I see the future as an open road. While there are bumps, unforeseen turns and milestones along the way, the trip can make the destination worthwhile. But how do you really know when you’ve passed the postpartum milepost? Dictionary definitions and medical jargon aside, Stacy Denney and Kate Hodson offer insight on post-postpartum parenthood and the strength that comes from the journey.

Are We There Yet?
Learning when you’re finally post-postpartum
by Stacy Denney and Kate Hodson

Thumbing though your dictionary for the definition of postpartum, you might turn up something vague and unhelpful like “the period following birth.” Check with one of your pregnancy or baby care books, and you might find an answer that’s slightly more long-winded, perhaps something like “the postpartum period is the first year after the birth of your child.” Of course, neither definition is any use to anyone who’s looking for an answer as to when they might confidently expect not to be postpartum anymore. And, in any case, can you really expect to be free of the physical and emotional effects of pregnancy, labor, delivery and the first year of child rearing the minute your child turns one?

The short answer to questions like “When can I expect my body to function the same way it functioned before I gave birth?” and, more importantly, “When can I expect my tummy to return to its former six-pack (or, at least, two-pack) sleekness?”is that having a baby has some effects that don’t magically disappear after a conveniently prearranged period of time. Few women walk out the other side looking like they’ve spent a couple of weeks relaxing on a beach in Maui. Your body may never be the same again. And as for your head – who knew that you’d spend hours in fascinated conversation about breast infections or analyzing the color and consistency of your young one’s poop? So, in a sense, once you’ve had a baby, you’re postpartum forever. If that’s an option too scary to contemplate, simply pick your personal favorite from the list of postpartum definitions that follow.