Nourishing and Healing with Whole Foods through the Childbearing Years!
foods family
whole
Postpartum
Red Raspberry CHAI
walnut size piece of fresh ginger or more to taste
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cups of water
pinch of black pepper
½ tsp. cardamom
¼ tsp. cloves
1 or 2 Tbsp. loose red raspberry leaf
2 cups soy/milk
sweeten to taste
Finely grate ginger & crush cinnamon sticks, add to water & bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 min.
Add pepper, cardamom, & cloves and bring back to a boil, then turn off heat, add tea, stir & brew for 3 min.
Pour in almond milk /organic whole milk & heat.
Sweeten to taste.
(adapted from Salt Spring Island Cooking p.271)
Easy Nourishing Tea- Whapio Diane Bartlett
1/3 alfalfa leaf, 1/3 red raspberry, 1/3 nettle
Combine all herbs. Steep a handful per quart of boiling water. Let stand for 4 hours. Strain and mix half-and-half w/apple juice.
Nurturing through the Postpartum
In North American culture, women are expected to not only to recover physically and emotionally from childbirth in a short period of time, but they are also expected to simultaneously and solely care for their baby without breaks, support and community life. At no other time in history, have women been expected to do so much, with so little help.
Historically, families lived in either tribal or cultural communities. There were grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins to help out with the children; the domestic tasks were shared by many. No one woman was expected to do everything! Even upper class women in more modern times relied on the assistance of a wet nurse, butler and housemaid!
In order to gain a realistic perspective about the postpartum experience, it is very important to explore our own expectations, the expectations of our partner and those of our extended family so that we do not set ourselves up for disappointment.
Given the cultural misunderstanding about the postpartum experience, it is very important to enlist the help of your friends, extended family and community. Most people are willing to assist you in whatever way they can, but they truly need to be informed that you even need their help at all. It is likely that your own mother lived in isolation while she mothered her young children. She was left to her own resources in the postpartum experience and may expect you to do the same. After all, she did and so did her mother and so did Mrs. Jones!
It may be challenging to ask for help, but know that you will be a better person and mother for having done so. Your child wants you to be rested, tranquil and present with him or her….someone else can do the laundry and take out the garbage.
If you come to realize that your family or closest friends are unable to support to you; if instead your mother, partner, best friends etc. expect you to “just get on with your life”; it is imperative that you hire a postpartum Doula who will support and respect your need for continued rest and rejuvenation.
The transition from maiden to mother is so precious and fragile. How you make this transition, can set the tone for your mothering journey. Will it be a celebration? Will you savour it? Will you relax into it and be present? Will you feel supported? Or will it be difficult and tiring? Will you wish you were somewhere else, doing something else? Will you feel alone and abandoned?
Proper postpartum nourishment: emotional, physical, spiritual and nutritional support by an experienced mother, sister, friend or Doula (who is competent in counseling in all these areas) can assist in setting the stage for a healthy future for your family life.
Ideally, after the birth of your baby, you will have, at minimum 6 weeks of rest and recuperation (possibly more, if you and your baby endured birth trauma of any kind).
Once your baby is born, ensure that you will experience at minimum 1 hour in complete privacy to savor breastfeeding, to facilitate your oxytocin peak and the initial bonding experience.
After that time your Doula, will tend to your needs, while you tend to the needs of your little one (nursing, resting and cuddling!).
With your Doula overseeing light housekeeping, running errands, and preparing your meals, even father can be present and bask in the afterglow. During this six-week period, many of if not all of your meals should be prepared for you and much of the housecleaning taken care of, by others.
Extensive nurturing of this type is not easy to come by if you don’t plan for it and have a willing friend, mother or partner (or the cash flow to hire a postpartum Doula!), you will likely not receive this kind of care. Do your best to set this up in advance without being attached to receiving it. Few people in our culture are able to realize its necessity and even less will be able to take the time away from their own responsibilities to facilitate it. However, be creative. Maybe you have an extra room in your house, you could trade accommodations for meal prep and house cleaning, etc.
If you want to take part in meal preparation and in tending to the house, then of course do so with attention to your need for rest and recuperation. Ask for help when you need it! Socialize only as much as you feel compelled to, and spend most of your time with your partner and your baby; basking in the sacredness of your new family together.
During this time, you are emotionally processing the pregnancy and birth –
nourishing and strengthening your body and adjusting to your new life as a mother. To take this lightly is to be ill prepared for how your life will change. To make this process a celebration is to consciously begin your mothering journey on a positive, prepared and peaceful note. The nourishing rhythms you establish during the immediate postpartum period, will continue to support and nourish you along the journey.
The Care and Feeding of Mother's Postpartum
These suggestions are time tested ayurvedic traditions that specifically nourish and rejuvenate mothers during the 40 days postpartum.
I recommend this website as a fantastic resource for anyone caring for mothers and babies!
