9 Truths Every Postpartum Woman Needs to Hear from God’s Word

Psalm 139:14 tells us that making a new life through a pregnancy is a fearful and wonderful process. That doesn't mean it was easy or without surprises or suffering. A mom who makes it to the "postpartum" category might just be doing a gentle, happy dance and rejoicing that the hard part is over.

After birth, a woman can know she was at the epicenter of a miracle. Nine months of expectation are often preceded by a time of hoping and praying, waiting and trying. But it's part of a bigger story with a divine author. The prophet Jeremiah learned that before he was formed by God Himself inside his mother's womb, God knew him and knew his life's purpose. (Jeremiah 1:5)

New moms can know that having a baby is part of a bigger, beautiful story, and she's played a vital part in it. It wasn't easy or without cost, but it was precious in God's sight. As you adjust to this new stage of life and feel the changes physically, emotionally, and otherwise—well done, mama.

When changes start to wash over a new mom recovering from childbirth, each adjustment may feel like a wave of its own. The transition to mothering a child outside the womb may not feel as natural or intuitive as a woman expected.

Learning to understand an infant's cues may be complex for a woman while her child learns to latch on to breastfeed and visually track to follow the sound of a voice. In the six to eight weeks of postpartum life, rapid growth happens in a baby's brain, but moms can feel overwhelmed by the pace of newness in their lives and relationships. Many moms wonder, "Did God get it right when He made me a mom?"

A woman can be sure God didn't make a mistake when He made her a mom. "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10)

God didn't only design the details of a baby's delivery into the world. He designed the plan for a woman to become a mother. You don't have to know all the answers, get right back into your pre-pregnancy routine, or be ready to parent all the stages. Like your child, you are a beautiful work made by God Himself, and He planned in advance for you to be where you are now.

You may have had a carefully curated nursery registry and a thoughtfully researched birthing plan, but God's plan for your motherhood journey is higher than yours. (Isaiah 55:8-9). God got it right when He gave you this new job description, this new calling, as a mom.

Not long after the baby is "here," it's obvious that a child brings a lot into a mother's life. This doesn't just mean strollers and car seats, bottles and bathtubs. It only takes a small person to create big change in a home. New parents can't keep doing all they did before, and they'll need to make wise decisions about priorities in their new life of parenting. Moms need wisdom to know what to hold and what to let go of.

Thankfully, God promises, "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." (James 1:5)

God understands that we need wisdom to know what matters, and He promises to give it when we ask. The early days of a baby's life bring limited sleep for new parents, unexpected needs for nurturing an infant's health, and surprising adjustments as a mom's body recovers from the miracle of giving birth, regardless of how it unfolded. Life with a newborn won't look like life without a newborn.

James 3:17 helps us know what kind of wisdom to lean into. "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." If others weigh in with opinions about what matters most in the life of a post-pregnancy mom, she can ask God to help her listen to discern if it's "from heaven" or not. Together, she and her husband can hold what matters most in these early days of their child's life.

Pregnancy changes a woman's body, and many have the stretch marks to prove it. Combined with hormonal changes and a growing suspicion that she may never be quite like herself pre-baby, a woman may be hard on herself.

Moms who love God before they love the children God gives them hope to teach their little ones to be kind and compassionate (Ephesians 4:32) and to be understanding with others like Jesus is with us (Colossians 3:13). Nine months of pregnancy, giving birth, and moving through postpartum weeks may converge to make it hard for a woman to give herself what she wants to give others. Grace.

After Jesus spoke the greatest command to love God with our whole selves (Matthew 22:37), he gave another command. "And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Matthew 22:39)

Be gentle with your own self, new mama. You lean in to make eye contact with your newborn, speak softly, ease a small arm out of the onesie, and wash chubby neck creases with warm water and a gentle cloth. The instincts God designed you to have will show tenderness—grace— to your precious baby. Give such grace to yourself in these weeks of walking gingerly in your "new mom" shoes.

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That new walk requires a learning curve. Conceiving and delivering a life are only part of becoming a mother. There's more to learn than a podcast series can cover. Motherhood is a long, learning game; you don't need to know it all when you first bring the baby home.

