How to Prepare for Your Postpartum

By Stephanie Toby, Thriving Postpartum

Ayurvedic wisdom tells us that the first forty days postpartum affects your health for the next forty years! It is that important. And yet, most expecting families are not preparing for postpartum. While it is common to take birth classes and put together a birth plan, most families do not have a postpartum plan in place before baby arrives. 

At the same time, it is now very common to experience ill health in the postpartum period, not only in the first six-week period that is commonly referred to as “postpartum,” but in the years, and decades, to come. Not only are postpartum depression and anxiety common today, but many other issues are currently common in postpartum mothers, such as incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and digestive issues. Though these issues are common, they are not an inherent part of the postpartum experience, and much can be done to prevent and mitigate them.

Cultures around the globe have traditionally provided intensive postpartum care, as they understood how important care during this period is for mothers’ health, as well as the health of babies, families, and communities at large. Postpartum support in different, distant cultures shared certain practices in common, as these are the practices needed to support health and help prevent the illnesses that are common today. 

Postpartum Care includes these five essential components:

Rest

Though the length of prescribed rest varies, about 30 days-6 weeks is observed in traditional practices. It might seem hard to imagine resting for that long. And yet, this practice is vital for preventing depression and anxiety as well as the many physical issues mentioned above, especially prolapse. It is critical to plan for both initial bedrest and subsequent weeks where you move about much less than normal.

Proper Food

The digestive system is in a very different state postpartum and food must meet certain requirements to properly nourish the mother, without overtaxing her digestive system. Nourishing foods are critical for your body to be able to properly heal after pregnancy and birth. Mothers are commonly given foods that are much too difficult for their digestive system during this sensitive time, but it’s important to eat easily digestible food. (Please pass on the heavy casseroles!)

Warmth

Warmth helps the body produce oxytocin, which supports bonding between mother and baby as well as feelings of wellbeing, acting as an antidote to stress. Warmth also supports lymph flow and blood circulation, which are also essential for healing. 

Body Work

Proper bodywork has a profound effect on the nervous system. It also supports proper lymph flow and circulation that are both necessary for healing and hard to achieve while resting. Many types of body work are too intense for the postpartum period and it is important to find practitioners that offer proper postpartum care.

Community

These essential practices cannot happen without other people to support you. Babies require 24-hour care in the early days, and feeding a baby is nearly equivalent in hours to working a fulltime job! Others in the community must tend to your needs during this time. Community is also protective of the mother’s nervous system and preventative for mood disorders. Since most families feel that they lack strong community bonds, we often have to get creative in how we put together community support in modern times. It IS possible!

Postpartum is a time unlike any other, a time that has a profound impact on a mother’s health for years to come. You deserve more than survival; you deserve to thrive! With proper preparation and care, you can emerge from this time healthy and empowered

Learn more about Stephanie Toby and her work at Thriving Postpartum