Hi. Welcome to Shugie: your resource for postpartum health and wellness. Each week, I will be sharing products, practitioners, experiences, tips, and tricks that can support you as you enter motherhood.

The definition of postpartum? “Following childbirth,” according to Merriam-Webster. So, while postpartum may be recognized in our culture as the first 6-12 weeks of a baby’s life, it really means the rest of your life.

In my experience, it seems like there isn’t too much information out there about postpartum care, and when I asked my friends, almost all of them said that they did not feel prepared for their postpartum experience.

As I inquired further, I discovered that women who report feeling supported and knowledgeable about their postpartum had a significantly reduced risk for postpartum depression and anxiety [1]. As someone who runs anxious, this fact jumped out at me. I made a commitment to research and plan for my own fourth trimester and invite peace and wellness into my experience as best as I could.

Born out of my desire to be educated and prepared for my postpartum experience, I started creating Shugie. I have been meticulously researching, collecting, and trading health and wellness information for years with my friends and family. Now I want to put them all in one place and share them with you.

And I want to be honest with you, I have had a very positive postpartum experience. This is mostly because I am lucky and a little bit because I was prepared. I have been hesitant to share this, but truthfully, that positive experience is the inspiration behind this blog.

The reason I’ve been hesitant to share that, is because postpartum is not easy. My experience has been wonderful, yes, but it has not been without anxiety, struggles, and health issues. And I also know and want to acknowledge that you can do everything ‘right,’ be the most prepared person in the world, and birth and postpartum can still be incredibly traumatic. Whatever your experience is, it’s yours, and that is deeply personal.

I’m not here to be an expert on postpartum or motherhood. With a five month old at the time I’m writing this, I am a major beginner. I also did not create Shugie to give medical advice or tell you how to live. So do your own research, talk to your care team, and honor your intuition. My hope is that Shugie will be your source of inspiration to create a peaceful postpartum and that you make connections with other moms through the content that I share.

I also hope that you will write me with your perspective, share your experiences, ask questions about the things that you are curious about, and explore all the ways you can be supported postpartum. This, I believe, is how we begin to change the way women are honored after birth and offer the kind of care that every mother deserves.

So just like you, I am in the thick of it, with a new babe, new to motherhood, and finding my footing as this new version of me. It is my passion to discover, collect and share the resources that have supported me on my continued journey to a fulfilled life. I hope you find value from even just one of the topics we will discuss.

After all – it takes a village. Let’s build one together.

xx
Kaitlin