Insights of the Postpartum Stage: Checklist for New Mums
As soon as a woman becomes a mother, she puts her baby first in everything. Without realizing it even, her life becomes baby-centric. No matter if she is hungry or even if her bladder is about to burst, mum will always prioritize her baby’s needs and it totally makes sense. In humans, mama-bear instinct matters, and mums dedicate their whole life to their children.
This is why mothers need special treatment during their postpartum stage. As they give everything to their little ones, they deserve a little more care for a speedy recovery. This makes the first 40 days after delivery ever critical for a new mum. During this phase, they need five insights for self-care and they are- retreat, rest, support, warmth and ritual.
Let’s dive deep into each insight to understand the postpartum recovery process in detail.
Retreat
New mums need to retreat. It is a process that helps women to strengthen their existing relationships and forge new bondings. This also helps them to get ready to be out in the world and ignore social obligations.
In most cases, new mums go through the pressure of expectation. This pressure not only comes from society but also from within. However, during the postpartum stage, a woman needs to avoid stress for an effective recovery and building a strong connection with the baby.
According to Chinese medicine, during pregnancy, a woman’s blood volume and hormone levels increase a lot. Both the volume of hormones and blood provide her with optimum warmth. However, after giving birth to a child, both her blood and hormone levels plunge and she enters into a ‘lack of energy’ stage.
A new mum’s retreat is crucial for calming her body and mind. Thus, to speed up your recovery period, keep yourself in a calm and content environment. Living in a positive environment lowers your anxiety and improves your oxytocin level. Oxytocin is a hormone that is important for creating a bond with the newborn. It is also responsible for releasing milk during breastfeeding.
Rest
If you ask your mom or grandma, they might recommend you stay in bed and limit your activities beyond baby care. In most ancient cultures, this old technique is great for rebuilding energy after childbirth. They might also recommend you have calming treatments to speed up your recovery.
However, with the changing lifestyle, we often underestimate the need for rest after delivery. In our culture, we prioritize everything else apart from our health and thus, ‘rest’ is the first thing that gets sacrificed. We forget that rest deprivation may amplify pain, stress, and sorrow. Thus, no matter if you had a normal or c-section delivery, consider taking proper rest for energy buildup.
Support
It’s normal for new mothers to feel confused, worried, and overwhelmed post-delivery. This is because the bond between the baby and the mom hasn’t developed yet. However, by building in advance the proper support of network, new mums can create a healthy and caring environment for their babies. Here, a mother may take support from nurses, midwives, or doulas to get accustomed to her new journey.
A newborn can bring sleepless nights and long days. Having a support system can make all the difference. You may ask your extended family to help you with household chores and friends to pick up supplies. Assistance from your near and dear ones gives you a chance to relax and get emotional support. Also, keep up with medical visits to accelerate your recovery. You may check out our events at a nearby community center to meet other parents and learn from their experiences. If you are a working mother, take advantage of maternity leave to enjoy your motherhood journey.
Warmth
Warmth is one of the keys to postpartum recovery. As birth is very outward and energetic, it makes you weak and drained. Thus, after the birth experience, your blood volume, hormone levels, and mind want to flow into balance. Rest, relaxation, and warmth allow a mum to feel healthy and nourished. Sleep deprivation in the first months can be overwhelming for a mother and lead to anxiety. It’s always a good idea to check with your medical provider if this state persists.
So, if you want to bring a proper balance to your body and mind after pregnancy, seek out warmth. Warm food, liquids, clothing, etc. ensure optimum energy flow in your body and provide you with a sense of well-being. You may also surround yourself with your close friends and family who would support you and fill your life with the warmth of love and care.
Ritual
During the postpartum stage, different rituals are performed across different cultures to mark the metamorphosis of a woman. As this stage is critical for a woman to recover and take on new responsibilities, many cultures consider it a precarious period. The rituals are practiced to speed up the healing process and avoid illness in later years.
