Natural Health after Birth

What is the Postpartum? 

Midwife Raven Lang once stated, "As long as the baby is still in diapers and you're up in the night, you're postpartum." Such a view reminds mothers that the demands of motherhood, which can include intense sleep deprivation and maximum amounts of energy being poured out 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to another person, no matter how loved and wanted that baby is, is demanding. Unfortunately, our cultural definition of postpartum does not include this more simple and holistic view.

Rather than limiting postpartum to an arbitrarily chosen six weeks allowed for recovery, many midwives, childbirth educators, and postpartum doulas are encouraging women to see the postpartum as a fourth trimester, allowing themselves at least a full three months for physical recovery, spiritual integration, and emotional assimilation. Even three months, agree many experts, may be too short a time, with many mothers saying that it was closer to eight months when they began to feel more settled in their role as mother, and able to also regain a sense of personal identity and clarity. Three months, however, may be considered the first milestone when women begin to feel like they are getting their feet on the ground. It also gives friends and family a clear framework for setting expectations for the mother, allowing her three full months to receive active help and support. Most of all, it allows you to be gentle with yourself on those days that are more challenging, and gives you an excuse to lie around snuggling with that beautiful baby, savoring every minute as he or she blossoms before your eyes.

After the three-month milestone, one can realistically expect to continue to experience emotional peaks and valleys for many more months as hormones fluctuate, eating habits vary, sleep deprivation continues, baby's breastfeed, and you strive to keep up with your baby's changing schedule and needs. As a midwife I continue to get calls from mothers well into the first year after they've given birth, with questions about sleeping habits, teething, breastfeeding, introducing solid foods, and so on. It is always an opportunity to really check in with the mom to see how she is doing, whether she is caring for herself as well as she is caring for her baby, and to praise her on a job well done. These phone conversations are often filled with sighs of relief from the moms, as they hear me remind them that feeling overwhelmed is part of the territory of motherhood in our fast-paced society, and reflects no short-comings of their own. Expanding the definition for postpartum to include the first year after birth may initially seem like a long time, which in itself may be intimidating, but in the long run it allows you flexible boundaries and should relieve you of a false deadline that says you have to "have it together" by a certain time.

Introduction

ONE
The Birth of a Mother
Birth: Only the Beginning
What Is the Postpartum?
Postnatal Care
The Fourth Trimester
Signs and Guideposts
Honoring Our Range of Emotions
Being a Mother Is Second Nature, Isn't It?
Realistic Expectations
The Feminine Mystique Revisited
Sacrifice and Empowerment
Developing Confidence
Mothering Archetypes

TWO
New-Mother Care around the World
Postpartum USA: Immediately after Birth
Immediately after Birth: A Glimpse at Traditions
Lying-In
Rites of Passage
Postpartum Family Support
Heat and Healing
Massage
Wrapping the Belly
Herbs
Bathing
Nutrition
Visitors
Mother-Baby
Men and Postpartum Care
Bringing the Best to the West

THREE
Preparing for the Postpartum before Baby Is Born
Late Pregnancy Health Is the Foundation for a Healthy Birth Recovery
The Needs of New Mothers
Creating a Support Circle
Breast Feeding
Maternity and Paternity Leaves
Creating a Postpartum Sanctuary
Drawing from a Full Well

FOUR
The First Days after Birth
The Birth Setting and Postpartum Experience
Bonding
Physical Changes in the Days after Birth
Herbal Baths
The Shape of Your Body
Healing from a Cesarean
Your Digestive System
When Your Milk Comes In
Breast-Feeding Challenges in the First Days
Sore Nipples
Difficulty Nursing
Insufficient Breast Milk
Breast-Feeding Support in the Days after Birth
If You Aren't Breast-Feeding
Reflecting on Your Birth
A Difficult Birth
Emotional Highs and Lows
Body Tonics
Exercise
Sex after Birth
Your Healthy Newborn
Signs of Illness in the Newborn
Babies in Need of Special Care
Getting Enough Rest
Visitors, Visitors, and More Visitors
New-Mama Nutrition
The Partner Relationship
Older Children

FIVE
The Next Six Weeks
More Body Changes
Where Did Everybody Go . . . or Yes, You Still Need Help around the House
Reinventing Yourself as a Mother
More Birth Reflections
Further Breast-Feeding Adventures
Herbs and Breast Feeding
The Magic of Your Baby
Fussy Babies
Infant Massage
Sleeping Arrangements
Getting Around with Baby
More Exercises for Loving Your Post-Birth Body
Back into the Swing of Things
Working and Breast-Feeding
Breast Pumps, Nursing, and Making It Work
Relationship Challenges and Triumphs
Sex in the Weeks after Birth
Baby Blues
Postpartum Depression
The Light at the End of the Tunnel

