If your last postpartum experience was rough, here’s how to set yourself up differently next time
OCTOBER 27 , 2026
This is for the mamas who aren’t done making babies.
A question I get a lot is some variation of:
“My postpartum experience was really hard after my first (or most recent) baby. How can I better prepare myself the next time around?”
Here’s the truth:
Your postpartum recovery starts before pregnancy.
The more your body is fully nourished, hormonally balanced, and recovered prior to pregnancy, the easier the transition will be after.
A body that never fully replenished before pregnancy will have a much harder time reco
Why postpartum recovery starts before your next pregnancy
We lose a ton of nutrients from pregnancy and breastfeeding, and it can take quite a while to replace them (especially if we don’t know we’re supposed to be working on this).
This is the exact reason why most public health organizations recommend spacing pregnancies at least 24 months apart, the timeframe that is generally considered enough to rebuild nutrient stores.
Though in my experience, this isn’t a magic number.
A lot of moms will continue to be depleted for many years, especially if they have certain risk factors like:
Gut issues
Undereating
Heavy periods
Food restrictions
Read Next:
Why You Keep Getting Sick After Having Kids (And What Your Immune System Is Trying to Tell You)
Why replenishment matters before trying to conceive again
I’m not here to tell you how far apart to space your babies. You do you.
But no matter the timing, there are some goals we want to work on prior to trying to conceive again.
The overall goal is:
Replenishment.
We want to completely top ourselves up in a very literal sense piecing back together our bodies as much as possible before diving into another pregnancy.
What to focus on before your next pregnancy
Replenish Nutrient Stores
We lose a lot of nutrients from pregnancy and (if applicable) breastfeeding and then even more if skipping meals has been the norm lately.
Yes, taking a prenatal or multivitamin will help here.
But regularly eating nutrient-packed meals will have an even bigger impact.
I also very strongly recommend nutrient testing prior to your next pregnancy so we can more directly patch up any holes.
Support hormone balance
This will not only help your fertility but also support your postpartum hormone recovery.
If you’re having signs of hormonal turbulence insomnia, low stress tolerance, night sweats, anxiety, fatigue, wonky cycles, heavy or light periods, it’s worth doing some intentional work here.
There’s more to this than can fit in one post, but this is something I go deep on inside my programs.
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Rebuild strength and muscle
Did you know we lose muscle and bone mass with pregnancy and breastfeeding?
The good news is we can two-birds-one-stone it with some strength work.
Even just doing bodyweight exercises at home like:
Squats
Lunges
Pushups
(and adding in a baby or toddler for extra resistance) will help recover a lot of this.
How to support postpartum recovery before baby number two
The above, along with preparing yourself with a support system and knowing more of what to expect will go a long way in helping you recover for round 2 (or 3 or 4…).
When to get support before your next pregnancy
If you’re thinking about trying for another child and want to do things differently this time, you don’t have to figure it out on your own.
Inside The Motherlode, you’ll get support around:
Replenishing your body after pregnancy
Rebuilding energy and nutrient stores
Supporting your hormones before and after pregnancy
Including access to the Mother Recover pathway, where I walk you step-by-step through:
How to rebuild your body with nutrition
How to support hormone balance
How to stop the cycle of depletion before it compounds
Because going into another pregnancy depleted is what makes postpartum recovery so much harder the next time around.
👉 Learn more about The Motherlode here.
xo
Alison
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