ABC LARK
“Congratulations on bringing home the newest member of your family! I created ABC LARK to share a combination of the clinical skills I know from being a therapist with what I now understand from living through postpartum anxiety. The goal of ABC LARK is to help you maintain your wellness, ability to experience joy, and confidence as you raise your baby (or babies!) through their first several months of life. The skills below are evidenced based and the ones what I found most helpful during those late nights and long days with my little one.
The postpartum period can feel emotionally challenging but you don’t need to go through it alone! Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or if you’d like to connect further for support. I’d love to hear from you. “
– Kristy
Ask for and accept help
Parenting a new baby is hard work! Asking for help can make us uncomfortable (especially when we’re use to being “Wonder Woman” or “Superman”), but now is the best time to ask for and take the help support systems can offer. Click here to see more tips on how to ask for help -> Asking for Help
Break for basic needs
Even when it feels like you have no time for yourself, make eating nutritious food, drinking enough water, and getting some sleep a priority. Click here to see more tips on ensuring we get our basic needs met (coming soon).
Connect with others
Isolation can be a large factor impacting new parents’ mental health. Connecting with others who have been or are currently going through it can be invaluable. Click here to see more tips on connecting with your supports as well as finding new ones (coming soon).
Let go of comparisons
Comparing ourselves to others is evolutionary and unavoidable. But when comparisons leave us feeling “less than,” it’s time to reduce their impact. Remember: every parent and every baby is different, and set yourself realistic expectations. Click here to see more tips on avoiding “compare and despair” (coming soon).
Allow time for self care
Self care goes beyond breaking for basic needs. Engage in self care activities that allow you to feel like yourself again, help you clear your mind from the juggling act, keep yourself grounded to the present moment, or simply give you a good belly laugh. Click here to see more tips on postpartum self care activities -> Self Care for Parents
Recognize your efforts
Instead of valuing yourself on outcomes (e.g. baby napped for an hour), focus your attention on all the work you’re putting into being a parent (e.g. I stuck to the sleep plan). With babies, we can’t guarantee the outcome, but we can celebrate our efforts! Click here to see more tips on effort over outcome thinking (coming soon).
Know you’re doing your best!
When in doubt, remember that you’re doing your best. Treat yourself with kindness and patience. Validate yourself when your inner critic starts speaking out. Even on days when you think you’re failing, remind yourself that you’re doing the best you can. Click here to see more tips on self compassion and building your confidence as a parent (coming soon).
Would you (or a loved one) like a free physical copy of this guide, which also includes a refrigerator-ready checklist of this acronym and important support phone numbers? Email info@meadowlarkcsc.com and we’ll happily mail one!
Citations and supporting evidence for ABC LARK
Understanding the difference between “baby blues” and Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders
Postpartum depression – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic
Perinatal or Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders | Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (chop.edu)
NIMH » Perinatal Depression (nih.gov)
Lorraine Byrnes, Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders, The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, Volume 14, Issue 7, 2018, Pages 507-513, ISSN 1555-4155, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S155541551830134X
Krista S. Leonard, M. Blair Evans, Kristen H. Kjerulff, Danielle Symons Downs, Postpartum Perceived Stress Explains the Association between Perceived Social Support and Depressive Symptoms, Women’s Health Issues, Volume 30, Issue 4, 2020, Pages 231-239, ISSN 1049-3867, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1049386720300414
Nivine Hanach, Nanne de Vries, Hadia Radwan, Nour Bissani, The effectiveness of telemedicine interventions, delivered exclusively during the postnatal period, on postpartum depression in mothers without history or existing mental disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis, Midwifery, Volume 94, 2021, 102906, ISSN 0266-6138, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0266613820302783
Virginia Harrison, Michelle L. Moulds, Katie Jones, Perceived social support and prenatal wellbeing; The mediating effects of loneliness and repetitive negative thinking on anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic, Women and Birth, 2021, ISSN 1871-5192, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1871519220304042
B. Rimé Mental rumination, social sharing, and the recovery from emotional exposure, J.W. Pennebaker (Ed.), Emot Discl Heal, American Psychological Association (2004), pp. 271-291
Fleur Lambermon, Frank Vandenbussche, Christine Dedding, Noortje van Duijnhoven, Maternal self-care in the early postpartum period: An integrative review, Midwifery, Volume 90, 2020, 102799, ISSN 0266-6138, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0266613820301716
Corinna Reck, Daniela Noe, Jakob Gerstenlauer, Eva Stehle, Effects of postpartum anxiety disorders and depression on maternal self-confidence, Infant Behavior and Development, Volume 35, Issue 2, 2012, Pages 264-272, ISSN 0163-6383, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0163638311001263