What are Hilary Erickson's signature techniques for creating a postpartum life plan?

Hi, I’m Hilary Erickson from The Pregnancy Nurse.

When I talk about a postpartum life plan, I tend to focus on three big “signature” pieces:

• Know what to watch for: I walk parents through specific danger signs after birth (heavy bleeding, fever, chest pain, large clots, thoughts of self‑harm, etc.) and make sure both you and your partner know when to call your provider or 911.
• Map out your support people: I have families list exactly who can help (partner, grandparents, church/community, friends) and then match them to tasks that protect the birthing parent: childcare, meals, laundry, rides, emotional check‑ins.
• Decide how that help will actually be used: We get very practical—how you’ll get stretches of 4 hours of sleep, who handles nights, who preps healthy grab‑and‑go food, who runs errands so you can stay home and heal. I also encourage boundaries (for tricky relatives) and clear conversations before baby arrives.

Would you like help turning those three pieces into a simple written plan for your own postpartum weeks?