Most families spend months planning for the birth and very little time planning for what comes after. Then the baby arrives, everyone's exhausted, and the plan for who's doing what lives in a few people's heads.
A postpartum plan fixes that. You decide, before baby arrives, who'll help with what: sleep, meals, feeding, visitors, the household, and how you'll look after each other. Below is a free template you can copy or download, with a guide to each section.
The template
Fill it in together with your partner or main support person. Replace everything in [brackets], and skip anything that doesn't apply.
POSTPARTUM PLAN Template from cradledapp.com/resources/postpartum-plan-template Fill this in together with your partner or main support person during pregnancy, ideally in the third trimester. Share it with the people who'll be helping you. This plan is for practical and emotional support. It doesn't replace advice from your doctor, midwife, or other care provider. Replace everything in [BRACKETS]. Skip anything that doesn't apply. ------------------------------ 1. OUR SUPPORT TEAM Partner or main support person: [Name, phone] Time off work after the birth: [Dates] Family and friends who can help: [Names, what each is good at, how to reach them] Doula, lactation consultant, or postpartum support: [Name, phone] Our care provider (after-hours number): [Name, phone] Baby's care provider: [Name, phone] ------------------------------ 2. REST AND SLEEP How we'll protect sleep for whoever is feeding at night: [e.g. partner does the first night feed or diaper change, a family member takes a morning shift so we can nap] Who handles nights on the weekends or after leave ends: [Name] Our "rest first" rule: [e.g. when the baby sleeps during the day, at least one of us sleeps too] ------------------------------ 3. FEEDING How we plan to feed: [Breast/chest, formula, combination, not sure yet] Who we'll call if feeding is hard: [Lactation consultant or care provider, phone] What would help: [e.g. someone to bring water and snacks, help washing pump parts or bottles, a feeding station set up at home] ------------------------------ 4. MEALS Meals for the first [2-4] weeks: [Meal train, freezer meals, delivery, family] Who's organizing it: [Name] Dietary needs and allergies: [List] Drop-off preferences: [e.g. leave at the door, text when you arrive, no visits before 2pm] ------------------------------ 5. HOUSEHOLD Who's doing what for the first few weeks: - Groceries: [Name] - Laundry: [Name] - Cleaning and dishes: [Name] - Older children (school drop-off, activities): [Name] - Pets (walks, feeding): [Name] - Errands and pharmacy runs: [Name] ------------------------------ 6. VISITORS Visitors are welcome: [e.g. after the first week, in the afternoons, for up to an hour] Who can visit first: [Names] Our house rules: [e.g. wash hands, no visits if you're sick, please bring food or do a task instead of holding the baby] Who will tell people our rules, so we don't have to: [Name] ------------------------------ 7. PHYSICAL RECOVERY Follow-up appointments: [Dates for parent and baby] Who will drive us: [Name] Supplies we'll have ready: [e.g. pads, comfortable clothes, pain relief recommended by our care provider, water bottle] Ask our care provider before the birth: which symptoms mean we should call them, and which mean we should go to emergency. Write the answers here: [List] ------------------------------ 8. EMOTIONAL HEALTH How each of us usually shows we're struggling: [e.g. going quiet, getting irritable, not eating] What helps each of us: [e.g. a walk alone, talking it through, sleep] How we'll check in with each other: [e.g. a quick "how are you really?" each evening] Who we'll call if one of us is struggling: [Name, phone] Professional support: [Care provider, therapist, or local postpartum support line] Baby blues (tearfulness, mood swings) are common in the first two weeks. If difficult feelings last longer, get stronger, or include thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, contact your care provider right away. In an emergency, call your local emergency number. ------------------------------ 9. OUR PRIORITIES The three things that matter most to us in the first six weeks: 1. [Priority] 2. [Priority] 3. [Priority] Things we're letting go of for now: [e.g. a tidy house, replying to messages quickly]
When to make your postpartum plan
The third trimester is ideal, around 30 to 36 weeks. You know more about your birth plans and your support people, and you still have the energy to have the conversations and set things up. It's never too late, though: even a plan made in the first week after birth helps.
What each section is for
1. Your support team
List everyone who can help and what they're good at. One friend is great at organizing meals; another is happy to walk the dog. Put the important phone numbers in one place too: your care provider's after-hours line, your baby's care provider, and your doula or lactation consultant if you have one.
2. Rest and sleep
Sleep is the thing new parents underestimate most. Agree on how you'll protect sleep for whoever is feeding at night, for example the partner takes the first diaper change, or a family member takes a morning shift so you can both nap.
3. Feeding
Whatever you plan, feeding can be harder or different than expected. Write down who you'll call if it's hard, and what practical help would make a difference, such as water and snacks within reach or someone washing bottles and pump parts.
4. Meals
Arrange two to four weeks of meals before the birth: a meal train, freezer meals, or delivery. Name one person to organize it, and share dietary needs and drop-off preferences so nobody has to repeat them.
5. Household
Groceries, laundry, dishes, older children, pets, errands. Assigning these in advance means fewer "can you just…" requests when everyone's tired.
6. Visitors
Decide when visitors are welcome, who comes first, and your house rules. Then pick someone else to share the rules, so you're not the one saying no.
7. Physical recovery
Note follow-up appointments for you and your baby, who'll drive, and the supplies you'll want at home. Before the birth, ask your care provider which symptoms mean you should call them and which mean you should go to emergency, and write their answers in the plan.
8. Emotional health
Talk about how each of you shows you're struggling and what helps. Agree on a simple daily check-in. Baby blues are common in the first two weeks. If difficult feelings last longer, get stronger, or include thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, contact your care provider right away, and in an emergency call your local emergency number. Postpartum Support International lists support resources for parents.
9. Your priorities
Pick the three things that matter most in the first six weeks, and the things you're happy to let go. It makes saying no much easier.
Making the plan work
- Make it together. A postpartum plan is as much for your partner as for you. Filling it in together surfaces different expectations before they turn into arguments at 3am.
- Share it. The people helping you can only follow a plan they've seen.
- Ask for specific help. "Could you bring dinner on Tuesday?" gets a yes far more often than "let me know if you need anything."
- Revisit it. Check in after the first week and adjust what isn't working.
Frequently asked questions
What should a postpartum plan include?
Your support team and key phone numbers, plans for sleep, feeding, meals, household tasks, and visitors, physical recovery and appointments, emotional health and check-ins, and your priorities for the first six weeks.
Is a postpartum plan the same as a birth plan?
No. A birth plan covers your preferences for labor and birth. A postpartum plan covers the weeks after: who helps, how you'll rest, and how you'll look after each other.
Should my partner be involved?
Yes. Many of the decisions, from night feeds to visitors, involve both of you, and making the plan together helps you discover different expectations early.
Make your postpartum plan in Cradled
The Cradled app turns this plan into something your people can actually act on:
- Plan with your partner. Postpartum planning and a partner alignment tool help you work through these decisions together, and see where you agree and where you need to talk.
- Line up your village. Invite family and friends, and set up meal trains and recurring help, like groceries or laundry, before baby arrives.
- Ask without asking. When you need something, tap once and your village sees it.
- Check in with each other. A daily check-in for you and your partner helps you notice when someone's struggling.
- Connect your doula, if you have one, and everything from them is in one place.
The app is free for you and your partner.