Remaining quiet, even when it’s not easy
Postpartum, for me, is about leaning in to a season of snudge. I just learned what this word is, and I wanted to share it with you, too.
Snudge: A 17th century verb for “remaining quiet and snug,” i.e. nesting with little prospect of moving anywhere.
In the early days postpartum, especially the first four weeks after my baby was born, ninety percent of my days were all about hygge and snudge.
To snudge is hard for me
Resting is not easy for me: my inner driver and impulsivity wants me to keep going, beyond what is good for me. Postpartum rest challenges me to learn and grow in ways that make me uncomfortable. We don’t always learn the lessons we want to learn. But we get the lessons we need.
And yes, I did furiously clean the bathroom yesterday. But then I sank into a deep nap afterwards, and I watched. I watched the impulse, the feeling, the anxiety crest and fall, the satisfaction, and the resting. Humans are such interesting and strange creatures. Being one, and learning my own weirdness, is a strange delight.
And now to snudge. Winter snudge.