WELCOME NEW & EXPECTING PARENTS!
It is my honor and pleasure to work with you during this special and sacred moment in life! I've compiled some information below for the families I work with about this time period, my approach and the traditions that inspire my work. You will also find below a list of foods and plants to favor and practices to engage in for optimal health and recovery. I hope you enjoy reading through this and I look forward to supporting and nourishing you all.
Warmly,
Alicia
Why we need postpartum support!
The early postpartum period is a time like no other time in life; it is magical, messy, miraculous and full of emotional highs and lows. During this special moment in life, the newborn baby, the person who gave birth and the entire family goes through a tremendous transition. The experience of giving birth creates an opening in the heart, a rare and special opportunity to strengthen your connection to spirit. Often in our modern day, we spend a great deal of time preparing for birth but give little thought to the weeks that will follow. It is key to remember that during “The Fourth Trimester” the journey of birth is still unfolding; both newborns and newly born (or expanding) families are vulnerable and sensitive, in need of emotional, spiritual and practical support.
Fourth Trimester Nourishment: Healing Practices, Plants & Foods for the Early Days Postpartum
About the "Fourth Trimester"
There are rich cultural traditions from countries around the world ~ India, China, Africa to Australia ~ that engage in special practices, customs and rituals that nurture the person who gave birth, the baby and other members of the family for a minimum of six weeks postpartum. In our modern day, often the baby gets the majority of the attention and the physical and emotional wellness of the new parents are overlooked.
Ayurveda is a 4000-year-old holistic “science of life” that comes from India. In Ayurveda, the postpartum period is seen as “a rare and sacred window.” In Traditional Chinese medicine, this time period is similarly referred to as “the Gateway.” There is an idea in Ayurveda that choices for the first 42 days postpartum influence the health of the person who gave birth and the baby for the next 42 years of life. The relationship between partners is also affected. Thus, we can think of the time we spend on self and family care during this moment as a long-term investment in our bodies and spirit. About this period of time, AyurDoula, Ysha Oakes said, “You have a rare opportunity to extend and strengthen spiritual opening from bringing your baby into the world. Your heart will guide your rejuvenation if you let it. Your biological program is deep rest.”
The US is the only developed nation in the world lacking public policies that support women with some kind of paid compensation after giving birth, such as paid maternity leave from their job or financial assistance if they do not have a job. Midwives, Childbirth Educators, Doulas and other "birth keepers" often encourage people to view the first three months as “The Fourth Trimester.” We need at least 3 months for (basic) physical recovery, spiritual integration and emotional assimilation. While three months is a big milestone, many people say it takes at least eight months to a year, or longer to feel settled into your new roles.
POSTPARTUM ENERGETICS:
While my background is varied and I integrate various approaches to health and wellbeing in my work, I find the energetic system of Ayurveda, especially as it applies to Postpartum extremely helpful when deciding what foods to consume. Pregnancy and Postpartum are considered time periods that are dominated by “Vata” Dosha in Ayurveda. The elements of Vata Dosha are Air and Space. Qualities of Vata are dry, light, cold, mobile, empty, subtle rough, clear. Alongside the tremendous joy of becoming a parent, there is also a great deal of change. Physically there are extra wastes, inflammation and a weakened digestive system. The experience of giving birth creates an immense opening and that opening brings sensitivity. Emotionally there may be frequent mood, new types of worry, weepiness and even moments of overwhelm. The first week is especially full of highs and lows.
Guiding Principal: Nourish the Prime Nourisher/Nourishers
Warm, healing foods and beverages, high quality fats and healing touch are key to rejuvenation. The practices below will give you a framework for your postpartum care.
IMPORTANT PRACTICES:
Skin-to-Skin
If possible engage in immediate skin-to-skin for two hours interrupted after baby's birth and continue to do so as much as possible for the first days, weeks and months beyond. Partners also engage in skin-to-skin, especially if mother and baby need to be separated immediately after birth. Skin-to-skin promotes healthy suckling/breastfeeding, less crying and keeps babies warm and feeling nurtured. When babies are close to their mothers it also helps mothers observe feeding cues and it keeps baby calm.
Keep Warm
Many postpartum traditions discuss the importance of keeping the body warm and preserving heat and energy immediately after birth. There is a huge loss of heat and blood after birth and the body is in a very open state. The most important way to keep the body warm in our day is by eating warm nourishing foods and beverages that kindle your digestive fire (more on this below). That being said, especially in colder months, make sure to dress warmly, wear socks, drink hot or room temperature beverages, avoid cold foods and showers and sitting around with cold wet hair. Snuggle up with wool blankets, with each other and be careful of drafts. Massage with warm oil and warm foot baths are also lovely.
