The Art Of Doing 'Nothing': Journey Of Postpartum Healing

Bringing a new baby means a lot of preparations, creating baby registries and also attending baby showers. It also means you have to make sure to plan your finances out. After the baby is in the world, while you are constantly nursing him or her, your body is also coping, bleeding, and undergoing a lot of changes. All of this could be very overwhelming. But what if there is a way out through all this? By doing nothing?

What if new moms did something radical—what if they chose to do nothing?

Why New Moms Feel Pressured to Stay Busy

Motherhood is a difficult journey and with this demanding world, it has become every more difficult, where mothers are expected to spend less time with the child, return to work. The mother's guilt is of course eating them away. Iconic images, like those of Duchess Kate stepping out in a polished dress just hours after giving birth, perpetuate unrealistic standards for new mothers.

While attention is lavished on the newborn, sometimes the mother is ignored. This is why the mother’s recovery—physical, emotional, and mental—is often sidelined. Society imposes an arbitrary six-week recovery timeline, barely enough for the uterus to return to its pre-pregnancy size, let alone for a woman to regain her footing in a life that has been completely upended.

Redefining Postpartum: Embracing Rest and Recovery

Instead of racing to meet external expectations, the postpartum period should be reclaimed as a time for rest, healing, and bonding. Doing “nothing” as a new mom doesn’t mean shirking responsibilities; it means prioritizing sleep, recovery, and mental health over superficial goals like “bouncing back.”

What approaches can you adopt?

It is important that you understand that sleep deprivation is inevitable with a newborn but making rest a central focus whenever possible. It is also important to set aside concerns about post-baby bodies or unwashed hair in favor of comfort and ease. Lastly, ppt for cereal dinners, skipping extra chores, and saying no to unnecessary commitments.

What “Doing Nothing” Really Looks Like

For those skeptical, doing “nothing” as a new mom is far from lazy. It’s about focusing on what truly matters—healing and bonding with your baby.

Spending hours holding your baby while binge-watching TV, soaking in the fleeting moments of closeness.

Allowing older children extra screen time or simplifying meal plans to ease the burden of daily life.

Bonding with your baby by making milk or preparing bottles, comforting them, and introducing them to the world around them. Rather than filling every moment with tasks, “doing nothing” is about giving yourself permission to pause and adapt to your new role.

Reclaiming Postpartum as a Time for Healing

For those who can embrace this mindset, doing “nothing” offers a chance to redefine the postpartum experience. It’s an opportunity to reject societal pressures and focus on personal well-being. Prioritizing rest and recovery alongside caring for a newborn can help mothers emerge stronger, healthier, and more prepared for the challenges ahead.

Learning the Lesson of Rest

Many mothers, especially those who thrive on multitasking, struggle to embrace this approach. For some, it takes years—and even multiple postpartum experiences—to realize the importance of rest.

Mothers who push themselves to “do it all” often face complications, from physical issues to emotional burnout. On the other hand, embracing a slower postpartum period can lead to peace and clarity, even if it means accepting temporary hits to careers, finances, or household standards.