An Excerpt from “The First 40 Days: A New Mom’s Guided Companion”

A free preview from Aurelia Vale’s postpartum companion guide — the first 3 days, exactly as they appear in the book.

Day 1 — You Did It Today’s focus: You brought a new life into the world. That is enough for today. Your body today: You may feel sore, swollen, bleeding, shaky, or strangely energized — sometimes all in an hour. This is normal. Your body is in active recovery. Your heart today: Whatever you feel — love, relief, fear, numbness — is allowed. You don’t need a perfect emotional response to have done something extraordinary. One small thing: Drink a full glass of water and ask someone to bring you a snack.

Day 2 — The Milk Will Come Today’s focus: Your milk may not be “in” yet. Your body is doing exactly what it should. Your body today: Colostrum — thick, golden, small amounts — is exactly what your baby needs right now. Your milk will arrive in the next 2–5 days. Breast fullness, warmth, and tenderness are signs it’s on its way. Your heart today: You may worry you’re not producing enough. Trust this: your body knows the recipe. Keep feeding often, stay hydrated, and ask for help if latching feels painful. One small thing: Feed or pump 8–12 times in 24 hours (yes, this is frequent and normal).

Day 3 — Permission to Cry Today’s focus: If the tears come today, let them. You are not broken. Your body today: Hormones are crashing and climbing. You might feel weepy, irritable, overwhelmed, or anxious. This is called the “baby blues” and it’s incredibly common around days 2–5. Your heart today: You may cry over things that don’t make sense. You may feel joy and grief in the same breath. All of this is allowed. It doesn’t mean something is wrong — it means your body is adjusting to a seismic shift. One small thing: Tell someone how you feel out loud. Even if it sounds irrational. Especially then.

This is how every day in “The First 40 Days” works — a focus, body, heart, and one small action, all the way through Day 40. The full guide also includes Deep Dive sections on healing, feeding, sleep, emotional health, relationships, and identity, plus boundary scripts and a quick “Is this normal?” reference.

**Get the full guide — €7.49**