Rest, Relax, Retreat
Practice a great deal of “Lying-in" ~ spending time with your baby and partner simple lying in bed, gazing at one another, getting to know each other quietly in the comfort of home. Rest & Sleep whenever possible. Learning infant sleep stages (deep sleep, light sleep, quiet alert, active alert, crying) is key and incredibly helpful for successful breastfeeding. Take naps when baby is sleeping or simply rest your eyes. Dim the lights in the house, draw curtains closed, play soft music and retreat into the magic of the moment. Engage in deep breathing and healing touch with each other.
Get & Define Support
Discuss in advance the roles of anyone who will be in your home with you ~ from professionals to family and friends. If you have family and friends nearby, discuss who will be "visitors" and who will be "helpers." Perhaps set time limits on visits (or Skype/Facetime calls) and limit number of visitors per day or week. Create signage to give info to those coming by, such as "We are so happy you are here! We appreciate it if you please take off your shoes and wash your hands upon entering." "We are super excited for you to meet our baby, but we also tire out quickly, we ask that visits be no more than an hour at present." "If you would like to help us with something, here's a list of things we could always use a hand with...."
Have a CLC or IBCLC's phone number (or a few) saved in your phone! Ideally you don't want to have to search for this support person late in the game. Same goes for all other health professionals you are working with. Having phone numbers handy will provide calm and ease in the times you need support.
Don't be afraid to ask for the help you need. In the same breath, don't be afraid to tell people when you need to be alone!
Nourish your Partnership
Remember that everyone involved in this moment is going through a rebirth, as is your relationship. Communication and the expression of needs and experiences is so important. Check-in with each other regulalry and try to stay open and flexible.
Whole body care
It's easy to let self-care go in this moment! I will be there to nourish you and support you in this. Remember to do some gentle movement (light walking, super gentle stretching, self massage). Get bodywork whenever possible. Make sure to engage in bottom and vagina care. For the long term (not immediate postpartum), think about pelvic floor & abdominal rejuvenation.
FOOD & DRINK:
Drink plenty of warm or room temperature water. Drink whenever you feel thirsty.
Eat warm easy to digest foods and flavor with digestive herbs and spices. Favor warm, oily and moist foods such as soups, stews, slow cooked grains with extra water, broths & stewed fruits. Cook with digestive spices and high quality oils/fat. Eat a great deal of pureed or other soft foods for the first two weeks or until digestion feels stronger.
Favor naturally sweet foods. Add the salty flavor after the first few days. A little sour can be integrated early on as well. You will need the other tastes also – bitter, astringent and pungent - but in much smaller amounts. Sweet, salty and sour tastes calm Vata and are grounding, warming, soothing and rejuvenating.
Some great foods for the first 2 weeks (and beyond) include: New Mother’s Dahl with split red lentils or mung beans, congee or soft rice with spices, broths, pureed root vegetable soups like carrots and butternut squash, roasted root vegetables, warm rice pudding, homemade chicken soup and bone broths, stewed dark dried fruits with spices, simple Ayurvedic kitchari, quinoa with ghee, egg and soft veggies, warm milks and herbal tea, spiced ghee and room temperature fresh fruit juices.
Eat high quality fat: Extra intake of special fats helps to gently cleanse, gives long burning stable blood sugar and energy, lubricates the body, supports digestion and helps constipation. Ghee, sesame oil, grass-fed butter, avocado oil, coconut oil, grass fed animal fats and extra virgin olive oil. Nut and seed oils (such as hemp, pumpkin and walnut) I only recommend for drizzling, not for cooking.
Use digestive spices: During the first week favor ginger, black pepper, pippali, roasted or sautéed garlic, cardamom and clove. Fennel, fenugreek, basil, cumin and caraway and roasted garlic are also great. Other useful spices include cardamom, cinnamon, fresh ginger, turmeric (in moderation), pinches of hing, hingvastk, lime, orange or lemon juice and peel, nutmeg (if no constipation) paprika, mustard seed, cayenne, tamarind, marjoram.
Protein: Hulled mung beans or lentils soaked overnight and well cooked, with extra water for early days, spices and ghee, paired with grain so as to be a complete protein. Eggs. Bone Broths & Meat soups. Grass-fed stewed meat with fat, poultry and well sourced fish when ready. Boiled warm milk, milk puddings, ricotta, cottage and other soft fermented cheeses (in time, one might be careful with dairy in case baby is sensitive, start slowly).
