HOME POSTPARTUM CARE: LETS TALK BREASTFEEDING

POSTPARTUM CARE AT HOME: YOUR BREASTFEEDING GUIDE

Congratulations to you and your family on the birth of your baby! You did it!! You are a rockstar, superhero, however and wherever you birthed. Now it is time for some postpartum care. But through it all, do what you can to go with the flow. Tune into your body and your baby’s natural rhythms. Embrace it all as a normal healthy phase of your life as a new mama, shared with mamas around the world since the beginning of time. Try to have fun with it and keep your sense of humor. 

Welcome to the postpartum period, the fourth trimester, a period of healing and adjustment, of getting to know and comfort your baby, and mastering breastfeeding. All your baby needs now is love and breast milk. If you are unable or choose not to breastfeed, consider feeding baby pumped breast milk, or donor breast milk from registered milk banks. Breast milk is the ideal food for your baby, although organic goat milk formula is most similar to human milk and you can discuss best alternative options with your pediatrician. 

The rest will follow naturally, as you learn on the job, take guidance from wise experienced others, and let Baby be your teacher. As in pregnancy and birth, trust your instincts and your heart. But, do not hesitate to ask for help and support as needed. Hopefully you prepared in your pregnancy so that you are well supported during this sensitive time, as it has always taken a village to raise a baby as well as new parents. A postpartum doula is a must if you do not have family and friends to help you. 

Below are some helpful hints to make the next few weeks of breastfeeding easier and more comfortable, so you are more able to heal, enjoy and reflect upon your extraordinary new miracle. The most important advice is to slow down, stay in the moment, try to resist the temptation to do, do, do...and just be, be, be. Trust that you will heal and get into your breastfeeding routine, as you are perfectly designed to do, given the proper care and support.  Do not hesitate to reach out to an IBCLC lactation consultant sooner rather than later if there are breastfeeding issues beyond what your midwife or doula can help you with.

Nutrition for Postpartum Care & Breastfeeding

Maintain at least the same healthy nutrition as you did in pregnancy, especially now for recovery after birth, and during breastfeeding. This will help you to make good quality milk, and nourish your baby as well as yourself. Make sure to eat at least three whole food varied healthy meals and snacks, and even a little bit more than you would normally consume. And keep well hydrated with at least 64 ounces of water daily. 

Traditional foods for the early postpartum weeks across cultures typically include soups and stews with a lot of vegetables, including the starchy ones like sweet potatoes and winter squash, stew meat or chicken, and whole grains like barley and oats. Also, do eat plenty of eggs, seasonal fruits and vegetables. Much nourishment can be added to fruit/veggie smoothies, soufflés, whole grain hot cereals, and breads/muffins like zucchini-apple, banana-date or carrot-raisin, enhanced with almond flour or chopped nuts and seeds, nut milk, and eggs. 

Herbs and Supplements

Make sure to supplement your diet as in pregnancy, with herbs, vitamins, minerals, omega threes and probiotics to complete nourishment not supplied by diet alone. This will aid in your recovery and help supply all of your and your baby’s nutritional needs. Do increase iron foods and take an herbal iron, especially if you were anemic in pregnancy, have low iron stores, lost a lot of blood at birth, gave birth by cesarean, and/or are still anemic. 

Do continue your nourishing pregnancy herbal infusion to your diet but add alfalfa and red clover. You can have a support person make this by:

1. Blending a handful of dried Nettle leaf, a handful of dried Red Raspberry leaf, a pinch of Alfalfa, large pinch of Red Clover, and several Rose Hips. 

2. Add a pinch of Comfrey to help with healing. (optional) 

3. Brew in a mason quart glass canning jar of boiling water 1-4 hours. The longer the brew, the stronger the taste and effect.

4. Strain, and drink plain or lightly sweetened with Rose Hip infused honey and/or a splash of fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice.

5. Enjoy hot or cold, up to 4 cups per day.

 You can make it in larger quantities and store in the fridge.

There are some nice herbal breastfeeding teas like those made by Earth Mama Organics and Traditional Medicinals. Use two bags per cup of tea to get the benefits. You can have your special someone make your own delicious, nourishing combination of herbs that helps with breastfeeding and enhances the nutritional content of your breast milk: 

1. Mix a handful each of dried Chamomile blossoms, Catnip and Blessed Thistle, a pinch each of Fennel seeds and Fenugreek powder or seeds, and a few dried Lavender flowers.

2. Put 1 tablespoon of the mix in a cup, fill with boiling water, and steep for 10-15 minutes.

3. Strain in the glass mason jar, and drink plain or lightly sweetened with Rose Hip infused honey, and a dash of anise. 

4. Drink 1-3 cups daily.

Although it is a challenge postpartum, it is so important to avoid fatigue by making sure you are getting extra needed sleep by going to bed earlier, sleeping later, or taking naps when baby naps. A few hours of broken sleep each night is never enough to prevent that feeling of exhaustion and overwhelm from sleep deprivation. When sleeping, lay down on a firm supportive mattress, on top of a bed board if needed. Some women find the floor or a futon helpful. A MUST is to use an excellent full body pregnancy pillow for additional support.  

An excellent pregnancy pillow is not only most supportive, they are also ergonomic and deliciously comfortable for safe sleep. Mamas say they make them feel like they are literally sleeping in a cloud each night. And they love that pregnancy pillows still helps them postpartum to find a comfortable position to rest, sleep and even breastfeed.

My favorite pregnancy pillows are full body U shaped all in one pillow, with an attached pillow for between your legs or to wrap your legs around. They are designed to cradle your head, back, belly, hips, and legs in optimal alignment. No more tossing and turning, pulling or straining. pregnancy body pillow adapts to your body’s pressure points, promoting blood circulation, reducing back pain and hip strain while maintaining natural spinal alignment for deeper, restorative sleep. It releases your body pressure, effectively relieves back and hip pain as well as leg swelling so you can sleep more deeply all night long. Full body pregnancy pillows are designed to replace the need of multiple bed pillows. It hugs your entire body and conforms to both sides, perfectly support the head, shoulders, the entire back, belly, sides, legs - even the knees, feet, pelvis and hips.

If you can not fall asleep, practice the corpse pose or yoga’s most important savasana experience, or simply lye down in a quiet space for at least a half an hour just focusing on breathing in and breathing out, keeping your focus on your breath or between your inner eyebrows, while literally melting your muscles and releasing any tension in your body scan with each exhalation. Even 20 minutes of this is like a 2 hour power nap for the body.

This is also supportive postpartum and can be used as a nursing pillow to assist in finding comfortable alternating and varied positions for breastfeeding that also support your back, neck and shoulders.

Breastfeeding

Note ways to prepare for breastfeeding and common myths to be busted, as well as  5 essential tips to get the breastfeeding going.

Your newborn baby’s stomach is tiny, like the size of a cherry the first few days, a small apricot at one week, and a large egg at one month of age. Only tiny amounts of milk are tolerated initially. Expect your baby to drink about 1-1 ½ tsp per feed on the first day, 1½-2 ounces by one week, and 2 ½-5 ounces per feed by one month of age. This is just what you have to give. 

The liquid gold colostrum that your breast produces makes no more than a few teaspoons per feed, but when your full breast milk comes in, you will have more than enough to accommodate. Often women have a misconception that they do not have enough milk when they have exactly what baby needs, and they get into a tension and supplemental feeding cycle that actually does decrease supply. 

