What an Occupational Therapist Wants Every New Mom to Know (It's Not About Handwriting)

When I tell people I'm an occupational therapist who works with mothers, they get confused. "Occupational therapy? Like, for workplaces?"

Not quite. The "occupation" in occupational therapy doesn't mean your job. It means the activities that occupy your time and give your life meaning. Getting dressed. Cooking. Caring for yourself and others. Moving through your day.

And guess what? Motherhood is an occupation. The most demanding one you'll ever have.

What OT Actually Is

Occupational therapy helps people do the things they want and need to do when something is getting in the way. That something might be:

• A physical limitation
• An injury
• A developmental difference
• A mental health challenge
• A life transition

Becoming a mother is all of the above.

Your body is different. Your schedule is different. Your identity is different. Everything that used to be automatic now requires adjustment. That's where OT comes in.

---

How OT Helps New Mothers

1. Body Mechanics and Positioning

You're suddenly doing repetitive, physically demanding tasks all day:

• Feeding (breastfeeding, bottle feeding)
• Carrying baby
• Lifting in and out of crib
• Diaper changes
• Bending, reaching, holding

Poor positioning leads to pain: back pain, neck pain, wrist pain (hello, "mommy thumb"). An OT can help you find positions that work for you and your body, whether you're nursing or recovering from a cesarean.

2. Adapting Your Environment

An OT looks at your home and asks: "How can we set this up so you can function better?"

• Where should the changing station be to minimize bending?
• How can we organize feeding supplies so everything is within reach?
• What adaptations do you need if you had a cesarean and can't use stairs easily?
• How can your home support sleep instead of working against it?

3. Building Routines

Your old routine is gone. The new one is chaos. An OT can help you build sustainable routines that:

• Include self-care (yes, actually eating and showering)
• Work with baby's rhythms
• Reduce decision fatigue
• Build in flexibility for bad days

4. Energy Conservation

You're running on empty. There's no way around that. But there are ways to conserve energy:

• Batching tasks
• Prioritizing ruthlessly
• Setting up "stations" so you don't walk back and forth
• Simplifying wherever possible

5. Mental Health Support

Occupational therapists are trained in mental health. We understand how depression and anxiety affect your ability to do daily tasks, and we can help you:

• Break overwhelming tasks into manageable steps
• Build meaningful activities back into your day
• Identify sensory strategies for regulation
• Recognize when you need additional support

---

When to See an OT

Consider reaching out if:

• You're having pain during feeding or caregiving tasks
• You're struggling to manage daily activities postpartum
• Your home setup isn't working and you don't know how to fix it
• You're recovering from cesarean and need adaptations
• You have a physical limitation that's making baby care difficult
• You're overwhelmed and can't figure out how to structure your days
• Your baby has developmental concerns or sensory sensitivities

What OT Taught Me as a Mother

Even as a trained OT, becoming a mother taught me things I didn't expect. Like:

• The importance of asking for help before you're desperate
• That "good enough" is actually perfect
• That the environment shapes behavior (yours and baby's)
• That small adaptations can make huge differences
• That caring for yourself is part of caring for your baby

Tips From an OT for Every New Mom

The Big Picture

Motherhood is an occupation, and it's one of the hardest ones to learn. There's no training, no manual, and the "job requirements" change constantly.

An occupational therapist sees your whole life, not just one symptom. We help you adapt, adjust, and find ways to do what matters to you, even when everything is different.

You're not supposed to figure this out alone. Whether it's positioning help, environment modifications, or just someone to help you see the problem from a different angle, support is available.

And if you're wondering if your struggle "counts" as something an OT can help with, the answer is almost always yes.