4 Things I Did to Support My Mental Health Postpartum

Getting quality sleep with a newborn is, to put it lightly, not easy. Every night is a gamble. But I learned from my first postpartum experience that poor sleep had a massive effect on my mental health. On the rough nights, I’d wake up the next day feeling heavy, depleted, barely able to get through.

Turns out, that wasn’t just in my head. A population-based study published in Sleep found that poor sleep quality was associated with depression independently of other known risk factors, and the relationship appears to go both ways. A 2024 study suggests that sleep disturbances genetically increase the risk of PPD. Which means protecting your sleep isn’t just about feeling rested. It may be genuinely protective for your mental health.

So this time, I got deliberate about it. My husband and I took turns with night feedings, which meant each of us could count on at least one longer stretch of uninterrupted sleep. We didn’t do this with our first, and both of us being sleep deprived made everything harder.

I also napped every day during my toddler’s nap and blackout curtains helped me go to bed early too. All those bits of sleep added up and made a difference. I used my Oura ring to track my sleep data, which gave me a clearer picture of when I was falling short and needed to lean on my husband more that night.

This being my second time through birth and the newborn haze, I knew exactly which small frictions had quietly drained me last time. So before this baby arrived, I sat down and thought about all the things that had added unnecessary weight and we eliminated as many as we could.

We bought disposable plates and cups for the first few weeks. Not having to do dishes was a game-changer. We also invested in a bottle washer that did the work we used to spend precious energy doing by hand. I stocked the house with every household and personal care staple I could think of including trash bags, toothpaste, laundry detergent, toilet paper, etc. So we’d never be hit with the low-grade stress of running out of something basic at the worst possible time.

These sound like small things but they’re not. When you’re sleep-deprived and healing and keeping a tiny human alive, the mental bandwidth required to manage a household can tip you right over the edge. Taking those micro-decisions off the plate freed up real cognitive and emotional space. It’s one of the most underrated ways to prioritize your mental health as a parent.

We were also incredibly fortunate that my mom cooked meals and helped with laundry for the first few weeks. I cannot overstate how much that mattered. If you have people in your life who ask how they can help, let them. Give them a specific answer. A meal, a load of laundry, a grocery run. Accept the help.

When I struggled with PPD after my first baby, I waited too long to reach out for help. I kept thinking it would pass, that I should be able to handle it, that I’d see how I felt in another week. That delay meant I suffered more than I had to.

This time, I did the opposite. I connected with my psychiatrist during pregnancy, then again shortly before my due date, and again shortly after delivery. We talked through my history, my options, what to watch for, and what we’d do if things started to slide. I went into the postpartum period with a plan already in place, not a reactive scramble for support after things had already deteriorated.

That proactive approach made a huge difference. Having a provider who knew my history and was already in my corner made me feel less alone and more in control. I wasn’t starting from scratch when I was already depleted.

This one surprised me a little, but it turned out to be one of the most meaningful things I did.

In the early weeks, I started working on a scrapbook for my son. It was a creative project I could chip away at. It kept my hands and mind gently occupied in a way that felt purposeful.

Later, that project became dipping my toes back into work. Going back to work early was actually beneficial for me. I know that’s not the case for everyone, and there’s no judgment either way. But for me, having something to engage my brain made a real difference. (It helps that my work is flexible and remote, which means I can squeeze in an hour here and there between feedings and naps.)

What I found was that having a project meant I didn’t have the bandwidth to spiral. When your mind has somewhere to land, it doesn’t seem to wander as easily into the darker corners. The project helped keep me grounded.

This article reflects personal experiences and general information. It is not intended as medical advice or a substitute for professional care.