There is so much attention placed on the pregnancy journey and a smooth delivery, that many often forget that the process after birth is just as important to both the baby and mother’s health and bond. The postpartum period is a delicate time that needs to be honored carefully. Vulnerability during this period should be embraced, as the birthing person has just experienced an incredible journey that has in many ways just begun.
It is a special and unique time where expectant parents shouldn’t shy away in reaching out for help and support from their partners or their communities.
Around the world, the time of the first 40 days after birth is recognized as a sacred time for women. Each woman has her own unique time to recover which is directly proportional to the level of nourishment, physical and spiritual, and from the support and care that she received during this time. This period can also create a more positive transition into motherhood and bonding experience with the baby, so establishing a healthy postpartum plan is as important as your birth plan.
Two words: be gentle. With yourself, with this process. You will need time to heal, as much as society, jobs and even family may demand attention from you. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if it’s available to you, and delegate tasks such as household chores and grocery shopping or even set up a meal train so that friends and family can be helpful in supporting you with fresh food. You can set the groundwork now to committing to your own healing and rejuvenation. Nourish your body with foods that make you feel vibrant. Revisit what makes you happy.
If a woman is appropriately nourished and cared for in this time, she can heal not just herself and her baby but the entire world through her grace and strength.
Conversely, if a new mother is stressed, exhausted and unsupported then stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline will have an adverse effect on her oxytocin levels, potentially making the bonding between mother and baby more difficult. Without attention, such imbalances might can lead depression, anxiety and chronic fatigue.
The postpartum period is an incredible time for brain plasticity – mama’s brain gets literally rewired: the synaptic pruning is a brain phenomenon that eliminates certain connections between brain cells to encourage the facilitation of new connections.
What messaging do you want to send to it? It's a very powerful thought to consider that you can lay the foundation to thoughts that can serve you for the rest of your life.
Remember to not rush back into the world. Stay awhile in your cocoon. This is a beautiful, challenging and transformational time to tune in, take in the changes and—like the caterpillar transforming into the butterfly—build your mama wings.
Let that be your focus.