Ayurveda, the ancient medical science of India offers us profound wisdom and a detailed therapeutic routine in how to care for a postpartum mom and why it is so necessary.
Post Partum Disorders
According to many doctors, the post partum disorder is not a very serious problem and can be ignored. However, the present statistics reveals the fact that the number of postpartum depressed women are increasing in number in both developing and developed countries in the world. Lots of health problems, such endocrine disorders, excessive weight loss or gain, chronic reproductive problems and even arthritis, start to take seed in this postpartum time. After the baby is born, the mother and newborn are completely detached from daily affairs and chores for two to six weeks. The care given at this time enables a woman to serve her family and community from a deep developed internal resource.
Postpartum Disorders & Ayurveda
Ayurveda, the science of life, offers a detailed therapeutic routine as to how should family members care for a postpartum mother and the importance of such care. Ayurveda acknowledges that there three very important times in woman's life. The first one is marriage, which traditionally meant she left her home to live with her husband's family. The next most important time is the 42 days after childbirth, and the last one is menopause. The 42-day after child birth is a very crucial period. If she is carefully nurtured, she and the baby would benefit by avoiding most common health disorders associated around this time such as colic or other digestive problems, insomnia, irritability or baby fussiness and postpartum depression.
With proper care, a mother would also deepen and gain the mental, emotional, and spiritual resources needed to carry her though all the demands of family life, without feeling depleted. Ayurveda has perfect remedy for the postpartum disorders. Remember, there is no single cause for post partum problems. Many factors play a role including genetics, environment, medical conditions, life events, and certain thinking patterns that affect a person's reaction to events. In the following lines, we have listed effective ayuvedic postpartum healing tips, to help you make the new mother and bay feel special, loved and cared for.
Ayuvedic Postpartum Healing Tips
- Encourage mothers to do as little as possible for 42 days (or as long as she can). This would mean avoiding all housework and driving around. Even limit guest visits in number and time they stay. Keeping visits to fifteen minutes is good.
- Create a food tree of friends and nearby family, who are willing to bring mom yummy and easy to digest foods everyday. Listing some easy to do tasks such as laundry or cleaning of the dishes would be a good way of getting the tasks done, at minimal efforts.
- Ayurveda emphasizes mainly on the proper diet regime during this time, to ensure the health of both baby and mother. Foods need to be fresh, not processed, served warmed, very soupy and moist in consistency.
- Make sure that the dishes prepared include digestive spices, such as cumin, caraway, ginger, mustard seed, clove, basil, turmeric, fenugreek, cinnamon and garlic (roasted only).
- Avoid eating meat for at least two weeks. Soup stocks are okay. Do not binge on caffeine, white sugar, raw vegetables' dry, crunchy foods, too many beans (including tofu) and too many eggs.
- Make sure mother and baby are warm, oily, and feeling loved. This would mean that a person should be appointed to massage the twosome with sesame oil, daily. Use lots of sesame oil, olive oil or ghee internally. The best bet would be to let the mother and child stay warm indoors.
- Most importantly, assure mom that it is okay for her to take this time to receive so much love and support, no matter how awkward it may feel for her. Make her feel special, loved and care.
