Category Archives: post partum recovery

Preparing for the 4th Trimester

I’ve made it to the stage of pregnancy where I can’t wait to say goodbye to maternity clothes, I’m 36 weeks pregnant. I miss walking into a room without being stared at. I know I’m not exactly out of shape but I am a shape and its really round.

butterfly

When I was pregnant with my daughter I spent 9 months reading about birth and breastfeeding, it never really occurred to me to think about the whole idea of parenting or how to maintain some sort of an identity. (sometimes) Its hard to be a tiny person’s everything. Luckily we’ve (for the most part) made graceful transitions from a couple to a family, from whole people to being someone’s mother and father. Learning what we need to have a healthy relationship with each other and ourselves.

This time I’ve spent more time thinking about what life will be like as a mother of two. How do I balance life and love with all of these people? How do I make time for myself, when its already what I’m worst at? Its overwhelming sometimes to think about. Because of this I’ve spent more time preparing for the post partum period. I had no idea how much time I really needed to settle into motherhood. I’ve treated many women who have issues post partum that sometimes may or may not seem related to all the huge changes that take place physically, mentally and emotionally during pregnancy and childbirth. I’ve slowly learned over the past 3 or so years or 30 or so years that I’m a whole lot more effective at everything when I take care of myself.

The end of pregnancy is hard, physically of course but oh so emotionally as well. I’ve found that I overdo it pretty easily these days, so quickly that I don’t even realize it until its too late. I’m learning to honor my body and my sweet pea has already become a wonderful and patient doula (as well as my husband). I’m learning the strength in asking for help, in knowing my limits and the fine art of being still, which is super hard to do sometimes especially when I get stuck on the couch, rolling over in bed etc.

I’ve said on more than one occasion that its kind of a shame how we as a culture enjoy and appreciate the rolls of thighs on babies, the squishiness and yet find it so distasteful on women. The post partum period for a women has a built in squishy period for a reason, why do you think teddy bears are so much fun to cuddle? My plan is to enjoy the soft, squishy phase of myself as much as I do in babies.

36

 

Its really common to see weekly photos of a pregnancy to watch a belly expand. Its exciting. There are projects that show pictures of post partum bellies and I think that is great. I think we as a culture have way too many expectations on women especially after they give birth. Its a time to be still, to hold your baby, to rest. I read once that when a caterpillar goes into its cocoon it doesn’t simply grow wings it actually deconstructs itself into a goo and then transforms completely into a butterfly. Growing a child and becoming a mother is pretty much the same thing. I remember after my daughter was born waiting for myself to go back to “normal” until I realized that whatever I had thought was normal didn’t exist anymore, my heart and my body were forever changed. What breaks my heart most is when mothers post on forums sometimes right after birth about when they can start working out again or dieting again to get their body back. I understand the rush on one hand and feel devastated for women in general on the other that we even consider this in a time that is so precious and should be honored as sacred. Its been said often it takes 9 months for a women’s body to expand and grow a child we shouldn’t expect it to consolidate all at once. It all just takes time (I don’t have a link so don’t quote me but in prenatal yoga we were talking about how it takes a woman’s organs 18 months to go back to where they were before pregnancy).

36 weeks

I plan to take a weekly picture for 40 weeks post partum to catalog my body’s ability to find its new “normal”. I have no real agenda, no diet plan, no secret. I plan on honoring my body and what feels right, eating a whole foods diet rich in foods that support the post partum period, placenta encapsulation (of course), mother warming and belly binding. I’m excited to see what will unfold.

 

Acupuncture for the Post partum Mother

I spoke this past weekend at the Chicago Birth Professional Conference. Many of you expressed interest in what I spoke about so I am sharing my notes here. Let me know if you have questions 😉

Chinese Medicine for Post Partum Care

The 3 days following child birth are considered a time of purging. Because the body is open it can be susceptible to depletion especially of energy (qi) and blood. Rest is paramount, ideally for 30-90 days. Staying warm regardless of climate or time of year is also important and is very protective of the body. (talk about back of neck and abdomen covered) A warming nourishing diet and avoiding cold and damp foods is also important during this time.

Foods to tonify qi:

Oats, rice, potato, sweet potato, mushroom, yam, basil, cinnamon, clove, dill, fennel, fenugreek, ginger, nutmeg, rosemary, thyme and jasmine tea

Foods to build blood:

Corn, sweet rice, beetroot, all dark leafy greens, apricot, avocado, date, kidney bean, sesame seeds, egg, red meat and spinach

Wheat and barley grass, green vegetables are important during nursing and are a Japanese folk remedy to support healthy milk supply.

