# @thesharonmoms on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DYSZ3kCRH0l
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/65598892-thesharonmoms-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/50afe49c99.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-05-13T17:42:54.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Brit & Sydney Sharon (@thesharonmoms) — https://gondola.cc/thesharonmoms

## Caption

Today I am 6 weeks postpartum. Which, according to our healthcare system, means I’m supposed to be “recovered.”

Did you know that whether you give birth to one baby or multiples, a vaginal birth only grants the same 6 weeks of leave?

6 weeks.

Meanwhile, I am still bleeding, still physically healing, still learning my new body, and still adjusting to parenting twins. 

And according to my watch, I’m averaging 4 hours and 31 minutes of sleep a night — not consecutively — with a 57% sleep quality.

For context, chronic sleep deprivation has been linked to increased risks of anxiety, depression, impaired cognitive function, weakened immunity, and slower physical recovery.

And then there’s breastfeeding.

Because for so many mothers, going back to work at 6 weeks doesn’t just mean returning to work. It often means giving up breastfeeding sooner than planned. Or beginning the exhausting cycle of pumping while trying to physically recover, emotionally regulate, function professionally, and survive on broken sleep.

The system is more than flawed. It’s broken. 6 weeks is not enough time to recover physically, emotionally, or mentally. It’s not enough time to bond with your baby (or babies). And it’s certainly not enough time to ask mothers to return to “normal” while their bodies are still actively nourishing another human being.

My heart goes out to every expecting and postpartum parents trying to navigate these murky waters while carrying the impossible weight of it all.

#postpartum #fourthtrimester #maternalhealth #workingmoms #maternityleave

## Stats

- **Views:** 1,058
- **Likes:** 21
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 0

## Tags

workingmoms, maternityleave, postpartum, maternalhealth, fourthtrimester

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