The importance of a nourished postpartum through a traditional lens

BY ZOE PAPADATOS, ACUPUNCTURIST AND CHINESE HERBALIST

In today’s world, the importance of the 4th trimester has been lost due to the nature of societal stigmas and trends. There is a need and want to be constantly busy to show the world that women can be strong and continue to push on despite the fact they have just given birth. Women are going back to work within 6 weeks post birth, running a household, connecting with and looking after their new baby, all while their body is trying to adjust to this new physiological norm.

“We have forgotten the time–honoured wisdom that this special cocoon of care should extend to the mother as well – during this time, she can revitalise herself and replenish her reserves, creating a solid foundation from which to tackle the demands of mothering”(1). This not only can impacts a mother during her postpartum period but can influence elements of her life from here on in.

For a moment, take time to reflect on your experience during conception, pregnancy and now into the postpartum period. Are you in utter awe of your power, strength, and ability to adapt to change? Think about every inch of what you have endured. Your body has conceived a child! Your mind and body has given all its power to grow, nourish and support this child from the beginning. You have birthed your baby and you have adapted to a new life as a mother. Now you have this being to nourish and protect, all while your brain chemistry and physiology have changed dramatically to support you through this time. Don’t you think you deserve to be supported and nourished to adapt? Whether you are a new or a seasoned mother, you do deserve to be taken care of in this time after birth.

Through a traditional lens, the postpartum period is known as the ’40 days of confinement’ which is a time after childbirth. Here, your village is meant to protect, nourish, and support the mother “when you take care of the mother, you take care of the child”(1). In addition, by replenishing the mother’s energy in this first month, it builds up a stable foundation for her postpartum period mentally, physically, spiritually and, increases the essence for further reproduction and an easier transition into later stages of a women’s life.

Retreat is the stage of confinement after birth that involves the mother staying in a safe space and limiting visitors. This allows space for the bond between the mother and baby to flourish and for you to truly transition into the matrenense. This is a stage of minimal activity and letting the mind rest to be able to process the last 9 months of life.

Traditional cultures such as Chinese culture, recommend the mother and baby rest to preserve and replenish the body’s life force and energy and truly let the body heal.

From childbirth, the loss of blood and energy decreases the mother metabolic function. To heal and protect, warmth is needed to optimise healing and regain strength. In traditional cultures, cold is also seen as an ‘evil’ and the mother in the postpartum is more susceptive to allow cold to invade as she is in a vulnerable state. Traditional cultures recommend consuming warm foods and keeping your feet, back and abdomen warm.

In traditional cultures, consuming nourishing herbal teas and specific foods are important to bring back energy via a food source. Women have increased nutritional requirements, especially those that are breastfeeding. Warm cooked foods such as soups, stews, congee, bone broths can help with the repair of connective tissue and support healing.

Creating a support network, or ‘your village’ allows all these traditional elements of healing come to fruition. Generally, this will be the role of the mother and/or fathers family or the partner to help with nourishing the mother, but in the circumstances where this is unavailable, people who do this professionally such as postpartum doula’s, can be of assistance to provide the mother with the support needed to flourish.

These recommended guidelines to your postpartum are an essential paradigm to your healing. There are many support systems to further educate you on this period and a range of wonderful books. If you need support during this time, please reach out. The postpartum doesn’t just end within the first 6 weeks post birth, it can last a lifetime.

[1] Ou Heng. (2016). The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother.

Zoe Papadatos is the founder and leading acupuncturist of Coastal Wellness Cottage. Coastal Wellness is a safe and nurturing space where women can access a range of services to support them through all stages of their lives.