It's interesting that 1 Corinthians 13:11 uses "childish ways" to describe how we learn and mature in our speaking, thinking, and reasoning, both spiritually and physically. In the same way, a woman becoming a mother embarks on a long learning journey. It takes time (a lifetime) for growing in understanding about her child and herself, skill-building to care for and raise another human being, and cooperating with her spouse to steward the child God gave them.

God provides people with experience and insight to help us learn. Don't underestimate the wisdom of a mom, an aunt, or a friend to support your learning curve. Consider the help of a lactation consultant, home health nurse, or other medical professional to offer resources. God's provision for you, His beloved daughter, includes good and perfect gifts delivered by people He brings into your life to walk the learning curve with you. (James 1:17)

The thing about a learning curve is that it's easier when we invite others to speak to our questions. Nurses, doulas, midwives, or doctors were there to move through the trimesters of pregnancy. New companions will be needed to walk through this post-birth stage, too. Titus 2 describes how older women model healthy, holy behavior as mentors for women coming behind them. Specifically, they help guide young mothers in how to love their husbands and children well (Titus 2:4-5).

The Bible has a common thread of living in a posture of receiving guidance, rather than avoiding it or pushing against it. "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17)

"Let the wise listen and add to their learning and let the discerning get guidance." (Proverbs 1:5)

Sometimes the postpartum period exceeds what we expect, lasting for months or up to a year. A woman may feel like depression creeps in, bringing the Baby Blues into her new baby world. We aren't meant to walk through dark valleys alone. God didn't make a mistake by making you a mom. Give yourself grace and understanding as your life takes on a new shape and new rhythms that come with it. Let wise and compassionate people know you're hurting, and ask for help.

One way a new mama helps herself is to let herself rest. The old advice to "rest when the baby rests" may feel easier said than done, but it's worth aiming for.

Use paper plates or let the dishes wait. Be okay with letting go of past things that held sacred space in your daily routines. Replace them with simpler versions, or let them go to make space to foster new bonds with your little one and strengthen existing bonds with your husband.

Finding quiet rest in postpartum days transfers into a quieter mind and body for a mom in the first weeks of her child's life. God is the Shepherd who wants green pastures and quiet streams for His dear ones, old and young. (Psalm 23:2)

The Heavenly Father's divine design for motherhood isn't meant to be forever heavy and exhausting, though it takes work and perseverance. Jesus said that embracing his path for our life shouldn't be a burden under a difficult yoke, using the picture of hard-working livestock plowing the ground. Instead, Jesus is gentle, inviting us to, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28).

Jesus modeled this, showing how he permitted himself to make rest a priority. He stepped away from caring for and about others so he could get the rest he needed. (Matthew 14:21-23)

Rest takes on a holy quality for a woman when she becomes a mom.

Part of rest involves being with God for spiritual nurturing. In Matthew 14, Jesus went away "by himself to pray." Finding a quiet space and time for personal restoration meant getting what he needed physically and spiritually. Even the Son of God needed and wanted to care for his whole self.

In the postpartum weeks, it's easy to be consumed by thinking about everyone else's needs. Seemingly small tasks like getting groceries, pumping breastmilk, or starting the laundry may feel monumental. A mom needs to get regular, good nutrition for her body, mind, and spirit if she's to do the work of becoming the mom God desires her to be.

When we care for our bodies, we honor God. (Romans 12:1)

Our bodies are God's temple, and we honor Him with how we care for them. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

God wired us to want to care for our own bodies. (Ephesians 5:29)

Entering motherhood doesn't mean ignoring our own wellness to care for that of everyone around us. Getting a good dose of sunshine, walking with a stroller, drinking adequate water, and sleeping when we can helps to keep us strong for the miraculous task of mothering.

The postpartum stage of bringing a child into our lives is just that—a stage. Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens."

God is already working to move us through the postpartum stage and forward on the pathway of parenting the child He gave us. In the same way that God saw the unformed body of our child when He was shaping their life in the womb, He has seen our unformed motherhood taking shape. He intends for us to grow through them all. "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:16).

The postpartum days a woman lives out were written in God's book before they even began. Ordained. Planned. Part of God's perfect plan for her child and for her.

God uses all the stages of motherhood to grow a woman into the mama He designed her to be. From conception to the last trimester, to labor pains or c-section, to afterbirth and postpartum, God knits together a wonderful story for parent and child. Let God's encouraging truths grow you from here into the best mom you can be.

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