The Fourth Trimester Companion: How to Take Care of Your Body, Mind, and Family as You Welcome Your New Baby

by Cynthia Gabriel

A well-cared-for baby is a baby whose mother is taking care of herself. With this truth at its core, The Fourth Trimester Companion supports your transition to motherhood. You have probably already read multiple books on pregnancy, childbirth, and infant care as you prepare to become a mother, but have you considered how you are going to care for yourself after your baby is born? With so much focus on the birthing process and the new baby, your own birth as a mother is often overlooked . Doctors, nurses, midwives, and others involved in providing baby care agree that your own transition deserves equal attention , because taking good care of yourself in the first three months of your new baby’s life—the fourth trimester—brings crucial benefits for you, for your baby, and for your partner and family. With this important book, you (as well as your partner and other caregivers, whether lay or professional) now have the resources to have an ideal fourth trimester experience. Cynthia Gabriel, a doula and the author of the best-selling book Natural Hospital Birth , delivers all the information, guidance, and encouragement you need as a new mother to take care of your body, mind, and spirit during the vital months of the fourth trimester—so that you feel your best and so your baby has the best possible chance to thrive. Find tips, strategies, and advice
Appreciate the wondrous moments as a new mother and feel less alone with the challenging ones with The Fourth Trimester Companion .

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction

232 pages, Paperback

Published December 26, 2017

About the author

I'm a mother of three, a doula, childbirth educator, and medical anthropologist. I teach about the experiences of pregnancy, labor, birth, and parenting across the world, especially in Russia, Canada, Brazil, and the United States. I think all new parents need our support to do this incredible work of raising our Future. You can find my thoughts here: https://thebirthmuse.wordpress.com and here https://www.facebook.com/Natural-Hosp...

Reviews

[Brahm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt like I read this at just the right time (34 weeks). The birth is such an all-encompassing key milestone, and this book takes a pragmatic look at the three months beyond that.

Fortunate to be in Canada where I'm eligible to take parental leave!

[Alexandria Irwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall not too bad. Perhaps it would be more helpful to a first time mom. To me on my 3rd “4th trimester” it seemed very general and vague. A few randomly specific tips. Some things were talked about that are perhaps under-discussed in the birth world so that was nice. It’s nice to draw attention to “the 4th trimester” in general because that in itself is under-discussed. I’d take or leave this perspective though; I majorly skimmed this.

[Casey Shapack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good book about expectation setting for the first three months after delivery. Covers emotional/hormonal timeline of those first few weeks, prioritizing self-care and sleep, dealing with PTSD from birth or postpartum depression, acknowledges how to navigate the changing relationships with your partner/parents/pets, and how to ask for help.

Loved the “two weeks a cocoon, six weeks a nest” visual. The author is a doula and has her PhD in cultural anthropology from UC Santa Cruz (woohoo!) so it comes from a very nurturing, human, approach. It’s quick read and good conversation starter with your partner or support team about what is to be expected emotionally and physically from mom after birth.

[Blair · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book as not as helpful as I would have hoped. The author recommends several unsafe sleep practices and sets unrealistic expectations for the postpartum period. The author suggests several things that not all postpartum parents have access to. Obviously there are few if any things that all postpartum parents have access to, but I felt like this book was curated a little too much to upper middle class people.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fourth Trimester Companion is an excellent resource for prospective or new parents that heavily emphasizes the concept that taking care of mum will result in well cared for baby. This might seem like a very obvious statement, but in both the medical field and the home, the emphasis is still on the baby, leaving women feeling like incubators and then carers. This can in turn affect both physical and mental health. It also talks about the relationship between the parents, which I think is super important. Having children is a massive strain on a relationship, and one a lot of people sweep under the rug. Remembering that you're an individual, a couple, and a set of parents, is so important. All of these things need care and attention but it can be very hard to focus on that in the moment when you're running on 2 hours of sleep and the baby is crying again.

This book has good information, emotional support, practical ways to focus on self-care, and doesn't require you to feel like a super hero to achieve it's aims. A great guide to how to look after yourself post partum.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, really good insights and tips about what to expect during the first three months after having a baby. I can see why American readers who get just a few weeks or no parental leave might take issue with the content but as a Canadian planning a 14+ month mat leave and with a husband planning to take the first 8 weeks-ish off, the advice is relevant to our situation.

