View the full resource Preparing for Birth and Beyond: Postpartum Checklists for Parents Living with HIV
A solid network of supportive people can work wonders for your healing after birth and adjustment to life with your baby. Think about which family members, friends, neighbors, peers, and others you might be able to lean on and ask for different kinds of help – whether in person, on the phone, or virtual.
Considerations for your network may include:
- Who lives nearby and likes to cook?
- Who can drive and is available at odd hours?
- Who has said they want to help out?
- Are they someone you feel good being around?
- Are they someone you may want some boundaries with? If so, can they have a role other than coming into your house?
You deserve to have all the care and support you need!
Click the image to the right to save as a jpeg or share online; or download a printable pdf checklist as a reminder
☐ What will I need to feel safe and comfortable recovering at home with the new baby?
- Comfortable clothes
- Postpartum recovery items (ice packs, disposable underwear or pads for bleeding, witch hazel to relieve inflammation, etc.)
- Infant care, feeding, and diapering supplies
- If you give birth in a hospital or birthing center, be sure to take home as many of the supplies available there (sanitary pads, perineal rinse bottles, disposable bed pads, diapers, and more) as you can. Those supplies are there for new parents like you!
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More about this: 37 Postpartum Essentials for Every New and Expecting Family (resource from The Mother Baby Center) |
☐ Forming a support "circle" – who can I rely on to support me with:
- Bringing or making nourishing food
- Being a good listener when I need it
- Holding baby when I need a break
- Helping with chores around the house
- Helping me stay consistent with taking my medications and giving baby medications
- Their own wisdom about birth/babies
- Rides to appointments
- Finding or providing child care
- HIV-knowledgeable infant-feeding support
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More about this: 5 Reasons Why You Need a Postpartum Support Network (article from ACOG - The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) |
☐ Can I connect with other new parents living with HIV (and those who care for them)?
- Email to join the BEEEBAH Resource Group on Facebook for supportive community, encouragement, potential referrals: BEEEBAH@thewellproject.org
- Ask a case manager about peer programs
☐ What if I need to switch providers?
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More about this: How to Fire Your Doctor (article from TheBody) 9 Steps for a Smooth Switch to a New HIV Provider Without Treatment Interruptions (slide show from TheBody) |
View the full resource Preparing for Birth and Beyond: Postpartum Checklists for Parents Living with HIV
More on:
Infant Feeding and HIV
Mental Health
Special thanks to Lealah Pollock, MD, MS, of the University of California – San Francisco, for her review of the 2025 first edition of this resource.
