The Importance of Postpartum Care and Support

One of the biggest misconceptions that we have around the postnatal period is that we need to get back our pre-baby body and go back to the domestic duties or work straight away! I wanted to share with you today some thoughts about the importance of postpartum care and support.

Society has warped us in to thinking it’s normal to get straight back into life and ‘get your body back’! I believe we need to slow down and honour this period of time. We need rest and to spend time in a cocoon-like environment to nurture and honour ourselves and our new baby.

Family and friends hopefully can come and help take care of the chores and household duties so we can recover from such a transformational experience, whilst nurturing and honouring what our body has been through.

Those precious moments you have with a new born baby are so important.

This is also a time when we should be nourishing our body with herbs and nutrients to repair the physiological changes that have just occurred. These changes to our body were not small! They were huge! Creating and growing a human life inside our bodies is simply remarkable.

I am currently studying postpartum recovery and something interesting I have learnt is that the first 42 days postpartum is so imperative for support and proper healing as it sets you up for the next 42 years!

Here are some really important things to consider (that I think we all really need to know about postnatal healing):

Mother Nature and Hormones :

Both mother and baby receive the benefits of powerful and restorative hormones such as oxytocin which help in part with bonding. Beta-endorphins act as natural opioids, helping to stabilise stress, reduce fatigue and restore balance. Prolactin helps with lactation. The physical intimacy and closeness that the mother and baby unit experience along with eye contact, nuzzling at the breast and bonding through the physical care of the newborn, enable these hormones to release in the proper amounts thus promoting all of the natural benefits that aid in healing and rebalancing. It’s a perfectly beautiful, natural support system!

Adrenal Burnout:

Unfortunately, it is very common for women to suffer from the effects of adrenal burnout in the post partum period. Some mothers may have had a stressful or long labour and delivery, which is often complicated by unnecessary medical intervention. They may not know the proper knowledge or education relating to post partum care. A lot of this can be then exacerbated if mothers do not rest and recover in the first 42 days. Sometimes if this cycle of fatigue and stress is left unsupported for too long, this can lead to a true clinical state of postpartum depression.

So rest and support in the postpartum period is imperative in so many ways!

I feel such a strong pull to help woman and make a positive difference in today’s society, so I am continuing my studies into postnatal care. I have already studied postnatal healing, nutrition, wellness, massage (the list goes on) and now I am also studying Ayurvedic Post Natal Doula training.

My inspiration is to be of service to postnatal mamas using the teachings of ancient wisdom. This aspect will help me create some beautiful offerings for nourishing and restorative postpartum care.

Much love,