Postpartum Recovery and Traditional Forms of Medicine By Iselin Amanda Stoylen
Hi there, I hope you are all having a beautiful day. I am delighted to be sharing some words and a recipe with you today here on Zen Mama. My name is Iselin Amanda Stoylen. I was born and grew up on a small island on the south coast of Norway. Today I live in Australia, just inside of Byron Bay, with my husband. I work as a health counselor specialising in women’s health, the menstrual cycle, and fertility awareness. Before entering this work I taught yoga for many years, and I am still deeply devoted to my yoga practice. My mission is to help women understand their bodies' innate wisdom, find harmony within themselves and support them on their journey of optimising health and true wellbeing in all aspects of life.
I am a birth- and postpartum Doula, childbirth educator, breastfeeding consultant, and perinatal nutrition educator. I have a deep passion for nurturing and “mothering” the new mothers in the world. Below I share some words with you on postpartum healing and recovery, from the perspectives of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda. There are also a couple of delicious recipes, perfect for the immediate postpartum period, but that of course can be enjoyed during your pregnancy and later in the postpartum period. One below and more coming soon!
Traditional Chinese medicine is an ancient system of medicine that has been practiced, studied, and documented in Chinese classical literature. The Traditional Chinese Medicine system is based upon the principle of human beings being deeply connected to their natural environment and to the earth, and that any imbalance in this relationship and environment eventually leads to disease. Traditional Chinese Medicine takes into account the theory of opposites balancing each other. These opposites are known as the Yin and the Yang; the feminine and the masculine; the moon and the sun; the dark and the light. They are complementary yet opposing forces that exist everywhere in the universe. In this article I want to look at postpartum healing and nutrition from the viewpoint of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). I believe it is in weaving this ancient form of medicine with the science and knowledge of our modern world that we find a holistic approach to postpartum healing and recovery carrying the best of both worlds.
THE FOURTH TRIMESTER
Giving birth can be a beautiful, scary, intense, ecstatic, and transformative experience. From the viewpoint of Traditional Chinese Medicine, giving birth is the only naturally occurring event in a woman’s life where she loses such high amounts of Qi*, blood, and energy; and especially yang energy. Therefore, in the time after birth, she needs to replenish this energy in order to fully recover her strength and vitality. The process of giving birth is a ‘yang’ dominated experience; there is usually a lot of expression, noise, emotion, and energy as we give birth to our children. According to TCM, the opening that happens during birth allows a rush of coldness to enter into the body, which caused the mother to be deficient in her yin energy. Therefore, after this extreme yang, there is a period of time in which yin needs to flow into the woman’s body in order to maintain balance. This period is traditionally the first forty days after birth, sometimes longer, and can be referred to as the fourth trimester. According to both TCM and Ayurveda, the fourth trimester is a period where rest, seclusion, and proper nourishment is highly advised in order to replenish the mother’s Qi.
Traditional medicine teaches that this time has a sacredness to it, as it holds the key to the woman’s health and wellbeing moving forward, and also because it is when she truly gets to connect with her baby. The emphasis in TCM during this time is very much on the mother’s recovery, unlike in the west where attention is mostly on the newborn.
REPLENISHING THE YIN ENERGIES
Traditionally, the time after birth has been encouraged to be spent at home, where the mum should avoid anything that fuels the yang energy in her body, such as too much movement, any and all exercise, cold food, cold weather, cold showers, and exposure to wind or draft, to name a few. This time is partial to protect the new baby, and give him or her a gentle transition into the world. However, it is just as much considered an essential time for the mother to heal; a time for the new mother to be ”mothered”. We believe that if the mother is cared for well for in the time after birth, it will ensure her good health for the future. In Ayurvedic medicine, it is taught to take forty days off to rest, to ensure good health for the next forty years. On the other side, inadequate time to rest and heal after birth can lead to new health problems in the future.
When replenishing the yin energy in the mother, we must remember that this energy must come in a high-quality form; not too cold, not too isolated, not too empty. Even in the yin-rebalancing period, there is a need for a balance of yin and yang. The first organ that needs attention during the postpartum period of recovery is the spleen and stomach. In TCM, it is this system, the digestion, that is in charge of transforming food into Qi. A well-functioning digestive system helps ensure that the body benefits from the nutrition in the food we consume. However, if the digestive system is out of balance and isn't working optimally, our bodies won’t be able to soak up the nutrients in our food, leading to potential nutritional deficiencies, or manifesting in symptoms such as low energy, tiredness, light-headedness, brain fog or nausea. On the other side, if the digestion is working well, and the spleen and stomach Qi is strong, we feel energetic and clear-headed, have more robust immune systems, better stamina, and are less prone to disease.