Nutrient-rich Carbs: Extra carbs are indicated according to Ayurveda. Basmati rice cooked with an extra ½-1 cup water per cup of rice. Oats, amaranth and quinoa. Yams, squashes, root vegetables (see below).
Fruits: Iron rich dark fruits such as dates, prunes, apricots, and figs, goji berries, jujube dates ~ consume either stewed or soaked. Sweet room temperature fruits and fresh squeezed (not cold) juices. Eat fruits separate of meals. Papaya. Coconut milk. Berries.
Cooked Root Vegetables: Favor pureed and roasted root vegetables first: Sweet potatoes, carrots, all varieties of squash such as butternut, kabocha, spaghetti, acorn, celery root, parsnips, yellow and red beets (red after bleeding stops), pumpkin, yucca root
Cooked “Green” Vegetables: Asparagus, beet, carrot, fresh dill, fresh fennel, okra, avocado, artichoke, spinach, swiss chard, summer squashes – cooked until tender with fat/oil and spices. Well-seasoned green beans and kale once digestion is going well.
Warm Milk or Nut Milks favor unhomogenized organic dairy milk, if possible and gently boil for digestibility. Add spices such as cardamom and ghee or unsalted butter. Nutmilks make your own with soaked nuts and dates.
Soft Diary with spices. if you and baby tolerate it: whole milk and whole milk yogurt, soft cheeses such as ricotta, cottage cheese, cream cheese, mozzarella, goat cheese, feta cheese, heavy and whipped cream
Seeds & Nuts: Favor seeds for the first few weeks. Toast lightly to bring out flavor. Soak nuts or add into grains while cooking.
Sweeteners: Honey, Maple Syrup, Black Strap, Molasses, Sucanut, Jaggary. Do not cook honey.
Misc: Nutritional Yeast (especially needed for vegetarians as a source of vitamin b12 & amino acids), Maca
Eat plenty of fiber!
Eat Probiotic Rich foods and/or supplement accordingly!
AVOID: Foods that are dry, cold, heavy and sharp/pungent foods. Avoid cold food and drinks, salads, raw garlic, “dead” left overs and dried foods, such as crackers. Brown rice in moderation, it is drying. Careful with dry teas and spices (chamomile, cinnamon, turmeric). Avoid all Hydrogenated or cooked vegetable oils. Careful with the cabbage family, cruciferous vegetables, and chilies.
Sometimes babies don’t do will with the following: milk/dairy, tomatoes (rashes), Peppers, peanut & peanut butter, caffeine, citrus fruits, wheat, broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, corn, soy, chocolate.
Never cook with honey. (Honey in warm beverages is fine).
Avoid substantial quantities of sage, thyme, parsley, rosemary. Avoid star anise and peppermint. (There are many other herbs to avoid, these are just the most common place).
HERBS & OTHER PLANTS:
Some of my favorite nutritive herbal infusions for the postpartum period are:
Oatstraw & Milky Oat Seed, Oats
Red Raspberry Leaf
Rose Hips
Nettles
Ayurvedic “Sweetwater” ~ Fennel & Fenugreek
Fresh Ginger (after bleeding has quieted)
Goji berries and Jujube dates
Bodycare:
Bottom care (mother): Witch Hazel, Aloe (external use only, fresh plant is best), Hydrosols, Sitz Baths with appropriate herbs or Epsom salts
Belly care: warm oil massage with, gentle circular movements
Full body massage with warm oils
Warm foot baths
A NOTE ON SCENT & ESSENTIAL OILS:
Used sparingly around baby and not before nursing. Baby's sense of smell is very developed and plays a very important role is breastfeeding. The most soothing smell for your baby and the smell that encourages lactation and bonding is your smell!
Do not use diffusers, scented candles, scented oil, strongly scented house cleaners or perfumes. If you use essential oils for mood support, use direct palm inhalation or refreshing mists in moderation. Wash hands after direct palm inhalation. Use in massage oil on legs and feet only, or immediately before showering.
Additionally, note that babies nervous systems are very sensitive and essential oils are, by nature, incredibly strong.
Some of my favorite essential oils for postpartum include:
Clary Sage
Lavender
Jasmine
Helichrysum
Some of the sources referenced above include:
Touching Heaven, Tonic Postpartum Care with Ayurveda by Ysha Oakes, LMT, Ayurvedic Cook and AyuDoula
The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother by Heng Ou with Amely Greeven and Marisa Belger
Natural Health After Birth: The complete Guide to Postpartum Wellness, by Aviva jill Romm
The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby & Child Care, Sally Fallon Morell & Thomas S Cowan, MD
Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding, Ina May Gaskin
The Natural Pregnancy Book, Aviva Jill Romm
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, La Leche League International