How to Write a Postpartum Plan (with Template!)
Summer Diaries | Week 4: Resources for Expecting Families
When we talk about preparing for birth, most people immediately think of a birth plan—who will be there, what kind of support you want, and how to create an environment where you feel safe, steady, and seen…but there’s another plan we believe is just as essential: the postpartum plan.
This quiet, tender season after birth is full of change—physically, emotionally, and relationally. It’s not just a recovery window. It’s a reorientation. A beginning. A becoming. And just like labor, it goes more smoothly when you’ve set yourself up with support, nourishment, and rest.
That’s where a postpartum plan comes in.
What Is a Postpartum Plan?
A postpartum plan is a simple but powerful tool designed to help you prepare for the often-overlooked season that begins after birth. Just like a birth plan outlines your preferences and support for labor and delivery, a postpartum plan helps you think through what kind of care, rest, and resources you'll need in the days, weeks, and months after your baby arrives.
But more than a checklist, a postpartum plan asks you to consider:
Who is going to support you, not just the baby?
What helps you feel grounded and nourished?
How do you want your home and heart to feel during this transition?
It’s not about scripting every moment (because, like birth, postpartum rarely goes exactly to plan). Instead, it’s about creating a foundation—a supportive framework—that allows you to enter this tender season with intention, not just improvisation.
Many families prepare extensively for labor, yet are surprised by how raw and disorienting postpartum can feel. We believe this season deserves just as much care and preparation. A good postpartum plan can help reduce stress, improve rest, and strengthen communication with your support team. It lets you name your needs before you’re too exhausted to articulate them.
In our work as doulas, we’ve seen time and again how much smoother the transition into new parenthood can be when families take time to prepare for this part of the journey, not just the birth itself.
What Should a Postpartum Plan Include?
We walk through this process with every Ezer Birth client, and we’ve found it’s most helpful when you focus on a few key areas. Here’s a preview of what we include in our Postpartum Plan Template (available for free download—details below).
Support System
Who will show up for you—and how?
Your postpartum plan helps you think through:
Who is on your care team (partner, family, doula, friends)?
What kind of help do you actually want (meals, errands, holding the baby while you shower, chores)?
How will you communicate your needs and boundaries to visitors?
A strong support system is one of the most protective factors in postpartum well-being. Make it intentional.
Recovery and Rest
Your body has done something powerful and intense. Whether you had a vaginal or cesarean birth, you deserve time to rest and heal.
Your plan might include:
Creating a cozy recovery space (water within reach, heating pad, snack boards around your room)
Having postpartum supplies ready (pads, nipple care items, peri bottle, sitz bath)
Making peace with rest—because slowing down is doing something. Plan for low-key activities you can do that you’d be excited about (save some anticipated book or tv show, keep your journal nearby, write out your birth story while it’s fresh on your mind)
Nourishment
What does care taste like to you?
Food is more than fuel—it’s comfort, connection, and healing.
Your plan should cover:
What meals you want on hand
Who’s bringing food (or if you’re ordering in)
Warm, easy-to-digest foods that support recovery
Hydration reminders and electrolyte-rich options
Have you set aside frozen meals for later?
Feeding Your Baby
Whether you plan to breastfeed, bottle-feed, or a mix of both, this part of your plan helps set clear expectations and support options. Usually feeding your baby does not go “according to plan”, having a path forward before you’re in the trenches of figuring this out can be a life-saver!
Consider:
What kind of feeding goals do you have?
Who will you reach out to with questions (IBCLC, doula, pediatrician,)? Having an abundance of resources makes a huge difference in this arena.
Emotional Support
The fourth trimester can feel like a swirl of hormones, identity shifts, unexpected tears, and sacred moments. A good postpartum plan makes room for that too. Here are a few questions we like to ask our client in the postpartum plan:
How do I want to feel in the first few weeks?
What helps me feel grounded when things are hard?
What gentle practices (journaling, affirmations, prayer, breathwork) can I return to?
Want the Full Template?
We’ve created a free, downloadable Postpartum Plan PDF that walks you through all of this (and more) with simple, fill-in-the-blank prompts.
We made it because we’ve seen firsthand how a little preparation goes a long way—and you deserve to feel cared for, not just as a parent, but as a person.
You can grab your postpartum plan by clicking this link.
Whether it’s your first baby or your fifth, this transition is big—and you don’t have to do it alone.
We hope this blog sparks reflection, preparation, and maybe even a little sigh of relief. You're allowed to think about your own care, too. In fact, we think it’s essential.
If you’ve used a postpartum plan before, we’d love to hear what helped most. And if you’re preparing now—reach out anytime. We’d be honored to support you!