a few postpartum practices from around the world

i've recently begun reading a fabulous book on mothers and the postpartum period.  if you are in need for a postpartum read, i recommend robin lim's after the baby's birth. . .a woman's way to wellness.  the unique part about this book is that robin wrote this book while she was pregnant with her fourth child and during her own postpartum phase.  much of the advice comes straight from a mother's heart.

here are a few excerpts from robin's book in regards to postpartum practices around the world:

the balinese begin honoring new life in the third month of pregnancy by holding ceremonies in which offerings are given to ensure the health and well-being of the mother and child.  once the baby has been born a ceremony is held, during which the afterbirth and apropriate offerings are buried.  at twelve days postpartum the new mother is "purified". for the first 105 days of life, the child never touches the ground.  she is held in arms continuously until the ceremony that officially welcomes the baby into the family.  

sweden encourages mothers to stay home with their babies by giving them two years of maternity leave with full pay.  this paid time off from work to nurture the baby may be used entirely by the mother or split with the baby's father.

in india, ayurvedic tradition encourages a new mother to stay at home and be pampered for the first twenty-two days postpartum.  her role as an exalted one is honored.  this time of rest helps strengthen the infant/mother bond.  in this precious laying-in time, breastfeeding becomes smooth, and a feeding routine is established.  rest and protection of both mother's and baby's delicate nervous systems are priorities.  few visitors are allowed, and mother and baby stay out of the wind and weather, decreasing the possibility of exposure to disease.  specially prepared foods are served to the mother.

most births in holland take place at home, and excellent in-home postpartum care is provided by midwives in training.  these mother's helpers live in for eight to ten days.  they do virtually everything from cleaning to cooking to child care.  the helper reports to the midwife who managed the mother's labor and delivery.  at day ten and six weeks the managing midwife also checks on the mother and her baby.

the fourth trimester

i love to refer to the 3 months after birth as the fourth trimester.  many well known baby experts have coined this phrase, including dr. harvey karp who wrote "the happiest baby on the block".  so why call this time the fourth trimester?

well, your baby has been growing super fast inside of the womb for 3 trimesters.  once you have delivered her on dry land, her body must go through some amazing shifts.  the first one being, breath!  complete life.

to nurture this life, your baby is most happy skin to skin, warm, well fed, dry and away from bright lights and strange odors.  virtually, you want to create a womb like space for your wee one for as most of the first few months that you can commit to.

in fact, some doctors believe the baby actually needs a whole other trimester of that safe womb space to develop into a mature, emotionally balanced and intelligent human, but that can't stay inside any longer, because the brain has to continue to grow, and i think many mothers would agree that they wouldn't want to birth a baby with a bigger head.

here are some of my favorite ways of nurturing your newborn's needs:
--wear your baby when he or she is not being held
--keep mother and baby as close as possible for the first few weeks after birth
--co sleeping with your baby in the bed or a bed extender
--listen to intuitive knowledge and gut instincts and trust your baby’s cues
--breastfeed on demand

--communicate with your little one.  tell your baby what you are doing and build trust with coversation.  consider learning about the RIE phislosophy as a starting point.


the most important thing to remember is that you cannot spoil a newborn.  they are young, fresh and new, and your baby has a ton of growing to accomplish in life.  take care of this precious gift and honor each and every moment.  talk to your baby as much as possible.  your baby understands far more than you may think, and will continue to develop the more and more you connect with her.

the benefits of having a postpartum doula

i am in the midst of working a postpartum gig with a family who just had their baby in early december. they hired me to work nights towards the end of their pregnancy knowing it was wise to have some assistance. like most families, they weren't sure exactly how much support they would need, so we began with a week commitment.

i think most people wonder why they would need to hire someone to come into their home and help take care of their baby. we live in a society devised of nuclear families. unlike many people around the world who live near most of their extended family or in a tight community, we americans are expected to fend for ourselves and do it all on our own. we are independent culturally, and to ask for help seems weak or unnecessary.

being pregnant is one scenario. for the most part, your body takes care of itself. you don't have to tell your brain how to make a baby or take care of it in the womb. your baby is safe and receives all of the nutrients she needs. there is no cry at 3 am to make you wonder what to do.