If you had labor or birth complications, needed epidural or spinal anesthesia, baby was birthed by cesarean or had to be in the intensive care, establishing breastfeeding can be more challenging at first but you can do it. Get help by a certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) as soon as possible if there is any difficulty. Baby-friendly hospitals should all have them on staff, or you can ask your midwife, pediatrician or local La Leche leader for recommendations. If you need additional guidance to boost low milk supply first follow these steps. All you may need to do is keep nice and calm with baby skin to skin and nurse more frequently, avoid formula and glucose water, and do not use pacifiers until your breastfeeding is well established. 

You can increase emptying if needed, which boosts your supply, by using a double electric breast portable Willow pump every 2-2½ hours for 15-20 minutes, but know that a healthy baby is the best breast pump. If you do pump, freeze the milk for later use, like when you need to go out or want a break from a nightly feed. Take herbal combinations like More Milk Special Blend, drink non alcoholic beer or Hops tea and several cups Sesame milk daily. You may need to add increased amounts of the individual herbs like Goats Rue, Blessed Thistle and Fenugreek, 2-3 capsules each up to 3 times per day, or add the tincture of More Milk Special Blend, 2 ml 4 times per day to increase your supply. 

Treating Breast Engorgement

Your breasts will begin filling with milk and can become engorged by the third or fourth postpartum day whether or not you are breastfeeding. Initially, you may notice that your breasts become larger, fuller, heavy, lumpy, slightly tender and warm. They may leak milk and you may notice a short-lived low grade fever. The skin of the breasts may be pulled tight and become shiny, hard, painful and throbbing, and the baby might be less able to grasp the nipple.  

Suggestions to minimize discomfort with breastfeeding include:

• Practice early, frequent breastfeeding (on demand or every 1½-3 hours) without supplemental bottles for at least the first month. The breasts will learn to replace only what baby takes. (This is a good reason not to pump significantly in addition to nursing initially, as breasts will replace that too). Allow the milk to run freely into a bottle from one breast as the baby nurses on the other side. The bottled milk can be frozen for a later nighttime feed your partner can give Baby to give you some needed sleep once engorgement resolves.

• If Baby is having a hard time latching, try manually hand expressing a small amount of milk before nursing. You can also do so afterwards if still uncomfortably full after each feeding.

• Rub Arnica oil gently over breasts, except nipples, then apply a comfortably hot washcloth/compress or stand under a warm shower 5-10 minutes before nursing.

• Gently massage breasts downward while nursing using Arnica massage oil or lotion.

• If you are uncomfortable between feedings, you can let comfortably hot shower water run over your breasts and massage them downwards using a fine tooth comb dipped in soap, or gently hand express just a small amount, or soak your breasts into a sink full of comfortably hot water. If engorgement is severe add 1-2 ounces of Marshmallow root tincture to the water. 

• For severe engorgement, apply cold packs just during the short term period of extreme discomfort. Ideally, make these by defrosting frozen cabbage leaves rolled over with a rolling pin.

• Apply cold compresses of Comfrey (soak washcloths with the tincture and store in the fridge). You can try comfortably hot Comfrey compresses and add Parsley tincture.

• If you are not nursing and need help drying up your breastmilk, drink lots of Sage tea and do not pump. 

Report any areas of increased heat, redness, swelling and severe pain; fever over 100.4 after the first few days; and chills, headache and generalized aches like you have the flu.  

Sore Nipples

Your nipples may be tender or downright sore during the first week or so of getting accustomed to breastfeeding your baby, whether you are a first time mom or have nursed successfully before. You may also feel some pain, usually lasting no longer than one minute, each time the baby latches onto the breast in these early weeks, which lessens as baby nurses. If your baby is improperly sucking, or incorrectly positioned, your nipples can become very sore and the pain is intense the entire feed.

Suggestions to minimize nipple soreness are:

• Remember this pain is temporary as your nipples adjust to normal healthy breastfeeding, and use your tools from labor and breathwork to breathe and relax into the sensations rather than to fight them. This actually helps tremendously.

• Have an experienced person observe for proper positioning, latch and sucking during breastfeeding from the beginning, especially if you have severe nipple pain during the entire feed and your nipples are very sore.

• Release the baby’s suction with your finger before removing the nipple from the baby’s mouth anytime you need to stop the sucking, especially when the latch is shallow.

• Soak nipples in a cup of 0.9% physiologic saline solution, then expose breasts to fresh air 20 minutes after each feeding, ideally in the sun, in front of a 60 watt light bulb, or a blow dryer. Yes, spend some time topless.

• Apply some breast milk to the nipple.

• Avoid synthetic breast creams and nipple shields.

• If mild, massage plain organic Cocoa Butter, Almond oil or Vitamin E onto the nipples after each feeding. If without relief, apply homeopathic calendula cream or herbal salve made with Calendula, Marshmallow,  Aloe Vera, and Chamomile, or Lanolin designed for sore nipples after each feed and gently remove any residue before nursing. Apply pure Aloe Vera gel to the cracks and cuts, as well as Comfrey, but wipe off before nursing so baby does not ingest it. Try several formulas and see what feels best for you.

• Nurse more frequently for shorter periods of time.

• Alternate positions of nursing each feeding to vary pressure points on the nipple.

• Initiate nursing on the least sore side. You can nurse only one breast a day to allow the other to heal, pumping the sore breast to relieve engorgement during each nursing session. Then nurse the alternate breast the next day (pumping the other), and continue this until nipples have recovered.

• Take a daily bath or shower, washing nipples with water only (no soap).

• Wear all cotton bras, avoid tight bras, and minimize the use of breast pads. If breast pads are occasionally needed, use organic bamboo or cotton washables or nontoxic disposable breast pads without plastic, changing when wet to keep nipples dry.

Report to your practitioner if your soreness lasts longer than a week or is getting worse, if your nipples are cracked and bleeding, or severe nipple pain persists during entire feed indicating a latch issue.

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PMS Premenstral Syndrome; A Natural Alternative Part 2

Natural Treatment for PMS

Many PMS symptoms do respond well to simple lifestyle changes and safer, more affordable,  traditional time-honored remedies. Experiment with the suggestions below and find those that work best for you. Allow a few cycles with each to properly assess their impact. But, full recovery  begins when you start by honoring your cyclic lunar nature and giving yourself permission to take a monthly hiatus. Trust your body’s inner wisdom and ability to tell you what’s needed. Use this information to reset and heal, embrace your inner wild and the full range of emotions you feel from grief and rage to joy and calm. 

The goals are to reset your body and its natural ability to heal and function optimally by: 

• Reducing root causes like inflammation, toxic exposures, estrogen excess and stresses, gut flora and blood sugar imbalance

• Getting adequate nutrients from food, nature and supplements

• Supporting your stress response, liver and regular bowel movements for detoxing

• Empowering mindset and nurturing your spirit.

SELF-AWARENESS

To increase self awareness, start a journal of your symptoms, noting when they occur in relation to your menstrual cycle, the degree to which each one bothers you or interferes with your ability to function as usual, what triggers them, and what helps. Also pay attention to the food you eat and how it affects you. Try to list at least one possible symptom and some ways in which the PMS experience can be viewed and used to your benefit, an opportunity for deeper meaning and transformation.

Identify vulnerable times and plan accordingly. For example, avoid situations likely to provoke difficulties, put off important decisions and problem solving until later in your cycle when you feel more balanced and clear, schedule extra time for rest, relaxation, enjoyable activities, and support from family and friends.

Openly acknowledge your symptoms to yourself and others most affected to enhance understanding and acceptance. Create your sisterhood tribe of like-minded uplifting women and share your experience with them. We are wired for community. Aside from feeling that you are not alone and isolated, community helps you feel connected, understood and validated, as well as loved and supported. This may also lead to a good laugh and soul nurturing hugs…both are very healing. If you don’t have a community, start by finding a local red tent meetup near you, join the red tent movement or organize your own red tent or moon lodge women’s circle.

