns - Newborns sleep a lot! This gives your little one’s brain time to process all the exposure they received to their senses while awake. Going from constant womb to real world times, there’s no way for babies to understand day or night yet. Soon they’ll be able to sleep through noise or disturbances.
    • Social skills - They'll have a greater attention span and interaction with other people, objects and music.
    • Feeding x 8 - Small stomachs mean little portions and a whole lot more feedings. By more, we mean about 8 feeds every 24 hours. Look out for sucking on fingers, an open mouth and head turning to signal meal-time.

Tips To Help Ease The Transition

Time to address the parents! The mighty heroes in charge of growing that little sprout you made. After taking in all that will happen during the 4th trimester may have your mind boggled. We wish we could say it will be easy on your mind and body, but most find it tough.

You lose your own routine, survive on little to no sleep and live on stress. It’s exhausting and sometimes even frustrating. Mommas- We all know it can affect you more. One thing to keep an eye on are your estrogen levels. If low, you can experience menopause-like symptoms such as night sweats, hot flashes, joint pain, mood swings, anxiety, depression, fatigue and insomnia. This all sounds stressful, but we’re here to help! Here are our tips to help ease that transition.

Tip: Skin-To-Skin

This one is a no-brainer because it helps to calm and soothe your baby. From constantly being held by amniotic fluid to laying on their back, little one may find it uncomfortable. Your baby will be reassured by your warmth, smell and heartbeat. Skin-to-skin also encourages your baby to latch on for breastfeeding. This is also where babywearing and swaddling come into play! This will help them feel secure and snug. Using a sling or putting them in a swaddle mimics the snug comfort of being in your womb helping soothe them into a sleep.

Tip: Whenever, wherever... let your baby sleep for what seems like forever

Although it may seem odd, putting your baby down to sleep during the day in a noisy, bright environment is fine. Wherever they feel a nap coming, just let it happen! As long as they are on the their backs without extra blankets and products, they are good to snooze! It’s likely that they will be able to shut out outside stimulation and just drift off. Soon, you’ll see what works best for your baby.

Tip: Feed on Demand

Give your baby nourishment whenever they need it! They need it to meet energy needs. It also helps them feel reassured that they are getting the best care, even if we already know that they are.

Tip: Tummy Time

Swinging and movement. Walking around while you hold your baby may be more soothing than sitting down and holding. In your womb, your baby was lulled by your everyday movements. Mimicking these may help to comfort your baby.

Tip: Buy A Crescent Womb

Also mimicking a mother’s womb in the form of a suspended hammock, a Crescent Womb may help your baby fall asleep and stay asleep. A rest assured win-win situation for both baby and parents.

4th Trimesters are going to be hard on everyone! As your baby transitions from womb to world, the least we can do is help get some safe sleep for everyone- baby and parents. Try our Crescent Womb to see if it’ll help your baby transition to the world!

Relevant Reads: Postnatal Changes - What New Mums Can Expect,Postpartum Recovery Period - Tips and Tricks, Mental Health - Self-Care Habits for New Mums

Credits: Crescent Womb, William Fortunato