Viral plate reminds the world women need weeks of rest after giving birth

It’s difficult to imagine what on earth a paper plate could have to do with giving birth.

But a Facebook post revealing a surprising connection between the two is going viral thanks to it’s powerful reminder of just how gruelling the process can be and how long it can take to recover.

Though there’s an awareness that labour and childbirth isn’t exactly a walk in the park for women, people seem to forget that once the baby has been born your body doesn’t just miraculously heal.

So, to illustrate just how intense that post-birth recovery might be, Labor of Love shared a simple image of a paper plate to their Facebook page.

Bear with them!

The blue-trim plate had a measuring tape stretched across it to reveal its diameter.

“22cm or 8.6 inches. That is the exact diameter of a paper plate, AKA the fine china in our house. It is also the average diameter of a placenta,” the post read.

Oh yes because after they’ve delivered a little human, women also have to push out a placenta, after it’s detached from the wall of their womb that is.

And unsurprisingly that part of the process is also going to leave its mark.

“After a baby is born, mothers are told to take it easy for at least 4-6 weeks,” the post continues.

“There are good reasons for that! One of those reasons is that after the baby is born, mothers are left with a wound on the inside of their uterus where the placenta was attached. That wound will take at least 4-6 weeks to completely heal. During that time they are still susceptible to infection and hemorrhaging.”

Though it makes sense when you put it like that, many mums do feel pressure to get back to normal life, practically as soon as the umbilical chord has been cut.

Even women who had a relatively straight-forward birth should be allowing themselves more time to recover.

“Even if they have a complication-free vaginal delivery and feel okay, they will still need to take care of themselves and not overdo it for those first several weeks postpartum,” the post continues.

“To those mothers, rest! To their husbands, partners, parents, in-laws, friends – let them rest! Help out as much as you can and don’t let them overdo it! As the saying goes ‘one week in bed, one week around the bed, and 2 weeks around the house.'”

Labor of Love made sure to edit the caption to clarify they are not medical professionals and that the post was purely meant as a reminder for new mums to “take it easy.”

But it certainly struck a chord with new mums everywhere and since sharing has clocked up more than 14K shares and received well over 2.6K comments.

“I wish someone would have shared this with me. I felt wonderful after a week and walked to the park…it took me twice as long to heal because of that one stupid walk,” one woman wrote.

“Wow I’d never actually thought about where the placenta was, learn something new every day!”

“Omg and there I was mowing the lawn on day two of being home.”

This isn’t the first time mums have been issued a heartfelt plea to rest-up post-birth.

Earlier this year, new parents everywhere were praising a mum-of-three’s brilliant blog post about ‘pulling up the drawbridge’ and taking timeout after having a baby.

Steph Douglas, founder of gift package company, Don’t Buy Her Flowers, penned her honest post after welcoming her third baby in November to help other women understand that they don’t have to spring back into normal life straight after giving birth.

Instead, she recommends ‘pulling up the drawbridge’ and retreating from life to take time to get to know your newborn and recover from the birth process.

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