DIET AND LIFESTYLE

A healthy diet can make a world of a difference and has short term and long term health benefits that extend far beyond relief of PMS. Maintain excellent nutrition by eating 3 whole, real, organic meals and healthy snacks throughout the day of a variety of nourishing foods. Listen to your body and eat only when you are hungry. 

Include lots of organic fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, and fermented foods like kimchi. If you eat grains, make sure they are whole. Eat 20-30 grams protein three times daily such as in nuts, nut butters, seeds, beans, and pastured organic animal protein if not vegan (like wild Alaskan or Norwegian salmon and other fresh cold water fish from non polluted waters, organic pastured eggs, chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, and organic pastured raw goat or sheep dairy). Add a few TBS of ground flax seed to your daily smoothie, applesauce or oatmeal.

Make sure to boost your intake of cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage to balance your hormones. Load up on healthy fats and protein if your symptoms are primarily emotional. Many women feel best physically and emotionally by avoiding genetically modified foods, cane sugar (raw honey, maple syrup, coconut and date sugar are better substitutes), soy, dairy (especially cow) and gluten (choose gluten free grains like oats, kasha, millet, quinoa, and nut flours for baking), and organic living. Eat a paleo, or ancestral diet, basically basically how we used to eat when hunting and gathering, before the mass industrialization of food. Switch to using organic foods, body and household cleaning products without harmful toxic chemicals as much as possible. 

Drink at least 64 ounces per day of filtered, spring or well water between meals (at least 20-30 minutes before or 2 hours after eating). Use cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil or organic goat butter or ghee as your primary cooking fat, with sea salt and herbs for seasoning.

Foods to limit or avoid altogether include:

• Processed foods high in sodium, chemicals, refined (white) flours, gluten, soy, cane sugar, partially hydrogenated fat, as these substances all exacerbate PMS symptoms and cause weight gain, as well as other health problems. 

• Commercially raised meat, eggs and milk products from hormone and antibiotic medicated animals confined and not fed their natural clean diet. Depending on your symptoms, you may need to avoid dairy completely. 

• Caffeine found in coffee, black tea, soda, chocolate, and combination over the counter drugs to relieve menstrual cramps such as Midol.

• Alcohol, smoking, and street drugs.

• Toxic cosmetics and body products, household and workplace chemicals, plastic food containers and packaging, pesticides.

• Mind altering medications like sedatives, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, antihistamines and steroids, even common antibiotics and over the counter medications like acetaminophen and ibuprofen unless absolutely and medically necessary. You can aim for a medication free life as much as possible.

Investigate natural alternatives to medications. Acupuncture, Chinese herbs and homeopathy have provided relief to many women with all types of menstrual problems. They are especially helpful if your PMS symptoms are recurrent, chronic and/or so disturbing as to interfere with your sense of health and wellbeing. Try the lifestyle changes and natural supplements and herbal remedies discussed here for a few months, track how you feel and marvel at how much better you feel.

Consult some of the many resources available that discuss how to make healthy but delicious changes in your diet at home and on the road, such as Eating Well for Optimal Health by Dr Andrew Weil and Dr. Kelly Borgan’s Mind of Your Own: The Truth About Depression and How Women Can Heal Their Bodies to Reclaim Their Lives. Wonderful wholesome paleo cookbooks include:

•  Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat

• The Wellness Mama Cookbook: 200 Easy-to-Prepare Recipes and Time-Saving Advice for the Busy Cook

• Paleo Comfort Foods: Homestyle Cooking for a Gluten-Free Kitchen

•  Make it Paleo: Over 200 Grain Free Recipes For Any Occasion.

Make sure you are getting enough sleep at night, and rest during the day, and that you get plenty of fresh air and adequate exposure to sunlight during non-peak hours. Weather permitting, spend at least 20 minutes outside with nature in the early morning or late afternoon sun each day.  Allow time for enough sleep at night and rest during the day.

Regular exercise does wonders to prevent and relieve PMS symptoms. Take a brisk walk, dance or an aerobics class, swim, hike, cycle, play tennis, or do whatever moderate activity you enjoy for at least 30 minutes 5 times per week. Authentic yoga has many added benefits, such as enhancing deeper relaxation, inner balance and improving general well-being. I suggest trying a few studios to find the best fit for you, taking regular classes as well as creating your own yoga sanctuary for home practice.

SUPPLEMENTS FOR PMS

For general health and physical and emotional well-being, make sure to take the supplements here that include a whole food multivitamin, omega threes, probiotics, Vitamin D, plus:

• Calcium, 250-500mg 2-3 times daily

• Magnesium glycinate, citrate or taurate, one of the most important supplements for women, 500-800mg 1-2 times daily (aim for approximately equal amounts of calcium and magnesium, or even double the magnesium, but you can reduce the magnesium if you get diarrhea, or divide the doses throughout the day with the capsules or in tasty powder form) and bathe in it before bed for 15-20 minutes, adding 1 cup Epsom salts to your bath for a restful sleep

• Vitamin B complex, 20-50 mg 1-2 times daily with methylated folate  

• Vitamin B12 sublingual (under the tongue), in the form of methyl, hydroxo or adenosyl cobalamin,) 1000-5000 mcg daily to 2-3 times weekly depending on symptom severity and blood levels

• Vitamin E, 400 IU 1-2 times per day (higher doses with premenstrual water retention and cramps)

• Curumin (Turmeric), 500 mg 1-3 times daily to reduce inflammation linked to depression, anxiety and other mental health challenges

• Evening Primrose oil, Borage or Black Currant oil, 500-1300 mg 1-2 times daily

• Maca powder or capsules to balance your hormones, stress response and relieve PMS

• DIM (Diindolylmethane), 25 mg of 25% diindolylmethane, from Brassicacae vegetables and/or Sulforaphane, 400-800 mg daily, or add Broccoli Sprout powder to your cooking to balance the estrogen dominance

Make sure you are getting enough essential fatty acids by taking 1000-2000 mg of the fish oil with 300 mg DHA/EPA twice daily, and adding the additional Evening Primrose, Borage or Black Currant oil all with GLA (gamma linoleic acid). Metagenics, Vital Choice, New Chapter, Innate Response and Nordic Naturals make high quality, trusted fish oil supplements, tested free of toxins and pollutants. But, as with all supplements, give a 6-8 week trial of continuous use to see results.

If You Have Troubling Emotional Symptoms

Implement the lifestyle changes and natural remedies for stress and emotions that apply not only in pregnancy but beyond, and certainly are critical for relief of troubling emotional PMS symptoms. Learning how to calm yourself and activate your relaxation response is key, using a regular practice of meditative breathwork. Biofeedback, energy medicine, hypnotherapy and self-hypnosis can also do wonders, but deeper transformative healing, release of stuck emotional and past trauma energy comes with conscious connected breathwork.

Spend more time outside in the sun as mentioned above, non peak hours, ideally without or low dose all natural sunscreen. If you do not spend at least 2 hours daily in the sun (a cloudy or winter day is sufficient), buy a full spectrum bright light therapy for the indoors, and expose yourself to 2500-10,000 lux two hours per day.

BALANCING EMOTIONS

Seek balance in your emotional life, instead of going for highs and the lows that follow. Surrender to and embrace the cycles of life and its ups and downs and ups again, and know that day always follows night, and light always comes after darkness. Nothing is permanent, including waves of emotion. Learn how to ride them, move them through your body with dance or breathwork, without getting too attached to any one feeling or the story around it.