SIX
Nutrition for New Mothers
Not Pregnant Anymore: What You Need Now
Lactation and Nutrition
Planning a Healthy Diet

SEVEN
Into the First Year
Wondering Who You Are
"I Feel Like I Can't Get Anything Done"
Your Body
Motherhood and Your Career
Teething Baby, Sleepless Nights
Still Nursing
New-Mother Moods
Isolation and Social Networks
Postpartum Depression
Parenting Issues
Relationships, Sexuality, Fertility, and Birth Control

EIGHT
Replenishing Yourself
New-Mother Meditations
New-Mother Checklist
Creating Time to Nurture Yourself
Your Pelvic Floor
Free-Movement Dance
Postnatal Yoga
Fabulous Healing Baths
Shower Spa
Simple Pleasures for Your Hair and Body
Creating a Home Spa
Quiet Time Alone
Exploring Your Creativity
Keeping a Journal
Be Gentle with Yourself: Embrace and Enjoy Your Baby


APPENDIX 1
Herbal Preparations
Purchasing Herbs
Herbal Preparation
Forms of Preparation

APPENDIX 2
Resources
Herbs and Herbal Supplies, Books, Support and Information Groups, Educational
Programs, and Additional Health Supplies
Support and Resource Organizations
Educational Resources and Magazines
Miscellaneous Products
Bulk Herbs, Herbal Products, Books, and Supplies

Bibliography

Index

Aviva Jill Romm is a certified professional midwife, practicing herbalist, and the president of the American Herbalists Guild. Her children are now ages 17, 14, 10, and 8. Her previous books include The Natural Pregnancy Book, Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent’s Guide, and Naturally Healthy Babies and Children. She lives with her family in Georgia.

"This is a superb and much needed book that should help and support all postpartum mothers."
Suzanne Arms, award winning photojournalist, author of Immaculate Deception II : Myth, Magic and Birth

"Thirty years ago, when I had my babies, we were rediscovering natural birth and breast-feeding. But, we struggled alone during postpartum. If I had been able to read Aviva's book then, I would have cried less. Every new mother should have a copy of this book."
Peggy O'Mara, Editor and Publisher of Mothering magazine

"Destined to have widespread appeal for its compassionate and wise advice.  Thank you, Aviva, for so much vital information in one volume.
Jeannine Parvati Baker, author of Prenatal Yoga and Natural Childbirth

"Finally, a book that addresses an aspect of birthing that has been forgotten in the western world.This book should make a valuable contribution not only to women, but to the whole family."
Mary Bove, N.D., of the Brattleboro Naturopathic Clinic, Brattleboro, Vermont

PARENTING / PREGNANCY

“Destined to have widespread appeal for its compassionate and wise advice. Thank you, Aviva, for so much vital information in one volume.”
--Jeannine Parvati Baker, author of Prenatal Yoga and Natural Childbirth

“Finally, a book that addresses an aspect of birthing that has been forgotten in the Western world. This book should make a valuable contribution not only to women, but to the whole family.”
--Mary Bove, N.D., author of An Encyclopedia of Natural Healing for Children and Infants

“This is a superb and much-needed book that should help and support all postpartum mothers.”
--Suzanne Arms, award-winning photojournalist and author of Immaculate Deception II: Myth, Magic & Birth

New mothers need their own special care and support--just like their new babies--to adjust to the myriad challenges facing them after birth: changing body image, lifestyle, work arrangements, and relationships. Now midwife, herbalist, and mother of four, Aviva Jill Romm shares her years of experience and insights into how to make this crucial life transition a smooth and happy one.

Aviva offers solutions to situations that can seem completely overwhelming--how to get enough rest by building a support circle of family and friends; how to eat well using her 17 high-energy recipes; how to replenish your spirit with healing baths; and how to regain your strength and tone your abdomen and pelvic area with postnatal yoga exercises. Providing 80 easy-to-make herbal remedies to heal and restore vitality to your body and to stimulate milk production, Aviva carries her advice through the entire first year, including tips on how to soothe fussy babies and how to recapture your sex life.

Natural Health after Birth provides the support that is so often lacking for new mothers--support both for stay-at-home moms and those who will return to their jobs soon after the birth. Written with humor and compassion by someone who really understands the journey, Aviva Romm offers practical wisdom and concrete strategies for negotiating the beautiful but demanding path of motherhood while maintaining a strong sense of self.

AVIVA JILL ROMM is a certified professional midwife, practicing herbalist, and the president of the American Herbalists Guild. Her children are now ages 17, 14, 10, and 8. Her previous books include The Natural Pregnancy Book, Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent’s Guide, and Naturally Healthy Babies and Children. She lives with her family in Georgia.