We recently shared how parents can take care of themselves online in the early weeks of their baby's life.
Experts recommend mums stay offline for the first six weeks to help connect with their newborn and avoid the anxiety-inducing comparisons that can come while searching for or following parenting content.
The story resonated with many of you.
Dozens of people reached out to us to share their experience of how they navigated being online during the postpartum period.
Here's what you told us
The majority of mothers who shared their stories about being online during the postpartum period spoke about experiencing anxiety, guilt or shame that they weren't doing enough as parents.
Samantha, a mother of two, says she would pick up her phone "without even thinking" while breastfeeding or late at night:
"I felt like literally in my core I should not be on the internet right now. It wasn't a good place to be.
It really created a bit of a void with my ability to then actually listen to what my instincts were and it kind of shadowed my ability to just listen to my actual gut," she says.
"There are a lot of profiles that did help, like a sleep consultant or someone who's creating content that resonated with me. I think one time out of five, it would be helpful. But the other four, I'd feel like I wasn't doing anything right.
"In my head I always would force myself to go back to the nappies. When in doubt, look at the nappies, don't look at the phone. If they're peeing and they're pooing you're doing good."
Chloe had a "traumatic birthing experience" and says content she was following during her pregnancy became a trigger for her postpartum.
"Many accounts I followed were empowering women to have more natural births and due to medical complications, that wasn't an option for me. Every time I saw a post with an image of a new mother beaming with their child describing a positive birthing experience, I would feel anger and frustration, which, combined with postpartum, just intensified these emotions," Chloe says.
"All of this led to a constant internal dialogue of questioning if I was enough and replaying my negative birthing experience in my mind, which impacted my sleep. I [ended up] unfollowing accounts that felt triggering and didn't add positive value to my online experience."
Michelle says she went one step further during her postpartum period:
"I deleted all apps. When I did log back in [eventually], I actively followed non-parenting accounts like baking and gardening to cleanse my feed and unfollowed every 'sleep expert'," she says.
"The worst place to be is social media when postpartum."
For some, phones become 'unnecessary' tool
Some mothers found it difficult not having their phone with them at all times.
Claire, a qualified psychologist, says her screen time increased when she had a baby because she would often use it as a tool:
"I tended to use a tracking app for breastfeeding and baby sleep as a guide, so my phone was constantly with me. It meant that as soon as I was feeding or 'nap trapped', I'd reach for my phone and open Instagram without even giving it a second thought," she says.
"Of course, Instagram profiles are curated, most people don't share the hard parts. Even one of the influencers who made it look easy, initially, has since posted about finding time for self-care as she doesn't get to shower until 3pm. And some positive content creators do share the realities, both highs and lows of postpartum, which has helped me gain a more balanced perspective.
"Even so, I think limiting screen time, particularly social media, is important for postpartum mental health."
Samantha says she wishes she would have put her phone away more often.
"I was using it to time how long feeds would go for, which I shouldn't be doing anyway," she says.
"We think we need so many tools to have babies. I think less is more and it can really create that anxiety, even more so when you've got too many opinions and too many gadgets."
Social media a source of connection for these mums
On the flip side, some parents reported that social media was an important tool for connection in the early weeks and months of motherhood.
Manda told us that after her baby's birth her phone became "a lifeline":
"My recovery was pretty tough and drawn out. I had a pretty bad epidural injury, a C-section and a medication dosage mix-up, so everything felt pretty off for a while." she says.
"I ended up finding some incredible support groups on Facebook and discovered so many amazing podcasts, audiobooks, and Instagram pages full of people who'd been through similar experiences. I'm also a very creative person, and in that period of my life, I found apps, some AI tools that let me express myself and bring back that spark of joy. It was all in moderation, I wasn't glued to my phone, but in those moments it genuinely helped me so much."
Tegan, a first-time mum, says she had a similar experience:
"Honestly, I feel like it was my lifeline during this time. It was really positive and beneficial for me," she says.
"I had a mum group chat on Instagram and there was always someone up at the same time to chat with. It helped me to not feel so alone."
This article contains general information only. You should consider obtaining independent professional advice in relation to your particular circumstances.
