The Science of Rest and Why It Matters More Than You Think (Postpartum Edition)

When you have a new baby, everyone talks about sleep, but few talk about rest. And yes, there’s a difference.

Sleep is when your body enters a specific state for physical restoration. Rest, however, is the intentional act of giving your body and mind permission to pause, to exist without demand or stimulation. In the whirlwind of postpartum recovery, rest isn’t a luxury. It’s science-backed, essential medicine.

Our body is in Recovery Mode

After giving birth, your body undergoes profound physical healing:

• The uterus is contracting back to pre-pregnancy size

• Hormone levels are dropping and recalibrating

• Muscles and ligaments are recovering from stretch and strain

• If you gave birth via C-section, there’s a major surgical wound healing

This isn’t just “being tired.” Your body is repairing at the cellular level. Inadequate rest can slow healing, increase inflammation, and even interfere with milk production due to stress hormone imbalances.

Your Brain Just Rewired Itself

Yes, rewired. Neuroscientists now know that the postpartum brain undergoes a neurological transformation, especially in the areas responsible for empathy, emotional regulation, and decision-making. This makes you more attuned to your baby, but it also makes you more sensitive to stress, overwhelm, and sleep deprivation.

Rest helps your nervous system downregulate. It supports emotional stability and mental clarity, two things that become incredibly valuable when you're navigating hourly feedings, diaper blowouts, and the unpredictability of newborn life.

Sleep Deprivation ≠ Parenthood Rite of Passage

Let’s retire the toxic narrative that glorifies exhaustion as proof of being a good parent. Chronic sleep deprivation is linked to:

• Increased risk of postpartum depression and anxiety

• Weakened immune response

• Impaired cognition and memory

• Slower postpartum healing

You deserve sleep. You deserve rest. You don’t need to “earn” it by being everything to everyone. I, and the science of rest, say so!

Science Supports Rest — So Let’s Normalize It

Here’s what rest can look like in real life:

• Lying down without your phone for 20 minutes while the baby naps

• Letting someone else hold the baby while you breathe with your eyes closed

• Setting boundaries with visitors so you’re not entertaining during recovery

• Accepting help (meals, laundry, overnight support — yes please)

Even micro-rest adds up. And the science says it improves postpartum outcomes significantly.

A Note to Partners and Loved Ones

Supporting a birthing person’s rest is a form of love and protection. Encourage it. Advocate for it. Make space for it.

Final Thoughts

Rest is not a sign of weakness or laziness, it’s a biological requirement for healing, bonding, and surviving the fourth trimester with grace. If you're struggling to prioritize rest, you're not alone. That’s what I’m here for.

Whether you need overnight support, a space to process your birth, or someone to hold the baby so you can shower and exhale — I’ve got you. You’re not meant to do this alone. And you don’t have to.