A complete guide to postpartum meditation for new moms
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA
If you’re a new parent, meditation might be just what you need to feel more like yourself. In this guide we'll explore the possible benefits and how to practice postpartum.
Being a new mom has a way of making even the most basic self-care feel impossible. After all, your body’s recovering, your hormones are all over the place, and your emotions are swinging from pure love to all-consuming fear. On top of that, you’re also suddenly responsible for a tiny human who seems to have no regard for your needs.
It can all be pretty overwhelming — which is where meditation comes in. Meditating can help create small moments of calm in the midst of all this chaos. No, it won’t magically stop your baby from waking up every hour, but it can help you feel more grounded, less anxious, and a little more like yourself.
Here’s a complete guide to postpartum meditation that can actually fit into your current sleep-deprived reality.
What is postpartum meditation?
Postpartum meditation is exactly what it sounds like — meditation practiced after you’ve had a baby. It’s not some intense or specific technique, just using meditation in a way that helps you during this wild, beautiful, and completely exhausting time.
It’s about stealing tiny moments of stillness as you’re feeding your baby, rocking them to sleep, or even just closing your eyes for five seconds before someone needs you again. You don’t have to chant, sit any certain way, or clear your mind of all thoughts. All you need to do is to meet yourself with compassion as you become present and (hopefully) quiet the mental chaos for a moment or two.
The goal of postpartum meditation is to bring a little more awareness, presence, and calm into your busy day. Here’s what that meditation may look like:
Mindfulness meditation: Instead of spiraling into stress, aim to notice your breath, the warmth of your baby’s skin, and the sounds around you.
Breathwork: Take slow and deep breaths to help your nervous system chill out after a cluster-feeding marathon.
Loving-kindness meditation: Repeat simple and gentle phrases like “I am doing my best” or “I am enough” as you change your baby’s diaper.
Body scan meditation: This practice can help you check in with your body after birth, especially if it currently feels like a stranger to you.
Walking meditation: Paying attention to the rhythm of your steps during a walk with your baby counts as a moving meditation, and can help you relax.
7 benefits of meditating postpartum
It can feel incredibly hard to justify adding one more thing to your already full plate, but meditation can actually be one of the easiest ways to help take care of yourself postpartum. Plus, you don’t need any equipment or to carve out an hour of non-existent alone time in order to do it.
Here are seven benefits of meditating postpartum that can really make a difference in your day-to-day:
1. Reduces postpartum anxiety and depression: If your brain feels like a nonstop highlight reel of worst-case scenarios, meditation can help. Studies show that meditating may reduce symptoms of postpartum depression and anxiety, help to regulate your mood, and decrease your intrusive thoughts.
2. Lowers stress levels: The postpartum journey can feel incredibly stressful. Your body’s healing, your hormones are crashing, and you’re adjusting to an entirely new identity, all while running on minimal sleep. But meditation can help to lower your cortisol, which can help your body shift out of survival mode so that you can function with a little more ease.
3. Improves sleep: Newborns can make getting uninterrupted sleep an impossibility, but meditation can help you make the most of the sleep that you do get. Studies suggest that mindfulness meditation could improve your sleep quality and lessen your racing thoughts.
4. Helps you regulate your emotions: Postpartum can send your emotions all over the place and cause you to spiral more often. Meditation may be able to help increase your emotional regulation, perhaps by strengthening your prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain responsible for rational thinking.
5. Supports postpartum recovery: Meditating has been linked to lower inflammation, faster healing, and reduced postpartum pain. Even a few minutes of deep breathing can help your body shift into recovery mode, which is much needed after the intense physical event your body just went through.
6. Strengthens your connection with your baby: It’s normal to feel disconnected from your baby after giving birth. Meditation can help you feel a little more present, and allow you to bond with your baby in a way that feels natural and not forced.
7. Reminds you that you matter, too: Motherhood sometimes has a way of making you feel like a background character in your own life. Even just a minute of meditating can help you check in with yourself and remind you that you are still you — and your needs, feelings, and wellbeing still matter.
How to practice postpartum meditation
Postpartum meditation is all about making it work for you with your limited time and energy. It can truly be as simple as taking one deep breath before answering your baby’s third hunger cry in an hour. Here are some tips to support your journey.
Start tiny — like, one-minute tiny
Forget hour-long sessions. Forget even five minutes if that feels overwhelming. Start with just one deep breath or one minute of stillness while your baby naps. That’s it. One minute today, maybe two tomorrow — baby steps, literally.
Make it baby-friendly
No alone time? No problem. You can meditate while holding, feeding, rocking, or baby-wearing. Try syncing your breath with their movements, using their soft inhales and exhales as a guide. Bonus: your calmness can actually help soothe them, too.
Try guided meditations
Guided meditations can be a great way into mindfulness, especially when your brain’s too tired to think. From basic breathing to postpartum-specific sessions, guided practices can help walk you through meditations so all you have to do is press play and exist.
Let go of the idea that it needs to be perfect
Your meditation practice will get interrupted. Your exhausted brain will wander. Your baby will probably wake up the second you start. That’s okay. Meditation is about finding peace in the chaos, and even trying is an act of self-care.
7 tips for postpartum meditation success
Postpartum life can be exhausting, unpredictable, and usually lacking in any extra time to yourself. But there are still small and stress-free ways you can squeeze meditation into your life without magically having to find an extra hour in the day.
Here are seven tips to help you incorporate quick moments of meditation into your routine, one breath at a time.
1. Redefine what “counts” as meditation
Meditation can be many things. It doesn’t have to happen in a perfectly quiet spot with incense burning, especially because that’s most likely not your reality right now.
Taking three deep breaths before responding to your crying baby can be meditation. Noticing your baby’s tiny fingers can be mindfulness. These actions all count, and can help relax you — no matter how small.
