Postpartum care and tips for the new Mother
Postpartum is a wonderful time for a new mother and her baby to bond. Most mothers end up going back to work and normal daily life shortly after giving birth, but this is the time they should be taking to completely rest. Traditionally there is at least 30 days of bonding and rest following birth for the new mother and her baby. The birthing process takes a LOT out of a woman. She just spent the last 9+ months growing a human, and then she goes through the major activity of giving birth. The body needs to rest, relax, be supported, and nourished at this time.
In TCM new mothers are often depleted of Qi, Blood, and Yin from giving birth. They are also susceptible to Wind and Cold invasion into the body. It is especially important at this time to stay warm and protected. Digestion will be slower and weaker from being pregnant which causes Spleen Qi Xu. Warm, soft, and easy to digest foods are important to ease the Stomach and Spleen. Eating these nourishing, warm, and healthy foods will help build the Qi and Blood back up.
Here are a few things all mothers can incorporate to help fortify them and heal them, making them stronger and ready to face the world again.
Stay warm.
This includes physically staying warm and eating warm food and drinks. Wear scarves and sweaters. Keep the midriff/abdomen, low back area, ankles, and feet covered and cozy.
2. Avoid iced drinks and cold and raw food.
Avoiding cold, raw food and iced drinks is important all the time, but especially now. Cold foods diminish the digestive fire in the abdomen and make the body have to work even harder to digest food. This puts unnecessary fatigue on the body while it is trying to heal and replenish itself after giving birth. Instead, drink room temperature, warm, and hot drinks. Tea is always a good choice, especially opting for Ginger or Raspberry tea (ginger for warming digestion and easing stomach pain, and raspberry for calming the uterus and cramping after giving birth.) This also means no ice cream :( which is a cold-damp food in TCM. These congeal and slow down absorption and circulation in the body.
3. Rest.
Allowing this time to rest and be taken care of by family members and/or friends. This is the best time to ask for help and support for anything!
4. Hydrate.
Drink lots of water. A lot of water is lost in the birthing process and needs to be replenished in order to make adequate breast milk. Sip on room temperature water throughout the day or warm teas. Bone broth is another amazing choice because it has nutrients and fat to replenish the lost nutrients and help lubricate the intestines. From a TCM perspective, bone broth boosts Qi and builds blood!
Really try to take this time off and fully rest if able. This is a special, one time experience of bonding and being still as mother and newborn. By allowing adequate time for Blood, Qi, and Yin to replenish after giving birth, a new mother will bounce back even stronger than before and live a long and healthy life.
Recipes:
Beef Bone Broth
Ingredients:
4 lbs beef bones
1 white onion, halved
2 inch knob fresh ginger, unpeeled, halved
2 leeks, white parts only, roughly chopped
3 large carrots, unpeeled, sliced into thick rounds
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon whole cloves (optional)
½ teaspoon star anise (optional)
Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
Slow cooker directions: place all ingredients in the slow cooker and add water to ¾ full. Set at low heat and cook for 8 hours. Remove any fat that forms at the top. Ladle out mug servings as needed.
2. Avocado, Coconut, and Lime Smoothie
Ingredients:
½ avocado, pit removed, flesh scooped out from peel
2 cups light coconut milk
2½ tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon lime juice
Pinch of sea salt
Shredded unsweetened coconut for garnish
Directions:
Put all the ingredients (except the shredded coconut) in a blender and blend until smooth. Top with the shredded coconut.
3. Red Date and Goji Tea
Ingredients:
2 cups Chinese red dates
½ cup goji berries
Your choice of sweetener (honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, or stevia) to taste
Directions:
Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a medium pot.
Halve the red dates and add them to the boiling water. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 40 minutes, covered.
Add the goji berries and optional sweetener. Continue to cook for 20 minutes, covered.
Strain and sip throughout the day or store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Recipes from The First Forty Days: the essential art of nourishing the new mother written by Heng Ou.