once outside the womb, all of this changes. now you have a tiny, helpless life in your hands, and crying is it's most frequent form of communication. in school we are taught many skills, however few of us are taught how to care for a newborn. and even though most couples engage in childbirth preparation, few enroll in a newborn care class.

so why have a postpartum doula? why not. why not set your family up right from the beginning? a postpartum doula will be in your home with you. after you give birth, you and your partner will most likely be exhausted. life around you will continue on, so meals, laundry, bills, errands, etc. will still need to happen. having another set of hands who are educated, confident, caring and kind will bring you the positive upliftment you will need to carry on.

a postpartum doula will help you organize your baby's nursery. she will educate you throughout the day or night any time you have a question or concern. she can show you skills such as how to soothe your baby, how to change your baby, or how to bathe your baby.

and most importantly her presence allows for you to have more rest. you can lay down for a nap, and know confidently that your baby is in good hands while you rest. postpartum doulas are there to run errands, do light housecleaning, and other organizing.

if you are breastfeeding a doula can help in many ways. she can assist with positioning and your latch. she can suggest ways to deal with engorgement and discomfort. she is educated in breastfeeding and is able to help with many uncertainties. and she knows when an issue is out of her scope, and who to call for help.

at the end of the day, none of us know how we will give birth. no matter how much we prepare for our natural home birth or expect a safe vaginal delivery in the hospital, we just don't know what journey nature will gift us to meet our baby. having a postpartum doula lined up to meet us at home the day we arrive from the hospital can be a huge relief.

when selecting a postpartum doula, i suggest you follow your gut instinct. pick someone who is well educated, trained and/or experienced. however, at the end of the day, select someone you feel good around. she will be in your intimate space and you want to feel safe and secure in her presence.

here is what most postpartum doulas offer:
• Support for the mother so that she may restore and replenish her strength
• Light massage and other relaxation techniques for mom

• Breastfeeding support and education

• More sleep and personal time

• Postpartum depression prevention and care

• Infant care skills and education in newborn characteristics
• Coping mechanisms

• Assisting with older siblings
• Healthy and wholesome meals to nourish the body

• Washing baby’s laundry

• Light housekeeping
• Running errands

• Screening phone calls and visitors

• Assistance in redefining new familial relationships
• Appropriate referrals


eating right for pregnancy, birth and baby

a healthy diet is essential for a healthy baby.  proper nutrition assists with developing a strong fetus and placenta, eases birth while strengthening the body, nourishes the postpartum period and assists with milk production and antibodies.

while a woman is pregnant her blood volume doubles.  she is in complete flux and change.  having a sound prenatal diet will help her to avoid premature birth, anemia, hypertension, preeclampsia and other roadblocks women come to in their pregnancies.  to delve further into this topic, dr. mercola discusses the effects of poor nutrition in the womb.  

and from here a question arises, what is a healthy diet?

i was recently on a conference call where a mentor of mine said that all pregnant women should become ingredient detectives.  i totally agree with this. . .in fact, i would take this further and say all consumers should become ingredient detectives.  and pregnancy is an amazingly fertile time to begin this practice.  

what our human bodies need are whole nutrient dense foods.  this means eating minimally processed ingredients.  which means reading your labels and looking for items where there are very few ingredients and you can pronounce all of them.  buying local and organic foods is important.  that's a whole other topic, and well worth the research if you aren't informed.

every childbearing woman should consume the following:

--water-- lots and lots of water.  fresh water, ideally from a filter versus a plastic bottle.  drink at least 64 oz of water each day to flush out waste.  

--protein-- you need at least 4-6 servings each day.  davi kaur khalsa, an amazing angelino midwife often reminds women that everything they eat has a little protein in it.  so snacking often is quite helpful.    excellent sources of protein include dairy, eggs, nuts, fermented soy, beans, brewer's yeast and fish.  and if you eat other forms of meat, chicken is great because it's lean and easily digested compared to red meats.

--whole grains-- a couple of servings of grains like oats, brown rice, white basmati rice, millet, quoina, whole wheat or rye help complete a well rounded diet.

