Have you spent a lot of time preparing for the birth of your baby… reading books, going to antenatal classes, decorating the nursery and buying cute little baby outfits? Have you given much thought to the first forty days after birth? If you’re a first time mama, probably not. But you’re having a baby not a birth and you’ll be a mama for the rest of your life. So I’m here to help you visualise it so you can manifest it.

Visualisation is the most powerful mind exercise you can do. It’s been shown in neuroscience developments that imagining to almost the same extent as if the process was occurring in real time, creates the same neural pathways in the brain as when the process actually occurs. (The Brain That Changes Itself, Norman Doidge M.D.) 

It’s understandable that it’s hard to imagine what life your baby will look like. You can read all the books and listen to all the stories but every birth and baby are different. But giving some thought to how you’d like your life to look like after you bring your baby home will prepare you for this time of uncertainty.

In many cultures around the world, the first 30- 40 days after birth is a time of rest, nourishing food, relief from household chores and support. It reflects the concept of ‘40 days for 40 years’ and the belief that the right care, support, food and rest can have a life- long impact on a mother’s health and vitality.

Using a vision board is a useful tool to visualise your first forty days after birth. It’s a visual representation of your goals, hopes and dreams for this time. It consists of images, affirmations and quotes to help you visualise the postpartum you desire.

Traditionally vision boards were a physical board with pictures cut out from magazines and hung up in your house but since Pinterest has 100 billion images to choose from and pin, it’s easier to create a digital vision board.

If you’ve never used Pinterest, prepare to get hooked. It allows you to create a digital board, search for images and quotes and then add them to your board.

Following are instructions on how to create a digital vision board for your first forty days after birth:

Step 1: Make it sacred 

Gather all the tools you’ll need including your journal, a pen and your laptop or ipad.

Grab yourself a cup of tea and a snack

Limit distractions by closing all your other tabs on your laptop or ipad and put your phone on silent.

Set the mood. Turn off the TV, turn on your favourite music, light a candle or diffuse Young Living essential oils. A diffuser blend for focus is: 4 drops peppermint, 5 drops Wild Orange and 2 drops of frankincense.

Step 2: Visualise your first forty days using your senses

Sitting comfortably with your eyes softly closed. Take a deep breath in and a long breath out. Take a moment to visualise your fourth trimester by engaging all five senses.

Sight: See your perfectly healthy baby and your strong and powerful body. What do you see around you? Who is there with you? Are they helpful and supportive of you resting? Do you have a Sanctuary set up for you and your baby? Where is it in your house? Is there natural light? How much time do you spend at home? Do you like to go for walks with your baby? Do you have any or many visitors? 

Hearing: Is the Sanctuary you’ve created for you and your baby peaceful and quiet? Or is there a door so you can shut yourself away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the house?

Smell: Are you diffusing essential oils in your room? Or are you using them on your body to support you physically and emotionally? Are there aromatic smells coming from the kitchen where someone you love is making you a meal? 

Touch: Are you wearing comfortable pyjamas? Are they made of silk, satin or organic cotton and do they feel nice on your skin? Is your baby latched easily onto your breast? Do you wear her in a sling or carrier around the house?

Taste: Do you eat warm and nourishing home cooked meals? Are you nourishing yourself with meals from your freezer that you made in batches before your baby arrived? Do your visitors come bearing home cooked meals? Or do they or your partner cook your favourite meals from scratch? Do you have a stash of nourishing treats you can satiate your hunger with while you’re breastfeeding?

Take a deep breath in and a long breath out. Then blink your eyes open. 

Write in your journal what you saw, heard, smelled, touched and tasted. Also write down how you want to feel during the first forty days after birth.

Step 3: Create Your Pinterest Vision Board

1. Create a Pinterest account
2. Select the tab with your name
3. Click on the “+” symbol above your name
4. Select, “Create Board”
5. Choose a name for the board that describes how you’d like to feel during the first forty days after birth
6. Use the description of your board to set an intention or further describe that the board is about. 
7. To keep your board private, “check” the “Visibility” box
8. Select, “Create”
9. Close the pop up window, “Save Some Pins To Your New Board”.

Step 4: Gather Images for your Pinterest Vision Board

1. Find images, quotes, affirmations, recipes or blog posts that resonate with your intention for your first 40 days after birth.

2. When searching on Pinterest, choose:

• Images that represent how you want to feel, not just things you want
• Positive and inspirational quotes
• Affirmations that you can use as mantras
• Recipes for nourishing food
• Essential oil blends to support you physically and emotionally

3. Enter a topic like, “breastfeeding mother image” into the “Search” field and the search results will appear

4. Hover over the image you’d like to add to your board, select your board name from the drop down menu and “save”

5. Repeat until you’ve completed your board

If you can’t find what you’re looking for on Pinterest, you can save images from the web or your personal images to Pinterest. On your board, select the “+” symbol above your board name. Select “Create Pin”. Drag and drop your image and add a title.

Step 5: Print Your Vision Board and put it where you can see it

Once you’ve created your Vision Board, print it out. To Print, scroll to the bottom of the Pinterest Vision Board so all the images appear and then select, File from your main menu and “Print”.

Hang it up where you’ll see if often to create a visual reminder of your hopes and dreams for the first forty days after birth. Each time you see it, you’re doing a mini visualisation and strengthening the neural pathways in your brain.

Step 6: Visualise the process of achieving your goals

Alongside visualisation take action to manifest the postpartum you desire. For example, ask your partner, family and friends to help, freeze some meals, go to a breastfeeding class and create a sanctuary in your room where you can rest with your baby. These actions will vary for each new mother depending on her own unique vision.

Tell me in the COMMENTS below.….what is your vision for your postpartum?

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