Primal Holistic Postpartum Healing
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It’s time we normalise and meet the deep gap within the needs of a mother around the biggest transformation of her life, by meeting her primal needs, with holistic postpartum healing.
Time and time again, we hear of the care and nourishment that a mother needs within pregnancy, to the point of smothering the mother.
Subconsciously, mothers can end up feeling as though it’s something that’s happening to her, rather than within her.
In this modern day, many women are treated as though pregnancy is a health condition, rather than a primal birthright. An extension of herself. A metamorphosis of the mind, body and soul.
Mothers are overwhelmed with an immense overwhelm of information, resources, nutritional advice, birth expectations, fear mongering, planning & preparation, that leaves no room for mothers to hear the wisdom that is embedded in the psyche and wombs of women since the beginning of time.
The same experience is normal throughout the majority of births as well. A constant need to protect, intrude and marvel at the experience, which actually leads to the probability of further health intrusion sky rocketing. (More on this later, in another blog post.)
Molly Coddled in Pregnancy, Abandoned in Postpartum
Not only are many smothered within pregnancy, leading to the dis-trust of their own bodies, but once women birth their babies into the world, the same extent of care withers.
Of course, many have been taken care of amazingly by their healthcare provider, but this is usually very limited to the physicality of a woman’s body.
They will perfectly soothe your wounds, and teach you about caring for the physical health of your new baby, but they won’t usually look any further, unless you outsource further support yourself.
This is especially true in the UK, sadly.
Although these aspects of our health are important, our health cannot be fully aligned without tending to all aspects of herself, through holistic postnatal care.
What does Postpartum Holistic Healing actually mean?
To care for someone holistically, is to understand that each part of us is interconnected, and can only be interpreted as a whole.
For example, someone may eat incredibly well and visit the gym 5 times a week, but if they aren’t truly caring for their mental health with intention, then their health will be imbalanced.
This is not to underline a need for perfectionism here, as it’s very rare for anyone to be completely balanced within their health. (I definitely love my fair share of cake and sofa cuddling days.)
In order for mamma to thrive within her new role, after an immense transformation of her whole body, mind, hormones, sleep routine, and everything in between, mothers need to be supported in mind, body and soul (whatever that may mean for you.)
Bringing it back to our primal needs as women, with holistic postpartum healing
When we lived in the wild, our family hunting and gathering our meals, we lived aligned with the seasons. Our lifestyle revolved around survival as a tribe, and growing our community through birthing new life.
It was known, that just like a birthing woman would hide away in her secluded cave where she could meet her baby in safety, they also had a deep wisdom which surrounded postpartum mothers.
They understand that to honour the growth of their children, they first needed to nurture the mothers, from the moment of her transformation into motherhood.
The conscious community would all share the role of cook, forager, hunter, carer, teacher, doctor, protector and friend.
They lived their life within the values of taking care of the mother holistically, so that the children and the whole village could thrive.
This included allowing the mother to rest within her cave for an extensive amount of time.
Her only priority was to learn, bond and feed her new baby.
Although the first several weeks were vital for the mother to rest, receive and integrate, she was taken care of holistically with her baby until the child grew up to be safe to roam freely into the wild.
That’s where the expression “it takes a village to raise a baby” comes from.
In many cultures, women within the postpartum period are prescribed 30-40 days of rest and recovery, whilst supported by their community.
This is similar to the times when the village would all chip in so the mother wouldn’t miss out on holistic postpartum care.
She would rest and have nutritious foods brought to her, which in turn contributed to healthy breast milk for her baby.
When the mother was ready to come out of her postpartum hibernation, the tribe would hold, play, support and educate the child while the mother tended to her cyclical needs as a woman.
The mothers were able to independently create natural crafts by the fire and express themselves with other women. They’d forage for food and herbal medicine, and exercise their body and mind by practising holistic postpartum nourishment.
Modern Day Holistic Postnatal Care
Unfortunately, within the modern day we’re living in, it’s not always possible for a mother to have the same form of holistic care that once underpinned our existence as human beings.
Many don’t have the same connection to a village, are estranged from their families or don’t have anyone around them with the ability to offer such support.
There’s also the fact that within this day and age, you may find some forms of holistic care to be out of reach financially, or maybe you don’t have the time for the research due to working a lot within your pregnancy, spending your free time on appointments and planning the birth/up and coming arrival of your new-born. Many also have other children.
I really understand, mamma. This was me.
I told myself for too long that this wasn’t accessible for me due to X, Y, Z reasons, but this just isn’t true. This is one of many limiting beliefs mothers put on themselves, leaving whole body nourishment out of reach for them.
Holistic Postpartum Healing That’s Accessible to New Mothers Without the Village
Let’s make it more digestible for all mothers to be soothed with the deep healing effects of holistic postpartum nourishment, by offering some tools, practices and resources to heal your mind, body and soul within postpartum.