On that note every time I have to read the parts about going back to work in an American-published birth/baby book it sends me into a rage. I liked how Gabriel included in her final chapter that it's not helpful for American parents to judge each other about their choices to stay home or when they go back to work - it's the system that's broken and wrong, so get angry with that, not other parents just doing the best they can while making impossible choices.

[Elie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I read this by the nightlight in my newborn’s room during late night and early morning burp sessions or while pacing and rocking for hours trying to get my sweet lil corn nut to sleep, I appreciated reading about the trials and travails (as well as resources and coping strategies) common to the coming months for me and my partner who delivered this cute cheese curd. I would have liked a few more citations or references to studies to inspire confidence in knowing how to care for my partner and our gorgeous toaster strudel.

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very helpful and informative! I am grateful that the author spent a lot of time talking about self care for mama and dealing with the changes and challenges of postpartum! I underlined a lot of things I hope to reference again in the near future.

Unfortunately, the author took a very liberal and inclusive approach to writing this book. Thankfully, she stuck with female pronouns but she did go so far as to say that men can be mothers. As a woman, I find that incredibly offensive. There were some other things I did not care for throughout the book, but overall the info was still helpful.

[Ngo Linh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Một quyển sách rất hay tập trung vào các vấn đề của người mẹ trong 3 tháng đầu sau sinh. Có rất nhiều sách tập trung vào các vấn đề của trẻ sơ sinh, nhưng sách viết về mẹ rất ít, ở việt nam hầu như không có nên mình rất happy khi đọc được quyển này. Cũng rất recommend cho các bà mẹ sắp sinh.

Quyển cover những chủ đề: những vấn đề tâm lý thường gặp khi mới sinh, giấc ngủ của trẻ và mẹ, mối quan hệ trong gia đình sau khi có em bé, sex sau sinh, trầm cảm sau sinh và nhiều thứ khác.

Dĩ nhiên có những cái phù hợp với tây hơn việt nam. Nhưng 80% thông tin trong sách hữu ích và áp dụng được.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this book but found the majority of information I had already read in other pregnancy books/sources. I was hoping it would go into more depth in some of the topics given that it's only focused on fourth trimester but I feel like it just brushed the surface of many of the topics that are already covered in other books. There were a few tidbits I picked up but the majority was a recap of what I already know. Made it a quick read though!

[Deborah Sowery-Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would be a fabulous book for any mother-to-be - it paints a very realistic view of the 'fourth trimester' while still remaining reassuring and it covers every topic possible: sleep, new relationships with partner and other family members, mother and newborn care and much more. Beautiful photos throughout also.

[Danielle Robertson Robertson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative but not as engaging as some other parenting books. I liked the first half but got a little bored of reading it when I got to the latter chapters on how your relationships change with a new baby. I would recommend it for the chapter what to expect the first week/month with a new baby.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great book. I am just about to enter my "fourth trimester", and I think the way this book explains some of the emotions and practical aspects of the first few months of a parenting a newborn is so reassuring and helpful.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like in her previous book, the author writes in a no-nonsense and informative tone. The author also gives good tips on everything related to the first 3 months postpartum. The author is also encouraging and positive throughout the book.

[Rhcp382 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Full of misinformation about safe sleep habits and even promotes pseudoscientific approaches like "chiropractic adjustments" on newborn babies. Dangerously stupid, not sure how this made it to the shelf of my university's library.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and insightful! I will be recommending his book to friends and family and doula clients.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

How to take care of yourself postpartum. Wish I read this before Lil was born.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very handy book for new moms.

[Addie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as a refresher before second baby is born. Found it to be an easy read, easy to digest, good primer on the emotional and physical journey post partum for the mother.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of good stuff in here. Especially the day by day guide for the first week after birth.

[Amelia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too many references to chiropractic treatments for me.

[Lauren Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish I had this book ten years ago! Loved reading it for postpartum doula work 💛 lots of great insights, and I loved her infant feeding and birth spacing information as a medical anthropologist.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75. Easy, digestible read for exploring the fourth trimester that talks about emotional and psychological dimensions of transition and recovery beyond just the physical.