Live one hour at a time, or better yet, one moment, one breath at a time. Become intensely conscious of the present, and acutely sensitive to your feelings and inner experiences, using all of your senses. Observe, watch and allow whatever comes up without judgement or thought.

Life is stressful and always has been, and eliminating all outside stress, especially that which we can not control, is not an option. We can only work on changing our outlook about stressors we cannot change. This involves deep profound and rewarding transformation, cultivating spirituality, and an attitude of surrender, acceptance, realizing that very little in life outside of our own way of thinking and behaving is in our control, and believing that everything happens for our ultimate benefit and growth as a human being, even if we do not understand why. 

RELAXATION TECHNIQUES

You can learn to activate your own relaxation response to stressors and quiet your nervous system with breath awareness and relaxation techniques, mastery over your thoughts, and also by modifying what you can in your day to make it less stressful and more in alignment with your core values. This includes, for example:

• Cutting down on the added nonessential burdens in your life, especially if you feel overwhelmed

• Avoiding overscheduling yourself

• Changing work hours to avoid rush hour traffic

• Allowing more time to get places

MINDFULNESS AND MINDSET

A wonderful life-changing approach to internal stress, feelings of depression and anxiety is learning about present moment awareness and mindfulness, and incorporating them into your daily life.

Know that you are in charge of the thoughts you dwell on, feelings and how you react to stressful or painful situations, and that you have the ability to change your attitude and reaction to life experiences to more health enhancing responses. For example, you can surrender to and totally accept unpleasant life events over which you have no power. You can also view them as potential gifts, powerful stimulus to change, a wake-up call, an opportunity for personal growth, redirection and spiritual practice. 

You can always try to focus as much attention as possible on the now, literally without letting your thoughts wander and dwell into the past or imagined future. Mastery over your thoughts, attitudes and reactions can have a dramatic impact on your brain chemistry, balancing the hormones responsible for affecting moods and emotions, and preventing and even treating clinical depression and anxiety.

Reduce feelings of tension and increase feelings of calm centeredness and balanced grounding by taking a “healing interval” to meditate for 10-20 minutes 2-3 times per day. Sit comfortably and quietly. Keep your eyes closed and internally focused between your eyebrows or softly gazing at a low, still object or place (like where the floor meets the wall). Turn off the mental noise and think and do absolutely nothing. Simply be aware of your breathing in all its details, the present moment and everything that you notice within it. If you get lost in thought, simply bring your attention back to watch your breath.

Tap into your spiritual self and practice slow deep abdominal breathing, yoga (especially Yin, gentle and restorative), QiGong, Tai Chi, progressive muscle relaxation techniques (yoga nidra), visualization and guided imagery, or cutting edge stress reduction audio programs and courses. For example, imagine you are in a place where you feel whole, inner joy and peace, and spiritually connected. Or think of a healing or rejuvenating spiritual energy or light flowing through and around you. This is an essential, yet easy to learn, tool with endless benefits and rewards to your physical and emotional health. Locate your nearest Zen Center (Zen is NOT a religion and does not conflict with any religion) or read any book by Thich Nhat Hanh, Pema Chodron, or Shunryu Suzuki to learn the basics of meditation and Zen practice.

Listen closely to your body’s messages. You may need to either slow down or become more busy with things that bring you deeper satisfaction and enrichment. You may need more time for yourself, or you may need to focus more on giving or helping others. It is extremely beneficial to find a small way to help someone in need each day, by giving your time, energy and presence to ease the burden and increase the happiness of even one person. Focus on connections with family and friends, healing relationships, making peace and giving love.

Try to make a conscious effort to increase feelings of forgiveness, appreciation, love, joy, optimism and healing, while letting go of anger, resentment, envy, fear, sadness and negativity. Most importantly, increase your awareness of anxiety provoking, tension causing, or depressive thought patterns that are not serving you. Try to shift your attention to something more positive and ultimately change your mental state. You can actually transform them at their deeper subconscious roots with Clarity breathwork. 

Mastery over your thoughts, attitudes and reactions can have a dramatic impact on your brain chemistry, balancing the hormones responsible for affecting moods and emotions, and  preventing and even treating clinical depression and anxiety. 

BREATHWORK

Start with breath awareness - being more conscious about your breath, and simply focusing all of your attention on your breathing. Get curious about all the details of your sensations as you inhale and exhale, without trying to change anything. Notice what you are currently seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling, tasting. Just watch without judgment. This brings you to the present and is deliciously relaxing. 

Then, sit up straight but comfortably, with your eyes closed, internally keeping your gaze between your eyes, or open and focused on a nonmoving distant object or place. You can do this reclining, as long as you are not likely to fall asleep - the point is to be conscious throughout.  While breathing be mindful, and just observe and release any muscle tension working your way slowly from head to toe. Practice Ujjai breathing. This is done by breathing at the pace and depth that feels right for you, but by inhaling through your mouth or nose, directing the breath into the back of your throat which makes a sound like ocean waves. I think of it like a calm, slow, and smooth circular version of gasping on inhale and fogging a mirror on exhale. This is meditation, combined with the benefits of breathwork.

Before going to bed at night, as well as before rising in the morning, periodically throughout the day, and whenever you feel stressed, triggered, down or upset, practice the following 3-part breathing exercise: 

• Exhale slowly through your mouth with an audible sigh while consciously releasing any and all muscle tension.

• Imaging a pump expanding your abdomen and lower back as you breathe down deep into your belly.

• Allow ribs to expand with air, then inhale air into your upper chest towards your collar bone and shoulders. 

• Inhale in this way for a count of 4.

• Hold for a count of 4 while staying relaxed.

• Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of 4, releasing in the same order as the inhale, collapsing/returning to baseline, your abdomen, ribs, then upper chest.

• Repeat this cycle a total of 8 times or at least a few minutes. This is the ideal form of breathing, as opposed to rapid shallow breathing. With each exhale, let go and relax more. 

Once you get the hang of it, play with various types of breathing. Try  several minutes of inhaling and exhaling, each to a count of 3, 4, 5 or 6 without the hold, keeping it smooth and even. Then double the length of exhalation. For example, so if you inhale to a count of 3, then exhale to a count of 6. 

See how it feels to triangle breathe for a few minutes:. Inhale for a count of 3 or 4, exhale to the same count of 3 or 4, then pause for the same count of 3 or 4, while consciously and deeply relaxing your diaphragm muscle of respiration, as well as all other muscles. Repeat for several cycles.

Then see how it feels to box breathe. To do this, inhale to a count of 3, hold for a count of 6, exhale for a count of 6, hold for a count of 3. Repeat for several minutes. Many love this type of breathing so much they do it as often as they can, such as while waiting, in transit, before rising in the morning and going to sleep at night. 

Another great breathwork technique that disengages your conscious attention from thought and relaxes the nervous system, and can be done any time (like when traveling, waiting in line, resting, bathing, or on the toilet) is forced exhalation. After a normal breath, try squeezing as much air out as possible using your intercostal muscles, then allow breath to come in naturally and deeply, but automatically. Repeat the cycle for several minutes.

These breathwork and relaxation techniques are simple to do, health enhancing, totally safe, and without side effects. If you need more personal guidance, schedule a session with me. 

CREATE A FORTRESS OF POSITIVITY AND INSPIRATION

Minimize time online, especially addictive stressful apps, social media and computer games. Try to stay away from things (like certain books, movies and news), situations and people (like those who are angry, stressed out, negative, pessimistic, critical, fearful or demanding) that agitate your mind, raise your internal tension, bring you down and worsen your emotional state. If someone who you are close with continually criticizes, belittles, demands or negates your feelings, try to give positive straightforward suggestions about approaches that would be more helpful to you, or consider having this person come with you to some professional counseling sessions. 