ZUO YUEZI OR ‘DOING THE MONTH’ OR ‘THE FOURTH TRIMESTER’
Traditional Chinese Medicine teaches the value of zuo yue zi (坐月月子子), translated as ‘sitting the month’. This time is actually the forty-day period of deep rest and recovery time mentioned earlier. Traced back to as early as the year 960, zuo yue zi is a set of diet and lifestyle recommendations practiced after birth to restore a woman’s postpartum body. Across China and in many Asian countries, this is still a common practice. There are regional deviations, but the essence remains very much the same; after giving birth,
mom stays at home with her newborn; resting for at least forty days.
Traditionally, the mother’s mum, her mother-in-law, or another female relative would take care of her and her baby by bringing food and paying daily visits. Parents living further away or overseas often fly in and live with the mother for at least a month, and often longer. The mother is fed meals especially prepared for her, whilst remaining in bed resting and allowing her body the time it needs to heal.
Unfortunately, the approach to postpartum in the west has strayed far from our original tradition and traditional medicine. There is little honoring of the enormous amount of energy it takes to create and birth a baby, not to mention the energy it takes to feed and care for the little one after he or she has been born. Instead, we praise women who ‘bounce back’ to their pre-pregnancy lifestyle and body as quickly as possible. We expect women to «recover» and function as she did before birth within a few weeks, with very little acknowledgment of how this might impact their physical and emotional health and wellbeing in the longer run. This is now showing up in the west with increased rates of postpartum depression, postpartum depletion, postpartum mood disorders, decreased rates of mothers choosing to breastfeed, and in many other ways we may not yet understand is linked to pregnancy and postpartum.
"Oh, how far we’ve strayed from that old wisdom! Somehow, a pervasive idea has spread in modern times that the mom who is out and about soonest with her baby is somehow the strongest, like an episode of ‘Survivor’. For some type-A parents, it’s almost like a badge of honor to say you made it to yoga after two weeks, snuck of the office for a meeting, or flew with your infant across time zones. But that’s all upside down- in a healthy postpartum period, it’s she who stays still that wins the prize." - Heng Ou
When it comes to food and diet, there are a few basic principles mum should follow in order to replenish her yin energy. Warm, cooked and soft foods are recommended, and anything cold, frozen, refrigerated or raw is generally avoided. Warmth in all its forms are encouraged, not just through food and diet, but through love, laughter, happiness, companionship and connection. Many traditions around the world encourages warmth and heat during pregnancy and postpartum, and have rituals where the mother is gently steamed, rubbed, massaged and brought into balance.
Food to include after giving birth are typical yang foods;
• foods that are high in energy and calories: rich in fats and protein
• potatoes, root vegetables and mushrooms
• spices with warming qualities, such as cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and ginger.
• sesame and avocado oils, sticky rice, eggs
• Warm meals: Soups, broths and stews
• Herbal teas, hot milks, chai etc. Warm and milky drinks are especially calming and soothing for the nervous system, and liquids are important to keep mums body healthy and hydrated, and to nourish mum’s body for breast milk production
HERBAL NUT BUTTER BOMBS
These nut butter bombs can be made weeks in advance, and are an easy and handy recipe to prepare as you wait for your baby to make its arrival. I like to make a big (double or triple batch) and store them in a jar in the freezer.
INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup organic ghee (or coconut oil for the plant based babes)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup hulled tahini
2 tbsp almond butter
2 tbsp raw honey or maple syrup
1 tbsp shatavari
1 tbsp tremella mushroom powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
HOW TO:
Gently melt ghee and coconut oil on low heat. I like to do this in a double boiler.
Stir in tahini, almond butter and honey/maple syrup. Add your herbs and mix well.
Pour the mixture into small bite-sized moulds, or into a liner container. Freeze until solid.
Enjoy ♥
*Note: This recipe will quickly melt in room temperature, so make sure to keep the fudge in the fridge or freezer at all times.
Iselin Stoylen is a female health coach, doula, yoga teacher and cookbook author. You can find out more here and follow her on Instagram @iselin_stoylen