Acupuncture for postpartum recovery
Here’s a question for you. When you were first starting out in life and arrived at work for your first day in your first ever job, what happened?
Did your new boss show you to your desk, plonk a stack of files in front of you, and tell you he wanted reports on the table by five o’clock that afternoon? No? I didn’t think so.
In fact, you probably had a bit of a honeymoon period to allow you to settle in. Time to learn where the toilets were, how to work the coffee machine and who to go to submit your expenses claims.
These days we’d call that process an induction, and it happens because employers know that new members of staff – and especially new members of staff who’ve never had a full time job before – need time to settle in and learn how their role fits into the company.
I’ve always found it amazing that we’ve effectively stopped the ‘induction’ process for those who are new to the most difficult job in the history of time: parenting.
Different cultures and societies deal with the period of new motherhood differently, but most apply and observe (or, at least, once applied and observed) broadly the same principles of care in the period immediately after giving birth.
The length of this period of postpartum care (from the Latin meaning after childbirth) differs from one culture or society to the next.
It is still widely observed in Indian and Chinese society and culture.
As a new mum in my own culture, I was encouraged to stay within in my room for five weeks so I could rest and connect with my baby. As is customary in Indian culture, I was taken care of by other female family members who nurtured me with specific foods and herbs, gave me massages with special oils and took care of all the household chores that would normally have fallen to me to do.
Very similar support systems are in wide use in China and variations of this operate in other cultures all around the world.
Here in the UK it was only a generation ago that women were kept in hospital for a fortnight after giving birth, encouraged to rest whilst their babies were cared for in a nearby neonatal unit and encouraged to bond through physical bonding and close contact.
Admittedly, this postpartum care may have been more ‘sterile’ than the care at home I received, but it was care that nevertheless recognized that new mothers need time with their newborn free from other less important daily pressures in order to make the best possible start to life as a parent.
Yet in this ultra-modern, ultra-frantic world, we inhabit today we no longer seem to focus on this important part of the journey that mother and baby take together in the first days and weeks following birth.
Today, if the birth has gone well, mothers leave hospital within 24 hours, and sometimes the same day. There is an expectation that women will somehow subsume this important role that they have only just taken on into their previous life without any need to take pause and consider how that might happen.
Social media creates pressure to post happy pictures of smiling mothers and their perfect child. Yet even though almost every child is perfect to its parents, sometimes the lack of sleep, gruelling non-stop feeding and endless nappy changes make it hard to smile.
Being a mum is tough no matter how long you’ve been doing it. But it’s even harder with a new baby and harder still when it’s your first time.
And then, just as you seem to be getting the hang of things, the end of maternity races up and taps you on the shoulder, casting you into a foreign world of expensive nursery care where you pay people to do the job you probably really want to be doing yourself.
If you’re on the journey to childbirth, the chances are you too will be one of the majority of mothers who, through simple necessity, will have to start juggling the demands on your time to fit in with your new role as a mother.
And whilst you may not be able to spend days or weeks resting and bonding with your baby, there are some things you can do to help prepare for birth and give yourself as much time and headspace as possible to try to learn and enjoy your new ‘job’:
Eat for one
You remember that old saying that a pregnant woman is eating for two? Well, it’s true. However, this has less to do with volume of food and more to do eating food that nourishes both you and your unborn child.
In pregnancy, the volume of blood in your body doubles and becomes warmer in order to feed the placenta. Once you give birth, your blood temperature cools and its volume decreases – which can leave you feeling cold and lethargic.
By eating warm foods that are easier for your body to break down and digest you can minimise and control the impact of this transition. In traditional Chinese medicine, this relates to the ‘digestive fire’ that breaks down food into its useful component parts, such as energy and nutrition.
Organise a support structure
Before giving birth, talk to your partner and/or family about realistic ways in which they can support you through the first few weeks of motherhood.
To some extent this care also extends to your partner, if you have one, as you will both need to have time and energy to look after and bond with your baby – but always remember that your role also reflects a genetic responsibility that is yours alone. In other words, your partner needs to help out, too, if they are physically able to do so!
From supplying hot meals for you to easing the burden by doing a bit of vacuuming when they pop in, even the smallest tasks can have an exponentially positive effect on the amount of time you and your new family have to get to know one another.
Get enough rest
We’ve already talked about the importance of rest from the usual hubbub of daily life, but its benefits can’t be overstated. With relief from some of the pressure of running a busy home and life, you’ll have more time to spend with your new son or daughter.
That said, many women also find some degree of normality is reassuring and helpful in building the new routines that will make up life in the future. It’s about being sensible and not doing so much that you miss out on some of the vital bonding that needs your time and attention in the first weeks of motherhood.
Don’t expect too much
As I’ve already said, the first weeks of motherhood – in fact, of parenthood – can be tough both physically and mentally.
Babies don’t come with operating instructions and parenting is a job that’s learned as you go along. Yes, the experiences of friends and family will help, as will any number of parenting books. But it can still be a daunting time.
A friend of mine told me that when he became a father and he brought his wife and new son home from the hospital, they car seat holding the baby onto the floor in their living room, looked at each other, and said: “Now what do we do?”
Parenthood is a journey, so learn to be kind to yourself and forgive yourself the mistakes you will inevitably make. I have yet to meet the perfect parent, and the reason for that is simple: there is no such thing.
You are not going to be the exception that proves the rule, so don’t chase perfection – just do what you can to give yourself the best chance of getting as much as possible right.
Acupuncture for postpartum recovery
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medicine that has been used for thousands of years to treat illness. More recently, there has been a lot more evidence of how acupuncture can be used in the promotion of self-care and the prevention of common conditions.
In postpartum care, acupuncture can help to reduce post-natal ‘overwhelm’, which can manifest in the days and weeks immediately after birth.
Because acupuncture works to restore balance in the body’s natural energy flow, it is a wonderful de-stressor, helping patients to be less fazed by the parental journey they are about to embark on, and making them better equipped to deal with the emotional impact of childbirth.
If you’d like to find out more about how acupuncture can help in your postpartum care, why not get in touch with us for a confidential and no-obligation chat?