Don't Forget about Postpartum

Something that I have learned between my first pregnancy and this one is that postpartum recovery is understated. Many woman are told that our bodies will just bounce right back and we will leave the hospital 20 pounds lighter than when we came in, and sure we are losing a lot of weight if you add it up. 6-9 pounds of a baby, an average of 2 pounds of amniotic fluid, 1.5 pounds of placenta, 2 pounds of a grown uterus that is now shrinking, and about 4 pounds of increased blood volume used to help grow your newborn. But they don't share with you that you often leave more swollen than you were before you had your little one due to postpartum water retainment, of that although you lost all this weight your tummy doesn't snap back like a rubber band.

More so than just physical appearance, many woman aren't properly educated about postpartum bleeding, and how to tell what's normal. Or very serious common issues such as the "baby blues" or postpartum depression, and how it's okay to feel a little down for a while.

But you simply cannot take care of yourself and your body so well during pregnancy and then just halt the moment pregnancy ends. Taking care of yourself should never truly hit the back burner if we are being honest! I can confess that I didn't do hardly a thing to help myself after Carter was born and sadly I saw the negative effects that it has had on my body, but this time we are taking no chances! Here are a few things that we are doing to remember that postpartum is not just about the baby.

1. Your Placenta Helps!

Yep. That kinda gross alien looking thing that sustained your newborns life? That is built to help you! You wonder why animals eat the placenta after birth, it's not because they are uncivilized and lack a the understanding that it is "gross", it's because it is built to help momma too. Now I know the image you have in your head and trust me, I went there too.

Placenta Pills (Image by Urban Earth Baby)

I'm not going to sit on the recovery table and take a fork to my placenta. There are actually many ways that you can get the benefits of what your placenta has to offer without being "gross" at all, but first it's important that we understand what your placenta does for you:

• Increased release of the hormone Oxytocin, which helps the uterus return to normal size and promotes bonding with your newborn.
• Increase in CRH, a stress-reducing hormone
• Decrease in postpartum depression levels
• Restoration of Iron in the blood
• Increase in Milk production

Sounds glorious right? Because it is! How can we get these benefits in our body without being grossed out by what we are consuming? A few ways include placenta encapsulation (being the most popular - dehydrating and grinding the placenta into small vitamin like pills you can take), making placenta chocolate truffles, you can cook with your placenta if you so choose or even making a salve to put on your body. Not too shabby right?

2. Bengkunk Belly Binding
Belly binding now days is associated with the image of a famous woman wearing her waist trainer to help her become unnaturally skinny.. get that our of your head. Postpartum wrapping of any kind is not meant to be unhealthy. Many woman wrap with all sorts of wraps postpartum to try to get back to where they were pre-pregnancy, however many woman don't know just what they are doing for themselves. There's more to it than looks!

Bengkunk Belly Binding (Image by Mother Heart Services)

My favorite being the Bengkung style of belly binding. It is an ancient Malaysian binding method that uses a long piece of cloth (typically muslin) to help the following:

• It helps slim the ribcage, belly and waist (back to normal not to unrealistic standards)
• Pulls the separated abdominal walls back together (diastasis recti)
• Helps prevent postpartum back pain, and encourage the prevention of the "nursing slouch"
• Decreases postpartum bleeding time
• It feels good!

It is done 2-3 days after a vaginal delivery and no sooner than 2 weeks after a cesarean and is best achieved with the help of multiple people.

3. Warming Paste

Alongside belly binding you can double up and use a warming past postpartum to get you feeling good. The point of the warming paste is that it will physically warm up your abdominal area to help with the following:

• Increase blood flow to the area to help aid in muscle recover
• Help with toning
• Aid in tightening of loose skin
• Help rid of water retention that the body holds onto post baby

Image by : Sacred Pregnancy

Ingredients:

- Tumeric

- Ginger

- Cinnamon

- Clove

- Cumin

- Cardamom

- Kaffir lime or dried green lime or fresh lime juice (make sure lime is room temp)

- Warm Sesame Oil

Instructions:

- Grind finely together equal parts of dry ingredients

- Add slightly less than 1 teaspoon of fresh lime juice

- Mix 2 tablespoons of dry mixture with 3-4 tablespoons of warmed sesame oil until you have a thick paste

- Gently clean and exfoliate the area to remove dead skin cells

- Apply the paste to the abdomen and sides of waist. Apply thicker in desired areas. Do NOT apply to a cesarean incision until it is fully healed.

- This paste does stain so place a large, thin, white cloth over the paste and then belly bind!

(recipe found at : http://www.justamomonamission.com/ )

Image by : Sea Grape Soap

4. Herbal Tea

There is an abundance of herbal teas that woman take during pregnancy to help with one area or another (be sure to ask your doctor before consuming anything to be on the safe side), so why not use the benefits of herbal tea postpartum as well? Many herbal teas can help you just "feel good" after birth, they help keep the baby blues away and a happy momma means a happy baby!

Happy healthy Recovery!

- T