Bringing baby home
Natural post partum support
After nine months of pregnancy and the trials of labour or caesarian section, it can be quite a shock to find yourself on your own, alone at home with your beautiful baby. If this is your first it quite probably isn’t quite what you expected.
On the one hand you’re tired but elated. on the other it’s certainly a full-on 24 hour occupation. First there’s the sleepless nights, he or she might be ‘a cryer’ no matter what you do, or maybe he/she can’t keep their food down. There’s the constant feeding routine and the changing of nappies (diapers)
You might be suffering the ‘baby blues – feeling tearful, anxious, moody and generally out of your depth. Don’t worry, these feelings are perfectly normal and usually last only a couple of weeks. If you think you might actually be feeling depressed, it’s best to talk to your midwife or doctor.
if you’re lucky you will have female friends and relatives who’ve been through it before you and can reassure you and give you advice. Failing that there’s always the internet and forums, though these don’t always completely deal with feelings of isolation.
Along with the shell shock, can come a range of physical issues. including exhaustion, after pains, insomnia, night sweats etc. or if you’ve had a ceasar, episiotomy or vaginal tear, you’ll probably be a bit sore
This post partum period usually lasts around 6 weeks, as your body and hormones gradually recover.
Acupuncture for Post Partum support
First and most importantly, you need to be kind to yourself. Why should you expect yourself to just bounce right back after a nine month pregnancy, plus birth, blood loss and the energy demands of breast feeding.
In many cultures a ‘lying in period’ is traditional, usually around a month. During that time, female relatives take over the domestic chores, leaving the mother to rest and look after the baby. Unfortunately, many women live a long way from family and female relatives who might help out.
These days women usually leave hospital a day or day and a half after an uncomplicated birth. After a cesarian a stay of 3-4 days is average.
For all these reasons, it’s a really good idea, if possible, to make sure you have some support in the first few weeks, to give yourself time to recover. Both you and your partner will also need time to adjust to the demands of looking after a tiny baby.
Acupuncture can really help stabilise your mood, balance hormones and boost your energy. It can deal with many physical issues such as insufficient lactation (milk production), mastitis, insomnia, and after pains. cesarian scar treatment or vaginal pain
In my practice I treat symptoms such as :-
| Post Natal Support | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mother Roasting | Tonification | Persistent lochia |
| after pains | night sweats | Perineal discomfort |
| Insufficient lactation | Mastitis | Depression |
| Insomnia | Exhaustion | Aches and pains |
'Mother roasting'
There’s a traditional Chinese treatment, usually carried out around 3 days after the baby is born. It’s called ‘Mother Roasting’ or ‘Mother Warming’. It’s an incredibly soothing and restoring treatment ritual which welcomes you to motherhood and physically can help the uterus on its way back to its usual home.
Chinese medicine considers the uterus to be susceptible to ‘invasion of cold’ in the days after childbirth and that this can lead to a variety of problems in the future, so the abdomen and lower back are gently warmed with a moxa stick..
Herbal teas and supportive foods
There are several very simple herbal teas you can drink, to help with sleep and fatigue for example and some gentle tonics to help rebuild your energy, that won’t affect your baby or your ability to breast feed. An eating plan to support and rebuild your ‘qi’ and ‘blood’ will also support milk production and help you get back to feeling like your pre-pregnancy self..
It”s useful amid the demands of life as a new mum to have a default meal plan for which you can shop, so it’s as easy as possible to eat regularly and well.
I normally treat new mums at home, so get in touch to find out if I can come to where you are.