Surround yourself as much as possible with calm, centered, and positive people, things, sounds and places that inspire, uplift, relax and restore you to inner peace and serenity. Treat yourself to a massage every week, bring more art and music into your life, try to allow time each day to do something you enjoy, and something that makes you laugh. Collect 4-8 hugs per day. The emWave personal stress reliever from the Institute of HeartMath is a wonderful hypnotherapy and biofeedback tool to lessen your body’s reactions to stress.

WHAT’S YOUR BODY TELLING YOU?

Listen closely to your body’s messages as your body is insanely wise. You may need to either slow down or become more busy with important things, or things that bring you deeper satisfaction and enrichment. You may need more time for yourself, or you may need to focus more on giving or helping others. It is actually extremely beneficial to find a small way to help someone in need each day, such as by giving your time, energy and presence to ease the burden and increase the happiness of even one person. Focus on connections with family and friends, healing relationships, making peace and giving love.

It is important to be open and honest about your feelings to yourself and to share important ones with your partner, a close friend or family member, or a professional therapist if needed. Suppressed emotions are ultimately more damaging and they can cause all sorts of physical, psychological and relationship problems if not properly dealt with. It is also essential to periodically release pent up emotions with a good cry, followed by a good hug. Do not hesitate to tell this to your friends and family so they can be more sensitive to your needs. Join a holistic PMS support group and discuss familiar experiences, share feelings, and discuss problem- solving techniques.

For persistent symptoms, make sure to have your provider check a comprehensive thyroid panel with thyroid antibodies, your vitamin D and B 12 levels, fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1C and address issues accordingly. Do what you can to address the root of your symptoms and minimize underlying possible causes. Some women benefit from natural bio-identical progesterone two or even three weeks before the period starts. Discuss with your holistic provider about prescribing it using a compounding pharmacy. Read renowned integrative psychiatrist Dr. Kelly Brogan’s Own Your Self: The Surprising Path beyond Depression, Anxiety, and Fatigue to Reclaiming Your Authenticity, Vitality, and Freedom and take her life changing online course Vital Mind Reset.

Mindful Hatha Yoga Class Series Online Course

$127.00

HERBAL SUPPORT 

There are a variety of herbal formulas that combine some of the herbs listed below, or you can try them individually. Many of the favorites are in my online holistic apothecary under the PMS, menstrual cramping and adrenal support category. It may take several months to notice a beneficial response, so give it time as you are working on your lifestyle. 

Common herbs recommended include Chaste Tree (Vitex), 2-4 dropperfuls 1-2 times daily of the tincture or 1-2 capsules dried herb, up to 500-1000 mg daily, or Don Quai, 1 dropperful tincture or 2 capsules up to 500-1100 mg daily twice daily. 

Physician, midwife and herbalist Dr. Aviva Romm advises additional herbs like: 

• Black Cohosh, 2-4 dropperfuls of the tincture, or 40-80 mg capsules 1-2 times per day

• Peony (which is many of the herbal PMS combinations)

• Adaptogens to support your stress response, regulate blood sugar, increase calm energy, and general well-being like Asian ginseng and American ginseng, Eleuthero, Schisandra, and Ashwagandha, 2-4 dropperfuls of each tincture or 1-2 capsules twice daily

• Dandelion root, Milk Thistle, Artichoke and Curcumin (Turmeric) to support liver clearance of excess hormones, and detoxification. HerbPharm Liver Health, Now Liver Refresh and Gaia Liver Cleanse are excellent combinations.

You can use any of these herbs to calm and support premenstrual emotional stress type symptoms, to relieve insomnia, headaches, and avoid constipation.

For Bilateral Cyclic Swollen or Tender Breasts, Bloating and Water Retention

In addition to everything mentioned above, implement any of these strategies as relevant to you, to reduce bloating and swelling.

Ditch the underwire tight fitting bras (most of the time).

Regularly massage your breasts and chest gently with Almond or Arnica oil to encourage lymph drainage. You may want to ask a massage therapist for guidance. 

Apply a Castor oil pack on your breasts for 1 hour 3 times weekly  to prevent and treat menstrual breast tenderness, but not during heavy bleeding. Soak a large piece of cotton or flannel cloth with cold pressed Castor oil, fold it so it is about 4 inches or layers thick, apply to your breasts and cover with a non toxic eco-friendly plastic bag. Apply heat over it using a hot pack, hot water bottle or heating pad, then cover with another towel. Lay down on a waterproof absorbent pad and rest with it in place for 60 minutes. You can reuse the saturated cloth several times and wash as needed.

Keep well hydrated with plenty of water, as it helps to clear the excess fluid you are retaining. If you do not usually use caffeine, and are interested in a natural diuretic, drink black or green tea regularly premenstrually. Cornsilk tea and Parsley tea are also effective and without caffeine - drink 1 cup 2-4 times per day. And eat more parsley, watermelon, cucumbers, celery, beets, garlic, lemon, cranberries and other natural food diuretics 

Another safe herbal diuretic is Dandelion. Take 1-2 freeze dried 500 mg capsules 500 mg per day. If you need a stronger diuretic, try Hawthorne Berries, 500 mg per day of standardized extract during the time you have premenstrual bloating from fluid retention.

Some find that Vitamin C with bioflavonoids is also helpful. Take 200 mg per day up to 500-1000 mg three times a day premenstrually as needed and tolerated, and increase iodine in food by eating more sea veggies. Take Iodinde as directed if you are deficient. Take a homeopathic combination remedy Mastodynon for relief of breast soreness.

For Cramps and Low Backache 

Experiencing pain is humbling, and it can be a chance for personal growth. It can be an opportunity to practice techniques that will help with life and the inevitable pain that all experience at various points, as part of being human in this world. Techniques like breathing, mindfulness, befriending and relaxing into intense sensations. Pain provides a chance to learn patience, acceptance of normal bodily changes associated with pregnancy, and how to prioritize, delegate, let go of activities of overwork or those that create increased stress, and allow others to help.

Do any of the breathwork techniques discussed in the breathwork section, and throughout all the exercises, practice embracing, relaxing into and even magnifying intense sensations without the mental story about them. Can you make friends with discomfort and pain, instead of trying to escape, numb or fight them? Is there something that they can teach you? Get curious about all of their details, including the borders or edges, and parts of you that feels good, or does not have unpleasant sensations. 

Yes, there are remedies to help alleviate pain. But you will be amazed how effective this practice is, and how much it will help you to better cope with your cramps, as well as with the pain that is an inevitable part of being human. It is the suffering from the pain that is optional, so you can choose not to suffer.

In addition to the above mentioned diet and lifestyle changes:

• Eat more plant based and naturally fermented veggies (kimchi) like sauerkraut

• Stick to real whole organic foods

• Use and eco-friendly natural household and body products

• Eat more fatty fish, like wild Alaskan or Norwegian salmon

• Eliminate processed refined foods, partially hydrogenated fats, caffeine, cane sugar, gluten and dairy

• Limit red meat to low-fat cuts

. Many women report much relief after a few weeks of making these dietary adjustments.

Remedies to start before the cramping:

Apply a Castor oil pack on your lower abdomen for 1 hour 2-4 times weekly  to prevent and treat menstrual cramps, but not during heavy bleeding. Follow same instructions as mentioned above.

Add several drops of one or combination of the essential oils Lavender, Rose, Ginger, Cinnamon, Clove, Marjoram and or Clary Sage into a bottle of Almond or Arnica oil and massage them into your low abdomen each day, starting 1-3 weeks before your period. 

