
What to Expect in the Fourth Trimester
From The Science Baby Podcast by Leila Battison
March 9, 2026 · 50 min · Episode 16
About this episode
This episode discusses the adjustments new mothers and their babies face during the fourth trimester after birth.
You’ve just spent nine months growing a baby, but the journey doesn’t end the moment you give birth. When the baby is out, you might be tempted to think that everything - your body, your emotions, your life - will go back to normal. But for both new mothers and their babies, there’s an adjustment period popularly known as the Fourth Trimester. Kim and Leila unpack what’s going on, and how it can leave you feeling. In this episode: How the fourth trimester sits alongside the three other trimesters of pregnancy What baby is experiencing What emotional changes you can expect and why How your experience might differ if you’re breastfeeding What physical changes you can expect Should you expect to bounce back during the fourth trimester, or even afterwards?
People in this episode
Host: Leila Battison
Guest: Kim
Topics covered
- fourth trimester
- postpartum adjustment
- emotional changes
- breastfeeding
- physical changes
Keywords
- fourth trimester
- new mothers
- baby adjustment
- emotional changes
- breastfeeding
- physical changes
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