TheHolisticParent.ORG Postpartum

Postpartum

I could have made the section on postpartum almost as long as our pregnancy section
because there’s so much information out there. I chose not to. Instead, I want to add
only a few simple things I learned along the way to make the life of a new mom a little
easier. I tried to pick a few alternative things because everyone can think of mainstream
advice. Don’t get me wrong; some of the advice is great. Things such as have visitors
bring you meals, your house doesn’t have to be perfect, have help lined up, etc. are all
fine ideas. I found some things though, that are sometimes left out.

Passing Around the Baby

You’ve created and birthed a perfect little life. You’re trying to spend time bonding with
this new tiny person. Visitors are well meaning. Babies are exciting. Everyone wants to
visit and hold the baby. You’ll get stopped and talked to wherever you go, “Oh, how
precious” or “how old?” I’ve even had strangers ask to hold my two month old baby! The
thing that I do not feel our culture understands is that babies are not just big blobs.
They are very much aware! They are also very much meant to be right near their mother
at all times. Imagine being a new little dumpling. You take comfort in your mother’s
arms, the way she feels, her smell, her voice. She is familiar to you, and you know her.
The world is big and scary. A baby’s security is its mother. You probably agree and
instinctually know this. So how do you handle all the well-wishers?
You do not have to say yes to every person that asks to hold the baby! I’ll repeat: you do
not have to. With my first baby, I felt as if it were almost my duty to let other people hold
him. With my second, I was much more guarded, even as she got older. When you’re
feeling particular or just not comfortable, you must listen to this instinct. Each time you
ignore your instincts, you lose a little bit of trust in yourself and your judgment. Your
baby is depending on its instincts and your own. It’s okay to be honest with people or
warn them beforehand that right now you’re only comfortable holding your baby if that’s
how you feel. You can blame it on new mom paranoia or whatever works. If you do feel
comfortable letting someone else hold your baby, that’s okay too. Just be sure to limit
the time to short intervals in the beginning and stick close to your baby. Babies are
active participants, so be sure to watch for anxiety shown by your baby and don’t
hesitate to take your baby back.

Herbal Baths

My midwife gave me some wonderful herbs to use while I soaked in the tub twice a day.
It helps with bruising and soreness of the perineum. Herbal baths also give time for
pampering and relaxation. Since my daughter wanted to breastfeed continuously, and I
wanted some skin to skin time, I would hold her during my bath and breastfeed. Those
were truly wonderful times. If you have a homebirth, your midwife will most likely give
you herbs for your baths. If she doesn’t or if you had a hospital birth, you can buy the
herbs yourself. There are many different “recipes” of herbs you can use for an herbal
bath. My favorites are white oak bark, comfrey root, calendula, and rosemary. Just some
caution that you will probably notice an increase in your water bills. We sure did!

Skin to Skin

Skin to Skin contact is so luscious and healthy for mom and baby. Baby needs this
contact with his mother. For some people, maybe this comes naturally. For me, I had to
make it a real point to do this often. It’s just so easy to get caught up in the day and not
take the time to do it. Though, if you are breastfeeding, do skin to skin while you
breastfeed and while you do your herbal baths. The benefits of skin to skin contact are
stabilization of the body systems such as breathing. blood sugar, heart rate, and
temperature. They also cry less and tend to breastfeed or latch on well.

Don’t Do Too Much

I know everyone gives this advice. It’s good advice. You’re supposed to be resting and
recovering. I take a bit different of an approach though. With my second baby, I felt no
obligation to make meals or do laundry right away (my husband can attest to that). I
actually thought I was resting. But there were some things I wanted to get done such a
newborn pictures, burying the placenta, having a celebration in our household for our
new baby’s arrival, writing our birth story, and working on the baby book. I am not at all a
procrastinator. So, I felt like as soon as the baby came, I had to get all of these things
done instantly. This may not be your problem, and I could be giving you advice not to
procrastinate and make sure you do some special things to preserve your memories.
Really though, nothing has to be done right away. Do the birth story when your baby is
about six weeks. Breastfeeding lightens up a bit then, and you’ll still remember the birth
vividly. The baby book can be done even later than that! Newborn pictures, well, there’s
only a small window of opportunity. The point is that the most important thing that you
are to be doing is cherishing every moment with your baby. The tiny newborn stage
goes by extraordinarily fast. I felt like because I was spending so much time
breastfeeding, I was soaking up all the moments. But what I’m talking about is different
than breastfeeding. Lie next to your baby or hold your baby while she sleeps. Listen to
her breathing. Rock her and sing to her. Wear her in a sling. Take advantage of those
moments while you can. Something I suddenly became aware of just recently was that I
missed my baby staring at me. When she was very small, she would just stare
intensely at me with her big dark eyes. I would tell my husband I’d never been stared at
so much in my life. She’s too curious about her world now to do that in the same
capacity as she used to. I had no idea that was something that I would miss. Truly it is
of the essence to savor every moment.

Create a Nursing Station

This is some of the best advice I have heard. Breastfeeding for me was a process in
the beginning. My baby would eat constantly, and sometimes up for an hour and a half
at a time! This basically meant when I chose an area to sit down in, I was stuck. I would
get pillows situated all around me, and there was no moving. As soon as I would start
breastfeeding, extreme thirst would set in for ice cold water. It was very uncomfortable
not to have some water. If you nipples are sore in the beginning, you may want some
Calendula oil or Lanolin cream near them. This helps with healing, lubrication, and
protection. Having a TV remote, good book, or another activity close by can be helpful.
Basically, you’re going to need things while you nurse. You’ll eventually figure out just
what it is you need. The advice is to pick a main nursing spot that you make your
sanctuary. Have everything you need close by. This will save so much hassle. I
guarantee it.

Honor the Placenta

I knew about honoring the placenta before I gave birth to my second baby. It makes me
kind of sad my first was treated as medical waste. With my second placenta, all I knew
to do with it was bury it. A lot of people bury the placenta under a new tree they plant.
The placenta can then nourish the tree as it did the baby, and the tree will grow as the
baby grows. This is a great idea if you have the space and want a new tree. We did not.
We also knew we wouldn’t be in the same house forever, so we wouldn’t get to watch
the tree grow big either. So, we just buried it in a hole in the ground in the backyard. It
was winter, so I wasn’t even outside to watch. Somehow, I was left feeling as though
we didn’t honor it properly. Later, I learned some people use the placenta to make
artwork with. An interesting idea. I would love to have prints of my placenta or
something as art to save forever, but the idea was still not for me. Seems so messy. I
am not totally sure how it’s even done, and I would still feel like I was wasting the
placenta. The way I am choosing to honor the placenta the next time I give birth is to
ingest it. Yes, you read correctly. It’s called placentophagy. There’s a whole explanation
of it in our Giving Birth section. The basic premise is that the placenta contains many
beneficial properties to a new mother and quite possibly may be meant to be ingested.
You don’t actually have to eat it, though some women do. You can make or hire
someone else to make capsules out of it. You then take the capsules over a period of
time. This is truly the best way personally I could think of to honor my placenta. Anyway
you choose, at least do something with this tremendous organ that nourished your
baby. If you give birth in the hospital, it may take a little work, but you should be able to
request that you keep your own placenta. It will be worth the effort.

Empowering Parents to Make Holistic Choices For The Benefit of Their Children

Advertise
With Us
Click Here

Calling All
Birth Stories!
Click Here
To Submit
Yours!

Visit our
Book Review
Blog
Click Here

Download
our FREE
GIFT! The
best money
saving tool
ever.
CLICK HERE

The Holistic Parent.ORG