Start or expand on key supplements in addition to those mentioned above like omega threes and calcium/magnesium. Take probiotics as directed, up your vitamin D to 2000-4000 IU depending on blood levels, add 100 mg of each of Vitamin B1 and Vitamin B6. Also consider Vitamin E (in the alpha tocopherol form), 400 IU per day, and Vitamin C, 1000-5000 mg per day a few days before and during the cramping. During the days of heavy cramping, depending on your dietary intake and the severity of your symptoms, you can take 100 mg of Magnesium Glycinate every 2-3 hours up to 1000 mg. Too much magnesium may cause diarrhea in sensitive individuals, but loose stool is a welcome sign if you have been constipated. 

To reduce inflammation and relieve pain, take Curcumin (Turmeric), 1-2 400-500 mg capsules, and Ginger, 1-2 capsules or 500-1000 mg each 1-3 times per day. Also try, Ceylon Cinnamon 2-3 capsules (has been researched effective using up to 3000 mg day) starting the week before your expected period. These are as effective as many over the counter medications, so you can also take it when you feel cramping during the first few days of flow.

Remedies for cramps:

Try modalities for general aches and pains as relevant to you now.

Use organic disposable pads, reusable cloth pads or a Diva menstrual cup when you have cramps...it lessens cramps!

Taking an Epsom Salt bath with a few drops of any of the essential oils Lavender, Rose, Ginger, Cinnamon, Clove, Marjoram and/or Clary Sage, and also put them in your room diffuser.

Rub Menastil on the skin over the lower abdomen. Afterwards, apply locally a hot or cold pack, heating pad, hot water bottle, herbal infused hot or cold pack, or try moist heat using a hot damp towel or packs from a hydrocollator (what the professional chiropractors, massage and physical therapists use). Thermacare makes portable disposable heating pads you can wear. 

Use a TENS unit.

Drink Red Raspberry leaf and/or Chamomile tea as much as you like. You can make your own infusion by adding a handful of Red Raspberry leaf or a pinch of Chamomile to 1 qt boiling water in a glass canning jar, covering and steeping Red Raspberry for 4-8 hours or Chamomile for 15-20 minutes. Strain, then add fresh lime or lemon juice, mint leaves or a dash of honey to taste (optional). Another great herbal combination is Earth Mama Period Tea. You can also take Red Raspberry leaf capsules as directed. 

Take two dropperfuls each of Cramp Bark, Black Haw and Motherwort, with ¼-½ dropperful of Chamomile tincture in a little water or juice every few hours.

Another herb that is helpful for painful cramps is Don Quai, 2-4 dropperfuls of tincture 2-3 times per day or 2 dried root 500 mg capsules 2-4 times daily. It can be taken up to every 4 hours in some cases, but only in consultation with an experienced herbalist, doctor of traditional Chinese medicine or integrative holistic practitioner, as there are some safety concerns and herb/drug interactions. 

Black Cohosh can be taken in lower, or higher doses depending on your unique situation, but an average dose in capsules to take is 250 mg 2-4 times daily, or 1 1/2 dropperfuls of tincture a few times per day. 

Try the Chinese herb Xiao Yao Wan with Bupleurum as directed.

Dr. Aviva Romm also reports success with:Valerian (1 capsule) 225 mg first few days, - best taken at night, as it can make you sleepy, and Fenugreek 900 mg 3 times daily. She is a wonderful, trusted, and well respected resource for natural remedies and herbal medicine as a physician, midwife and herbalist, and has much to offer regarding effective alternative modalities and herbs for pain relief.

Get a menstrual or mayan abdominal massage. Initially, you may want to consult a massage therapist, although eventually your partner may be able to learn some of the basics. 

Other effective alternative practitioners you can consult include specialists in homeopathy, yoga therapy, Shiatsu, reflexology, energy work, hypnotherapy and guided imagery, acupressure and acupuncture, and traditional Chinese medicine.

If you still need an over the counter medication and you are not planning a pregnancy, take one aspirin with food each day during the week BEFORE your cramping begins, to reduce the production of substances called prostaglandins responsible for cramping during the actual period. If the cramping is still uncomfortable when your period comes, acetaminophen (Tylenol), aspirin or ibuprofen (Motrin) can be taken as directed for relief if needed on a rare occasion, but it really is less toxic to avoid these medications which are not as benign as we have been led to believe, and use the natural alternatives instead.

For additional resources, read Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom (Revised Edition): Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing, by beloved integrative holistic OB/GYN Dr. Christiane Northrup and Wellness Mama - ‘an online resource for women and moms who want to live a healthier life...fact-checked by our editorial and research team and reviewed by medical advisors for accuracy.’

For any natural remedy you use, give a two to three month trial to see how it affects you. Do your own research. Just because it is natural does not mean it is safe in any amount or combination for you to take. When in doubt about herb and supplement dosing unique to you, interactions, side effects and concerns, or you simply need more personalized guidance, consult your holistic or integrative medical provider, seasoned naturopath, herbalist, or If you need personal guidance, don’t hesitate to arrange with me an online coaching call or an in person holistic gynecology appointment. 

Contact your practitioner if these suggestions do not help, especially if your PMS symptoms are severe enough to cause you significant personal or interpersonal difficulties, if your symptoms do not go away after the first few days of your period and/or last throughout most or all of your cycles, if your symptoms persist or worsen despite trying these suggestions, if you are at risk for harming yourself or others, abusing drugs or alcohol. 

INITIAL POSTPARTUM CARE AT HOME: YOUR COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE - PART TWO

POSTPARTUM CARE AT HOME: YOUR COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE FIRST FEW WEEKS - PART TWO

Do see last month’s blog for Postpartum Care at Home: Your Comprehensive Guide to the First Few Weeks - Part One.

Dealing With Postpartum Exhaustion

Welcome to motherhood!  Caring for a newborn and recovering from childbirth is no small task.  Fatigue can easily lead to exhaustion, infection, irritability and depression if you do not listen to your body’s signals for increased rest during this time. 

The best way to minimize fatigue is to spend the first two to four weeks after birth (longer after cesarean) caring only for yourself and your baby, while someone else (like your partner, a close relative or friend) tends to the other needs of the household. No need to feel guilty for doing nothing other than resting, taking care of you and your baby during this time. This is your sole job right now, with nothing else on your plate. 

Many of the suggestions for fatigue in pregnancy still apply, but other suggestions specific for postpartum to prevent exhaustion include:

• Eat well, at least three whole food varied healthy meals and snacks, without skipping meals

• Drink at least 8-10 glasses (64 ounces) of water daily

• Take recommended supplements, to ensure you are getting all the nourishment not you need for yourself and your baby while you breastfeed and recover, that is not supplied by diet alone. 

• If you are anemic or had excessive blood loss after birth, be sure to take herbal iron at least for the first 6-8 weeks postpartum, until you feel back to yourself and your labs including iron stores are normal. 

• Try to plan so that for the next 2, ideally 4 weeks, someone other than you is doing errands, cleaning, preparing meals for you and your family, and tending to the older siblings.

• Consider hired help (such as a mother’s helper or postpartum doula, a cleaning lady and even a personal chef or healthy meal delivery) if you do not feel you have enough support, or after your support leaves. This can be put on your online baby gift registry and is much more essential than stuffed animals, toys and an oversupply of newborn clothes Baby will soon grow out of.

• Be honest and direct about communicating your needs. Don’t be afraid to delegate responsibilities to others.

• Gratefully accept offers to help. Remember this is not just a much needed time to heal from the birth, but it is also a sacred time to get to know your baby and learn to breastfeed. As long as you are well supported, allow yourself to enjoy this special time and bask in the loving support of others.