Cooked foods are especially nourhishing at this time. Soups, stews, porridge etc are ideal

Foods to avoid: raw foods, dairy products especially milk and ice cream, greasy fried foods, foods cool in nature like cucumbers, peppermint etc

Moxa or Artemisia Vulgaris is a species of chrysanthemum and can be used for a variety of conditions. In Chinese Medicine there are several ways to use moxa and all involve burning this herb over or on acupuncture points.

One major benefit of Moxa is that it benefits circulation. It can be used to regulate the energy and blood of the body, expel cold and dampness especially if pain is worse in these kind of environments, warm the uterus, stop bleeding, regulate digestion as well as menstruation, and ease the fetus or turn a breech baby.

Moxa can be used preventatively as well. Burning moxa over the acu-point Zu San Li St36 on a regular basis is a great way to stay healthy. In Notes on Bian Que’s Moxibustion, it says, “when a healthy man often has moxabustion to the points of CV4, CV6 and CV12 he would live a very long life, at least one hundred years.”

Currently in Africa moxabustion is being used as a treatment for tuberculosis through the organization Moxafrica. There is research evidence from Japan in the 1930s and 40s where moxabustion was used effectively and cheaply to treat and in many cases cure TB.

Mother warming is a technique  used to gently nourish the body helping to tone the uterus and aid recovery after birth at a time when a woman needs to regain her strength to care for her newborn and establish breast feeding.

Benefits include strengthening the center, promoting lactation, preventing post partum depression, and boosting energy.

The properties of moxa help to build energy and blood and it is a warming herb.

Mother warming is usually preformed between day 4-6 post partum. This treatment can energize the mother and aid in recovery.

Moxa is applied to the midline of the abdomen to the acu-points cv2-8 (apprx the top of the pubic bone to the navel on the midline of the body)

 

photo credit http://www.compassionatedragon.com/images/acupuncture/ac_points/ac_ren3.png

 

Moxa is done in an upward motion until the mother feels a pleasant warming sensation appx 5-10 minutes.

Moxa can then be applied in the same way to the du channel of the back, midline of the body from appx the sacrum to the top of the iliac crests.

 

photo credit http://www.compassionatedragon.com/images/acupuncture/ac_points/ac_du4-14.png

 

UB23 the shu point of the kd is also a beneficial point to moxa at this time. It is in the same line as du4

photo credit http://www.itmonline.org/image/cystitis2.jpg

Contraindications: fever, night sweats or over a c section scar that has any suspicious redness or pus like discharge.

Other postpartum concerns Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can help:

  • After pains (abstain from cold, raw foods especially, protect against wind and cold environmentally) LV3 acupressure also great for menstrual cramps
  • Insufficient lactation
  • Mastitis/plugged duct (if treated right away can usually stop in its tracks and recover faster)
  • Termination of lactation (acupuncture and moxa 3-5 treatments)
  • Post partum depression
  • Night sweats
  • Dizziness
  • Complications from Excessive post partum blood loss
  • Palpitations/anxiety
  • PTSD (when working with other health care providers)

 

 

Lentil Stew

This is a great recipe to stay warm in the winter. Its also an awesome recipe for post partum recovery. If you are a mom-to-be and are getting close to the end this is a great soup to make and freeze or give it to someone who is willing to cook for you! 🙂

What you need:

4 cups homemade chicken stock, preferably cooked with beet greens and/or red chard (kidney/urinary bladder)

3 carrots chopped (spleen/stomach)

3 celery stalked chopped (liver/gall bladder)

1 onion diced (lung/large intestine)

3 cloves of garlic (lung/large intestine)

1 tablespoon of olive oil or clarified butter

2 yellow zucchini (spleen/stomach)

1 green zucchini (liver gall bladder)

1 bell pepper (I used yellow) (spleen/stomach)

1/2 bag of red lentils (heart/small intestine)

1 jar of tomato sauce (heart/small intestine)

3 cups chopped kale, chard or spinach (liver/gall bladder)

Pink Himalayan sea salt, to taste (kidney/urinary bladder)

crushed black pepper (kidney/urinary bladder)

other spices to taste, I prefer the 21 spice salute from Trader Joe’s

What to do:

melt oil or butter and heat onion, garlic and all veggies (except greens) until tender, about 5 minutes. Add stock, lentils, and tomato sauce. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer and cover. Let cook for 30 minutes. Add greens just before eating, the heat of the soup will allow the greens to gently wilt. If freezing wait for stew to cool first and make sure you label and date the container. Enjoy all winter long and especially the first 4 weeks post partum. 🙂