Congratulations, mama!
You’ve already been on quite a journey to be here holding this baby. Now you have entered a brand new chapter with it’s own surprises, delights and very real challenges. Whether this is your first baby or one of a brood, prioritizing rest, nourishment and connecting with your new baby are the most important things to focus on for the next month- also known as the golden month. At DHH, we have decades of experience supporting women needing pre- and post natal care and would like to share some of our top tips with you.
Resting adequately now will not only help you feel better and produce more milk, it sets the stage for your future health for years to come. This is a very vulnerable time, one needing you to build back the qi and blood lost in birth and delivery. The bonus if you care well for yourself now is having bounds of energy and wellbeing in the future.
Hydration- Drink at least 10-8 oz glasses of water per day, more if possible for the remainder of your pregnancy. It is equally critical to stay hydrated during your postpartum period. If you choose to breastfeed, water consumption should increase even more to a minimum of 13-15 eight oz glasses per day because of the amount of water required to produce daily breast milk secretions.
Nutrition From an East Asian medical perspective, giving birth is the only naturally occurring event in a woman’s life where she loses such high amounts of Qi, Blood, Yin and Yang, all of which need to be replenished in order to fully recover her strength and vitality. The length of recovery can be months or years, depending on the woman and her postnatal care.
TLC for your vagina- Real talk here, your vagina may need care post-birth. Several conditions can arise such as hemorrhoids or pelvic pain. Make these postpartum padcicles at home- it’s easy! If something warmer appeals to you try this postpartum herbal sitz bath.
Warming the uterus with moxibustion- A classical tool in East Asian medicine, moxibustion is incredibly effective in your postpartum recovery. Moxibustion strengthens Qi and invigorates blood to alleviate pain and promote healing. We offer a lovely , nurturing ritual treatment called Mother Warming that can be performed in our clinic or at your home within the first week or so following your delivery.
Raspberry leaf tea strengthens and tones the muscles of the uterus for postpartum recovery.
Pelvic floor PT- Many women experience injury to their pelvic floor during birth that can leave you with pain, bladder issues or structual imbalances. There are some excellent pelvic floor PT’s in the Bay Area who can help evaluate and treat such as Rachel Gelman PT at Pelvic Wellness or the folks at Pelvic Pain and Rehab.
Lactation issues are super common and can be extremely frustrating and emotional. Lactation consultants, lactation cookies and acupuncture can all be very helpful: check out all our tips in this blog post. Remember that you are a superstar mom whether you breastfeed or not.
Prenatal during lactation- Consider· continuing a prenatal while you breastfeed. Choose a high-quality formulation that is meant to be taken at least 2 times per day for optimal nutrient absorption. Make sure it includes methylated folate, the natural form most easily metabolized, instead of Folic Acid. We recommend PreNatal Pro by Designs for Health.
Mood Food- Include foods with tryptophan. A growing body of data indicate a positive role increase of tryptophan foods during pregnancy and postpartum periods to combat the potential onset of Postpartum Depression. Tryptophan is an important precursor of the mood-regulating brain monoamines dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine which are metabolized at an acutely increased rate particularly in the week after childbirth. Foods with tryptophan include seaweed, raw spirulina, spinach, crustaceans (lobster, crab, crayfish), fish (shrimp, tuna, halibut, salmon, sardines, cod, scallops), meats (duck, turkey, pork, chicken, lamb), egg whites, dairy (if tolerated), oats, chocolate..
If you’d like even more wisdom about healing during the postpartum period- here are a few of our favs:
Be well, goddesses! We love you.