• Rest, sleep and lounge as much as possible during at least the first month postpartum. Nap when Baby naps and ask a friend or relative to take the older kids for even an hour or two each day so you can do this. When you have a choice between folding the laundry or doing the dishes and napping, choose napping. Do not give into the temptation to do any housework, errands, childcare or cooking, as these tasks can be delegated to others during this time while you are recuperating. This is not a time to be supermom. Allowing yourself this extra time to rest now, will help you stay well physically and emotionally for you and your family, and will help you feel back to yourself sooner.

• Be strict with visitors. Don’t be shy about suggesting when it’s best for them to visit or excusing yourself if you feel tired. Ideally, put a sign on your front door saying something like,

“New moms and babies need lots of rest and help. We are resting now, please do not disturb. But, we would love a short quiet visit between {insert baby’s most awake hours}. If you would like to stay longer, please bring or cook a meal, play with our older children, or do some housework like the dishes or laundry.”

• Ask your partner to tend to the baby at night after you breastfeed for burping, diaper changing, settling, or holding skin to skin. Once breastfeeding is well established, your partner can also give the baby a bottle of expressed breast milk for one of the night feedings.

• Keep night feedings dark, quiet and boring so that baby will eventually learn to sleep longer periods of time during the night.

• If you can’t fall asleep at night, try these suggestions for insomnia, and make sure to take 1-2 daily naps or rest periods when the baby sleeps. Remember to silence your phone. Better yet, keep it out of the bedroom.

• Limit caffeine and avoid it after 4:00 P.M.

• Limit time on computer and iphone, and avoid it after dark.

• Get daily fresh air and sun exposure during the non-peak hours. 

• Treat yourself to a nice deep tissue massage focused especially on areas of aching muscles, or ask your partner to do it. A soothing simple combination for massage oil includes 3½ ounces Almond oil, ½ ounce Arnica oil, 15-30 drops of your favorite uplifting essential oils like Rosemary, Evergreen (Pine), Peppermint, Spearmint, Rose, Geranium, Ylang Ylang, Orange, Lemon, Citrus blend, Lavender or Jasmine. Shake well before each use, and store in a cool dark place in a glass bottle (this Almond oil comes with an extra 4 ounce travel bottle). A few drops of Vitamin E oil can be added to preserve it.

• After the first few weeks, an occasional weekend in a nice hotel with your partner and baby can be a really nice restorative rest and treat. And so worth the expense, as the hotel staff will clean your room and cook your meals!

• Practice regular yoga and light stretching any time. There are many ways to do it with your baby, or you may benefit more from having some space to do it alone, leaving Baby with pumped breast milk and a trusted sitter. Gradually get back into exercise in the morning or early afternoon after the first several weeks, and increase as tolerated after your bleeding stops and you feel up to it. 

• Do daily 10-20 minutes of conscious connected breathwork that provides you with natural energy and increases vitality. 

• Heed to signs of not getting enough rest, which include:

  • Ongoing exhaustion

  • Feeling run down and achy

  • Excess or prolonged bleeding

  • Inflamed clogged milk ducts

  • Frequent infections and colds

  • Excess emotional irritability 

Report to your practitioner if you cannot sleep, are too exhausted to cope, or your fatigue worsens or does not ease up by six weeks after Baby is born.

Excessive Sweating, Peeing and Shaking

A normal increase in perspiration and trips to the bathroom are common as your body rids itself of additional fluids that developed during pregnancy, and IV fluids if given during labor. Intense shaking right after birth is also common due to the hormonal fluctuations, temperature and body changes after the huge work your body just did to give birth. This is a normal stress response to release the intense energy that was involved.

Suggestions are:

• Ask your partner to hold you when shaking, but do encourage and embrace the shakes, without trying to stop your body from doing what it needs to do in order to reset.

• Take Rescue Remedy to support your normal stress response, if you feel you need it.

• If you are cold, wear absorbent all-cotton clothing and warm socks, dress in layers and cover yourself with warm blankets.

• For sweating and chills not related to infection:

  • Sleep on a large towel or terry cloth sheets.

  • Drink Ginger tea alternating with Cinnamon tea. It is best homemade, by adding a pinch of freshly ground ginger or a stick of Cinnamon to 1 cup boiling water and brewing covered for 15-20 minutes. Or a steep a stick of cinnamon in the water for a few minutes. Strain into a glass mason jar, add honey and or pure nut milk to taste.

  • For severe sweating, get an acupuncture treatment to balance your Qi and promote healing. 

Report to your practitioner persistent sweating that lasts several weeks, chills, muscle aches, and temperature over 100.4 after the first few days.

Dealing with Feeling Fat

This is one of the most common postpartum complaints. Women often struggle with body image issues postpartum, and feel fat. Typically, only about 12 pounds are lost with delivery, another 5 pounds are lost during the first week, and an additional few pounds are lost by the 6 week check-up. It can take several months for the fat stored around your hips and buttocks for breastfeeding and nourishing you during the pregnancy and postpartum, to be used up. So, it is good to remember that the calories used for breastfeeding will help you lose this extra pregnancy weight.  

The rest of the weight gained during pregnancy will have to be lost through a healthful diet and exercise program. Also, it takes at least 6 weeks for the uterus to return to a non-pregnant size, and it takes time and abdominal exercises to tone up the muscles and overlying skin that was stretched. It takes at least several months to return to your pre-pregnant size. 

Remember, breast milk production requires even greater caloric intake than pregnancy, as you are the primary provider of nourishment to your rapidly growing baby. So, this is definitely not an appropriate time to diet, as it deprives you and your baby of essential nutrients. If you gained excessive weight in pregnancy or were overweight before pregnancy, eating varied, whole food of high quality, and avoiding processed foods high in unhealthy fats, refined carbohydrates and sugars, and regular exercise when ready, is usually sufficient.

To summarize:

• Drink 64 ounces filtered, spring or well water daily between meals, at least 20-30 minutes before or 2 hours after eating.

• Eat a balanced, nourishing and varied diet high in:

  • Fresh organic fruit and vegetables

  • Organic tofu and tempeh

  • Beans 

  • Nuts, nut butters, and seeds

  • Organic pastured whole eggs

  • Organic free range, grass fed chicken and turkey, beef, lamb, and wild game

  • Wild Alaskan salmon and other fresh water fish from non polluted waters

  • Organic whole raw dairy-goat or sheep is best

  • Limited whole grains (sprouted is ideal)

  • Organic cold expeller pressed extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, ghee or goat butter 

• Avoid foods that are heavily processed and loaded with unhealthy refined vegetable oils and partially hydrogenated fat, sugars, refined flours and starches.

• Begin regular exercise like brisk walking or dancing as soon as you are able and the bleeding stops. Aim for 30 minutes 4-5 times per week. Pilates is a great way to strengthen your muscles, and especially tone up your core. Yoga will tone your core as well, in addition to increasing total body flexibility and strength, and helping you calm and grounding feelings. Ideally, take a local class like mommy and me yoga or postpartum yoga and Pilates. There are also plenty of online classes until you can manage to get out to an actual class. Light walking, gentle yoga stretching, side lying leg lifts, pelvic floor muscle strengthening, and gentle abdominal toning exercises can be done after the first few weeks. Gradually increase time and intensity as you are able. Listen to your body, though. There is no need to rush or push yourself during this time of needed rest, healing and recovery.