Having a Postpartum Doula
A Postpartum Doula joins you at your home to offer you the full support that you and your family needs to nurture your physical, emotional and informational needs.
Physically, a Postpartum Doula is here to offer:
-Support with house cleaning, including the dishes and the laundry.
– Baby care for when the new mother needs a rest or a shower, for example.
– Meal preparation
– Sibling care
– Running errands
– Massage
– Womb work
– Herbal remedy recommendations
Emotionally, a Postpartum Doula can offer:
- Many are trained to be trauma informed, that can also help you integrate any birth trauma you may have
- Moral support as she processes her birth experience
- Ensures the mother is nourished and thriving within this vast transformation
- Addressing any concerns or worries she may have
- Encouraging her wisdom and abilities as her babies mother
- Ensuring she is okay and integrated
- Many offer ceremonies for healing and integration like a ‘closing the bones’ ceremony
Informationally, a Postpartum Doula can offer:
- Breastfeeding support
- Answers and resources to any questions the mother needs or wants to know
- Newborn care
- General baby health
- Referrals
A Doula mothers the mother as you heal, learn, integrate and embody your new life as a mother.
Powerful Herbs for Holistic Postpartum Healing
- Calendula and Witch Hazel are incredible herbs to use for EXTERNAL use. These are used to stop bleeding and close up wounds. You can put the herbs in a mesh bag to use in a bath, or use the herbs in a spray bottle to spray onto the perineum and the pad to soothe any discomfort and promote healing.
- Chamomile with Lavender are herbs that induce rest and relaxation, to calm a mothers nerves or anxieties within new motherhood.
- Red Raspberry Leaf Tea supports the mother’s womb to heal.
- Ashwagandha supports the regulation of a healthy nervous system, and is an adaptogenic herb, meaning it adapts to what your body needs in that moment.
Postpartum Healing Foods
I know you hear this all the time, but caring for your body with the right foods within postpartum is imperative for your mind, body and soul to be in alignment, as well as the care of your baby.
Iron rich foods/Grass-fed meats:
Red meats and organ meats in particular are rich in iron that’s easily digestible. This is all the more important if you’ve lost a lot of blood postpartum. Think to tell your support system to bulk cook: stews, casseroles, pot roasts, chilis, meatballs, burgers etc.
Healthy Fats:
Nuts, seeds, avocado, olives, olive oil, low mercury fatty fish like salmon and sardines. Ensuring your hormones are nourished with fully satisfying foods, especially when breastfeeding, helps you to keep the never ending hunger at bay for a little longer!
Collagen Rich Foods:
In order to heal the tissue needed from the birth of your baby, we need to introduce collagen rich foods that help to build your amino acids.
You could cook with bone broth, gelatine and slow cooked meat with bones. Or, opt for grass-fed hydrolysed collagen powder!
My favourite is this one here!
Dark Leafy Greens:
Some dark leafy greens include spinach, kale, and green beans. These foods are full of vitamins, minerals, and fibre, which will help boost your immune system and aid in soothing your digestion and bowel movements.
The foundation of Postpartum healing through foods is to ensure you have a balance of omega 3 fatty acids, easily digestible warm, cooked foods, probiotic loaded foods to promote a healthy gut, Vitamin C rich foods, Collagen rich foods, complex carbs, plants, iron rich foods and healthy fats.
Soothe Your Soul as a New Mother
It can be hard to keep a spiritual practice or self care routine during those early days of new motherhood.
Postpartum Grief is a very real experience that many struggle with. You can read more here:
Luckily, there is always time for prioritising the nourishment of your soul, even when your baby is awake and in your company.
Here’s some powerful practices you can incorporate with your baby:
– Slow, gentle baby yoga (6 weeks postpartum, as long as your doctor has given you the go ahead, and you don’t have any complex needs in regard to your healing).
You can find some incredible baby yoga videos on YouTube, or a quick google search will show you baby yoga classes in your area.
Postpartum/New mother Affirmations:
Affirmations support you to positively rewire thoughts within your mind, that will lead you feeling calmer, positive, resilient and kinder to yourself during this time.
Postpartum Affirmations really supported me when I experienced Postpartum Depression. I would listen to tracks on YouTube as I played and took care of my daughter, ensuring to speak them out loud and into the mirror with reverence.
An amazing YouTube video I would listen to every day with powerful postpartum affirmations is this one here:
*Note: In order for them to have a profound effect, you need to speak them with clarity and confidence, like they are your truth NOW. Amazingly, your body doesn’t know the difference, and in turn, you will truly feel the way the words are expressed.
You can sign up to receive updates about my one-of-a-kind Affirmation Card Deck.
It’s packed with mental health support, somatic exercises, movement practices, affirmations, tools for mindfulness, and meditations. These resources are designed to help you integrate, heal, and nurture your mind, body, and soul fully, starting from pregnancy, through birth, and beyond. Sign up to stay in the loop!
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