--dark leafy greens-- go to your local gardens and farms for these nutrient rich veggies.  dig into arugala, spinach, kale, collards, chards, bok choy, mixed lettuces, dandelion and nettles.  

--sea veggies-- sea veggies are an amazing way to get much needed minerals and trace elements like iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iodine.  they also provide high quality protein, vitamins, and fiber.  in the japanese section of your local health food store you will find these bagged up.  go for a variety like arame, wakame, kombu, nori and dulse.  another great source for iron is black strap molasses.  

--fresh veggies-- color, color, color.  eat a variety of veggies and look for the rainbow so that you know you are getting a good balance.  it's so important that your fresh veggies are local and organic for the best impact to your body and your community.

--fruits--  color also applies here.  eat lots of fruit, however make sure you are getting a good balance of other foods.  

--healthy fats-- this is an area you want to make sure you are consuming the right kinds of fats and at least the minimum amounts.  healthy fats are extremely essential for brain development.  during the last trimester of pregnancy, your baby's brain grows an estimated 200%.  unrefined olive oil, fresh avocado, raw coconut oil, raw coconut butter and fish are great places to start.  

--salt-- a high quality salt is also needed in a balanced diet.  the best salts are those that you can actually see the minerals in. . .celtic sea salt or pink himalayan salt are examples.  salt your food to taste, trusting the wisdom of your palette.  

touch beyond belief

i recently finished the vital touch by sharon heller, ph.d.  wow, it's amazing.  i think we all intuitively know how important touch is in our lives.  however, we don't live in a touch driven society.  i wonder how many of us think to our cultural patterns in the united states and consider the rise of behavioural disorders, consumerism and disease with the link to lack of touch.  sharon heller touches on these topics, while focusing on the experience of american babies, and why they rank the least held on earth.

this book is now in the top ten of my most recommended books for parents to be and parents who are smack dab in the midst of action.  my favorite point that heller touches on is how touch actually creates brighter and more balanced babies, leading to emotionally balanced people.  as sharon heller notes, when we carry our infants they experience our body warmth, frequent position changes, deep pressure, rocking, bouncing, and other forms of movement.  they are often kissed, stroked, patted, nuzzled.  

unfortunately, our consumer culture has convinced us that a container culture is the norm.  so normal, that if you count families out and about on a weekend, it's rare to find babies in the arms of parents.  most are in strollers or carriages.  while being wheeled to and fro, the baby has limited vision and awareness, and is far from the warmth and safety of the parent's body.  she is vulnerable to the loud sounds in the world around her, without the protection of a parent.  

hugging a baby close and having her hang on your hip is proven to stimulate her development.  neurons in the brain fire off with the movement.  in various indigenous cultures, babies who are held throughout infancy often skip the crawling phase and go straight into walking, after a few stumbles or so.  it's important to bring awareness to what we consider the "norm" and reflect on the pros and cons. 

heller's work also stimulated some other thoughts.  we simply don't offer enough support as a culture to the postpartum mom enough in this society.  so often, the mother is left on her own.  our nuclear families are spread like smooth peanut butter across the states, and often the mother's and father's families live miles away.  in turn, this affects the entire bonding process for the mother and the baby.  taking a shower or having a few minutes each day becomes a rare treat when a new mother is left at home alone with a newborn.  many cultures take care of a new mother for up to 6 weeks after birth, so that all she may do is breastfeed and bond with her little one.  

mother and baby need to bond, so that she may learn the signs of her baby's communication.  often a newborn will cry just because they cannot yet control their muscles and being held or swaddled helps bring comfort.  only a mother that is nurtured and supported can truly give full attention to her newborn's development.

we are raising the next generation of consciousness on this planet.  the moment from our conception, to growth in the womb, our birth and the early weeks of infancy all assist in molding our personalities as adults.  for parents who are interested in becoming fully aware of how they may positively affect their baby's development, i highly recommend the vital touch.  this book will open doorways into your mind, your emotions, and most significantly into your body.  may we all become more comfortable, open and aware of what it truly means to be in body.