Modern or Western cultures pay the least attention to the post-partum period. Modern postpartum care primarily focuses on the immediate health of the mother and the child using technological interventions. These modern practices do not extend beyond the first few days after delivery. On the other hand, traditional practices of East and South Asia along with some parts of Africa and the Middle East focus on social support rituals for a more extended postpartum period.
In many cultures, the postpartum phase is meant for the mum to recuperate after delivery and strengthen mother-child bonding. It is the time when the new mother establishes breastfeeding. Traditionally, during postpartum, a new mum stays at home for 40 days and rest. They bank upon their mothers or other senior female members of their family for proper guidance. As this is the high time to rejuvenate and replenish their body and mind, new mums are kept away from household work and other strenuous activities.
A Postpartum Checklist
- Diet & Nutrition- Food plays an important role in boosting immunity, improving milk supply and accelerating your recovery process. Thus, a new mum is provided with a simple yet easily digestible diet for better absorption. Traditionally, herbal drinks are given during the postpartum period for improving the immunity of both mother and child. Make sure to set up your breastfeeding station with plenty of warm water, most of your liquids are going into the milk-making and there is the possibility of dehydration.
Foods like dry fruits such as dates, sesame seeds, garlic, fenugreek seeds, and fennel seeds are great for boosting milk supply. To strengthen the spine and bring reproductive organs to the post-delivery stage, new mums can include dry nuts in their diet along with any vegetable milk as long as low in sugar content. Apart from seeds and herbs, starchy veggies like potatoes, sweet potatoes, beetroot, parsnip, and pumpkins are great options for grounding, feeling full, and when in need of sweetness and wanting to be healthy.
You should prioritize cooked vegetables rather than raw as these are easily digestible and friendly for Vata imbalance. Obviously if your postpartum coincides with the summer months make follow your gut intuition and go with that, just keep in mind that light steam for some veggies like broccoli, asparagus, and cabbage would just help your digestion smooth, and just go easy on salads. If you cannot refrain from having salads remember it’s a good idea to compose your salad with some grains, proteins, and at least one cooked veggie.
Using ghee and coconut oil will enhance your bowel movement. Good fats are also great to enrich the milk besides filling the stomach and balancing the Vata unbalances left after child birth. New mums are encouraged to have fresh and organic food during their postpartum stage. These foods not only balance their body elements but also promote better digestion.
- Warming Massages & Baths– As mentioned earlier, providing warmth to the new mother is important for their fast recovery. So, apart from providing the new mum with a good diet, introduce hot oil massage and hot water baths to them. Nurturing oils like coconut, sesame or olive oil is great for removing toxins and pain from the body. After the massage, ensure she gets a warm bath for better results. To reduce stretch marks on the belly, new mums can massage their bellies with coconut oil during their postpartum stage.
Sesame oil has cooling properties. Massaging your body with this oil during your postpartum stage reduces your blood pressure and controls your stress level. Similarly, olive oil and hypericum are great carrier oils for healing the stitches after a c-section. Hypericum is also a good choice for vaginal massage to soften scars from stitches. Also, consider using hot water while bathing. This is a great way to reduce your pain in the lower abdomen and pelvic area. You may also use warm water that has been boiled with neem leaves while bathing. Such herbal water is antiseptic in nature and soothes your tired muscles after delivery.
- Belly Binding- Belly binding is a traditional ritual that is practiced to push the uterus back into its actual position. Here, the new mum’s belly is tied with a cotton cloth after bathing. This is an effective way to get rid of stomach gas after delivery. Belly binding is also considered to be an effective way to maintain a healthy posture during breastfeeding. To practice this ritual, gently push your stomach upward to reposition your womb. This method is also great for reducing stretch marks on the belly.
- Care of the Newborn- Many cultures across the globe emphasize on the care of the newborn. During the postpartum stage, new mums are taught how to care and nurse their babies. They learn the art of breastfeeding on demand and massaging during this period. The first 40-days are critical for establishing the bond between a mother and her newborn. Different rituals are practiced to strengthen this loving relationship.
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