💙 Make mealtimes more mindful during this Feeding Baby, Nourishing Yourself meditation with Kate Johnson.
2. Keep it really simple
The last thing you need right now is a complicated meditation practice. To make it as easy as possible, start small and keep it simple. Because the simpler it is, the more likely you’ll actually do it.
A deep breath while washing your hands or 30 seconds of stillness before getting out of bed can do wonders. You could also just mindfully focus on the sound of water running as you wash bottles. (Here are 10 other mindfulness exercises you could add into your day-to-day.)
3. Make breathwork your secret weapon
If sitting still feels impossible, try to focus on your breath. Breathwork’s one of the fastest ways to regulate your nervous system — and you don’t need silence, free hands, or extra time in order to do it.
Consider a calming breath technique by inhaling through your nose for four seconds, holding for four seconds, and exhaling slowly through your mouth for six seconds. Then try repeating this four times. (Here are seven other deep breathing techniques you could try.)
💙 Try this Breathwork for Postpartum Anxiety guided practice with Kate Johnson when it’s all feeling like it’s too much.
4. Use your baby as a mindfulness anchor
The great thing about having a baby is that they’re basically a tiny, squishy meditation guide. To help you be a little more mindful, try using them as a focus point.
Tune into the rise and fall of their breath, feel the warmth of their skin against yours, or listen to their cute little sounds. Getting present with these small moments is a meditation in itself and can help you feel a little more connected, even on your hardest days.
5. Embrace the noise and interruptions
You probably won’t have many fully quiet moments, so let the noise and chaos be a part of your mediation. It’s about learning to find calm within the distractions, not about getting rid of them.
If your toddler’s climbing on you, try doing a playful breathing game together. If your mind’s racing with your never-ending to-do list, gently return to your breath, even if it's only for half a second.
6. Stack it with something you already do
New habits tend to stick better when they’re attached to things you already do. To help make meditation something you’ll stick with, try pairing it with everyday moments.
If you go on a stroller walk every day, you could be mindful by focusing on the sounds around you. You could also try taking just one deep breath before that 2am scroll on your phone.
💙 Listen to Mindful Walking with Tamara Levitt to help you be more present the next time you’re on a stroller walk.
7. Be ridiculously kind to yourself
Some days, meditation can feel easy. Other days, you might not even be able to focus for two seconds in a row — and that’s completely okay. Meditation’s just about showing up for yourself however you can.
If the only meditation you get today is one deep breath before your baby throws a tantrum, that’s still a win. Go easy and be very kind to yourself. You’re juggling a lot. (Here are 10 ways to cultivate self-kindness if you’re not the strongest in this department.)
Postpartum meditation FAQs
Can meditation help with postpartum depression and anxiety?
Meditation can help lower your stress hormones and regulate your mood, but if you think you’re struggling with postpartum depression or anxiety, don’t hesitate to reach out for support. Therapy and medication can help get you feeling like yourself again — and meditation can be a great companion to these treatments.
A big benefit of meditation is how it can help with intrusive thoughts like worst-case-scenario worries that pop into your head. Instead of getting caught up in these thoughts, meditation can teach you to observe them, and then remind you that they’re just thoughts, not reality.
If your symptoms are making your life feel impossible though, don’t suffer alone. Organizations like Postpartum Support International offer free resources that can help make a difference. Also talking with your doctor or therapist can also help get you the care you deserve.
What are the best meditations for new moms?
Any meditation that you actually do is the best meditation. If you’re looking for ideas, here are some that can work especially well postpartum:
Mindfulness meditation: Focusing on the present moment can help with stress and anxiety.
Loving-kindness meditation: This type of practice encourages self-compassion with gentle phrases like “I’m doing my best.”
Breathwork: When everything feels overwhelming, breathwork can be a quick and effective way of calming your nervous system.
Body scan meditation: Scanning can help you reconnect with your postpartum body and release tension.
Walking meditation: This can help turn stroller walks into a mindful practice by focusing on your steps and breath.
How soon after childbirth can I start meditating?
You can start meditating whenever you feel ready after giving birth. Meditation isn’t physically demanding, so there’s no waiting period like with exercise.
If it feels right, you can even start meditating in the hospital and do some deep breathing between postpartum contractions. You could also place a hand on your belly and notice how it rises and falls.
In those first few weeks though, try to keep it low-pressure. You don’t need to sit in silence for 20 minutes. Tiny moments of presence count. Maybe consider taking a few mindful inhales while you feed your baby.
Can I meditate with my baby?
Many people think meditation is sitting alone in a quiet room, but you can really do it anywhere. You can even do it as you hold, rock, or feed your baby. It just all depends on what works for you.
If you’re practicing while holding your baby, try focusing on their breath, their warmth, and the way they melt into you. Syncing your breath with theirs can also be deeply calming. During witching hours, you could also take slow and intentional breaths as you pace the room — this counts as meditation.
What are the benefits of meditation for breastfeeding mothers?
Breastfeeding can be beautiful, frustrating, painful, and exhausting. Meditation though can help support your experience in several ways:
Easier letdown: Stress can potentially slow milk letdown, but deep breathing and relaxation can help trigger oxytocin.
Reduced stress-related supply dips: When you’re tense, your cortisol levels can rise, which could affect your milk production. Meditation can help keep your stress in check.
More mindful, present feeds: Focusing on your baby’s breath, warmth, and tiny fingers can deepen your bond, and make you a little more present as well.
Lessen discomfort: Sitting for long periods can cause tension, but a simple body scan meditation can help you relax your shoulders, neck, and jaw.
It’s important to note though that this all still applies if you’re bottle-feeding. Meditation is less about how you feed and more about staying connected to yourself as you go through the process.
Calm your mind. Change your life.
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