Another thing new mums are being told they shouldn't do.

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A recovering body, free-falling hormones, crying newborns and a momentous life adjustment that leaves a woman caring for a tiny human whose internal clock bears no resemblance to the outside world.

Are there any life stages more disorienting, exhausting and emotionally intense as the first weeks of new motherhood?

To add to the whirlwind, there is endless advice for new mums; don't do this, avoid that, be careful.

Now, according to recent expert recommendations, there's another item to add to the ever-growing list of post-partum don'ts: stay offline and don't read anything on it for six weeks after your baby is born.

Watch: The physical and mental changes to expect with motherhood. Post continues below.

The reasoning, as outlined in a recent ABC article, is that this period is when "women are also most at risk of the onset or return of mental health issues in early motherhood."

The concern is that social media might exacerbate these vulnerabilities and make it hard to be present.

On the surface, this sounds reasonable. Social media can be extraordinarily harmful, as evidenced by the looming social media minimum age obligations for under-16's about to be ushered in.

But there's something that sits very uncomfortably with me about this advice.

I'm not a mother myself, but hope that one day I may be. My fiancé is an expat, his family live overseas. My father works overseas. I grew up overseas as well, so a lot of my friends are also abroad.

This is my village and the majority of it is scattered across continents.

And I use social media to connect with them. Phone calls aren't always possible, so instead, we share advice in the form of messages or memes.

Our primary form of conversation involves social media and the advice and content on it.

Should I have a baby, avoiding that would cut me off from more than half my family — when I need them the most. I can see myself turning to online support groups, and online advice to feel connected.

Connection looks different for everyone. Image: Supplied.

That was the takeaway I got from the article.

Essentially, women are being told that during a time when they may already feel isolated, they should isolate themselves even more.

Whether we like it or not, we live in an online world.

We live in an era where extended families are scattered across cities and countries, where many women don't know their neighbours, where new mothers often find themselves alone for hours on end with a crying baby and no adult conversation.

We've effectively dismantled the traditional support networks, the proverbial village that once helped raise children, and now we're suggesting the main community women can still access, the online version, is too dangerous. While the article made the recommendation to join a parenting support group, you can't always message or talk to people in it when you need them.

Social media and online communities have become 24/7 lifelines for many; spaces where they can connect with other mothers, seek advice, share experiences, and most importantly, feel less alone.

Consider the mother scrolling through her phone at 3am during a feeding session; the mother who finds comfort in knowing she's not the only one awake and struggling. Or, the woman who discovers through an online group that her feelings of overwhelm are completely normal and shared by countless others.

These connections matter and they can't be discounted.

This isn't to dismiss legitimate concerns about social media's potential negative impacts. I understand the article's point that for sleep-deprived mums with social media on hand, the information overload can be even more disorienting.

The pressure to present a perfect motherhood experience online is also real, and the comparison trap is genuine.

But the solution isn't to urge women to avoid these spaces entirely — it's to help them navigate them more mindfully and reach out for mental health support if needed.

In my opinion, instead of telling new mothers to stay offline, we should be focusing on digital literacy; helping women curate their feeds to include supportive, rather than triggering, content and encouraging critical thinking about what is consumed online.

There's a broader issue here too: the continued policing of women's choices, particularly around motherhood.

Listen: From body to brain health — how to go the distance as you grow older. Post continues below.

Society judges mothers for working, for not working, for their appearance, for breastfeeding, for formula feeding — basically, all parenting choices are already under a harsh spotlight.

Now we're extending this surveillance to online presence and whether a mother is "there" enough for a baby.

That, to me, is dangerous.

A 2020 study on first-time mothers' perceptions found that "much of the research around postnatal support fails to distinguish the specific type of support," meaning blanket restrictions may not be effectively targeted. The study noted that recommendations should be individualised rather than one-size-fits-all prohibitions.

At the end of the day, women are capable of making informed decisions about their own wellbeing. Everyone will have differing opinions on this and that's okay. Blanket advice does not capture the nuances of everyone's life and lived experience.

So rather than adding another restriction to an already overwhelming list, perhaps we should trust new mothers to know what support they need and where to find it — whether that's online, offline, or both.

The village may have changed, but the need for community remains the same.

In 2025, that community often exists in digital spaces. Let's not take that away too.

Feature image: Canva.