• Historically and in plenty of cultures around the world, a fuller figure is more glorified, respected and honored, and being too thin is not considered healthy or attractive. While obesity is unhealthy and it is important to have a healthy weight and body image, there are many variations in normal weight and body characteristics. Ditch the pervasive media pictures of thin models. They are not realistic, they wreck havoc with body image and often result in you feeling unnecessarily bad about yourself. If you need to, look at the #BodyPositive images of mothers on social media. Be mindful of unhealthy thoughts from modern, western cultural stereotypes that imply “thin is most beautiful” and “looking fat is ugly.” Try to replace them with more true affirmations of pride and gratitude for your body having just grown and birthed your baby. Maintain acceptance and love for your unique body type which is forever changing. Know that you are more than just a body, but a beautiful eternal soul with your own special gifts, attributes and purpose far bigger than that of your body. Even though you are a postpartum woman who has just birthed her baby, you are also physically radiant, lovely, magnificent and have a deeper sort of beauty and wisdom.

Postpartum Depression and Anxiety

Intense emotions, mild depression, anxiety and mood swings are common in the first few weeks after having a baby, as are postpartum struggles. This is especially true if you are overtired and exhausted, without help or support from others, and/or have other stresses, personal issues or other problems. You may find that you are at times down, irritable, easily upset, extremely sensitive, cry without apparent reason, overwhelmed, tense, anxious, and unable to concentrate or remember things.  

Natural remedies to lessen the emotional ups and downs, and help you cope include many that are mentioned in my posts for managing stress and emotions in pregnancy. 

Suggestions specific for postpartum include:

• Minimize fatigue with the tips from the exhaustion section above. A - adequate sleep is crucial.

• Eat a healthy well-balanced diet as described above, but many feel best completely off gluten, dairy, soy and all forms of cane sugar. Consider eating an organic Paleo diet, an ancestral whole or real food way of eating high in pastured organic animal protein and healthy fat, plenty of fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds, with free use of herbs, spices and healthier sugars like raw honey. Try it for a month. You will be amazed how much better you feel physically and emotionally.

• For general health and physical and emotional well-being, make sure to take the supplements here that include a whole food multivitamin, omega threes, probiotics, Vitamin D, plus those specific for symptoms of anxiety and depression:

  • Calcium, 250-500mg 2-3 times daily

  • Magnesium, 200-400mg 2-3 times daily

  • Vitamin B complex, 20-50 mg once daily with methylated folate and 

  • Vitamin B12 sublingual (under the tongue) in the form of methyl, hydroxo or adenosyl cobalamin), 1000-5000 mcg daily to 2-3 times weekly depending on symptom severity and blood levels

  • Curumin (Tumeric), 500 1-3 times daily to reduce inflammation linked to depression, anxiety and other mental health challenges

  • Evening Primrose oil, 500-1300 mg daily

  • Continue your iron supplement if prescribed during pregnancy until you stop bleeding

• Take your encapsulated placenta pills as directed (see supplement section).

• Spend extra time breastfeeding and cuddling with your baby, skin to skin.

• Share your feelings with a close friend, relative, transformational life coach or integrative health professional. An occasional good cry does wonders, as does a good hug, and a good laugh. 

• Write and feel free to share your birth story. Include the details, the lessons you learned about yourself and others, your strengths you have discovered, how you and your partner have grown, and qualities you found that exceeded your expectations.

• Commiserate with other mothers by taking a postpartum yoga or exercise class, or joining a mothering, breastfeeding or parenting class or support group.

• Every day, remember to protect your emotional well-being by doing things that cheer you up and avoiding things that upset you.

• Each morning, shower, brush your hair, put on your usual make-up, and get dressed, even if it is just changing PJs or sweat pants and shirt. After the first two weeks, get dressed in clothes. 

• As soon as you are able and the bleeding stops, begin a regular exercise program such as brisk walking, hiking, low-impact aerobics, more active yoga, dancing or swimming for 30 minutes 4-5 times per week.

• Get out of the house and get some fresh air at least once daily, even for just a little walk in the park, a trip to the farmer’s market, or enjoying a cup of tea with a friend.

• Plan some leisure time away from the baby at least twice a week in the early weeks and more frequently later postpartum, even if just an hour each day.

• Avoid drugs, alcohol and caffeine. 

• Before attempting medication, try the recommended lifestyle changes, natural remedies and herbs for stress and emotions first, as they are non- toxic, effective and address the root causes, unless symptoms are too severe.  If you are already on medication, the natural modalities and suggestions here can be used in adjunct, and can ultimately support you when you one day taper down to lower doses and choose to stop taking them.

• For persistent symptoms, make sure to have your provider check a comprehensive thyroid panel with thyroid antibodies, your vitamin D and B 12 levels, fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1C and address issues accordingly. Do what you can to prevent postpartum depression and anxiety and minimize underlying possible causes.

• In Chinese medicine and many other ancient traditions, the dried placenta powder is recommended postpartum for its powerful healing properties, especially helpful for balancing emotions, prevent or lessen postpartum depression if there is a risk or history. Many doulas and birth professionals encapsulate placentas. If you encapsulated your placenta, take as directed by the provider who encapsulated it. 

Report to a healthcare professional if your symptoms of depression or anxiety worsen or last more than the first few weeks, if they interfere with your ability to carry out your daily tasks, if you notice significant changes in your eating and sleeping habits, if you feel desperate, hopeless, afraid, unable to cope, or have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby. 

Siblings

Postpartum is always a time of adjustment for siblings. It’s healthy and normal, and they each handle it differently. The youngest tends to have the hardest time, but not always. Some temporarily regress a bit. Some show upset towards mom, dad, or the new baby. Others become more needy and try to get negative attention and act out, if they can not get enough attention in a positive way. 

Although your heart doubles with each new baby, meeting the needs of the older children and balancing that with your own healing and newborn care can be challenging. Having a strong network of family, friends, mothers with similar aged children, or hired help is essential in the early weeks. This support system can help with the siblings’ care, give you time to heal, rest, and focus on the baby and mastering breastfeeding. Extra support is especially important if the sibling is a toddler or young child, as they usually need the most tending to. 

Take a deep breath and let compassion run through you, and imagine how you would feel if your partner just brought home a new girlfriend everyone's all excited about and loving towards, and encouraged you to love her too. Reassure them they are loved, give them a lot of approval, and include them in age appropriate ways if they are interested in helping to encourage them to feel involved and important. Try to spend some quality time with each of them alone regularly, so your attention can be focused on them completely without interruption, ideally after Bbaby has been fed and can be held by someone else. 

It is important to avoid expressing criticism or anger towards them when they are seeming to be acting out or trying to help, and do not suppress the expression of their feelings. A great book written in easy to read comic strip form, with great suggestions on helping older children adjust healthfully is Siblings Without Rivalry by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish.

If you haven’t already done so, get the wonderful book written by herbalist, midwife, and doctor Aviva Romm, Natural Health after Birth, for a more complete holistic and heartfelt guide to postpartum healing and wellness.

Need more help from me?

Check out my signature online comprehensive prep course - Love Your Birth insider’s Guide to the joys and challenges of recovering from birth in these modern times created by a seasoned holistic nurse midwife who has seen everything! Learn simple tricks of the trade to make the journey to motherhood more holistically healthy and fulfilling.
You will have direct access to me through the course if you choose the bundle and I can help you:

• Help yourself recover postpartum healthfully and with easeful joy

• Get the support and guidance you need to answer all of your questions to create a postpartum experience you love and treasure forever

• Understand holistic modalities on common postpartum issues

• Get the support and tools you need for stress reduction

• Answer questions and make informed decisions

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Give yourself this gift a lifetime to have the experience of your dreams, you will treasure forever.
As always, if you need more personalized support and guidance, schedule a chat with me so I can advise you about the best supplements, remedies and dosages specific to your situation.

My Natural Birth Secrets book 2nd edition is a great adjunct to the online Guide for postpartum and holistic modalities to common issues and discomforts.

For general postpartum healing: