Postpartum and Acupuncture
Springtime feels extra special this year as I’m coming out of the newborn bubble. Bees, flowers, and trees are coming alive as my baby is learning to roll and laugh. It is such a beautiful time, and also a time full of friction and growth. As I reflect on the past few months, I am processing the massive change that has happened in my life over this winter and waking up to who I am in this new chapter.
It all feels very relevant for the Liver season, as we call Spring in Chinese Medicine. There is incredible growth, reflected in the season’s element of wood, but with that growth comes growing pains, tangled branches, tender buds. There is vulnerability in becoming something new. This Spring has been in turns gorgeous and dramatic - gorgeous sun one day and hail storms and downpours the next. So it goes in March in the PNW.
I’d love to share some things I am learning in this transformative time of being postpartum. Postpartum lasts much longer than the broadly generalized 6 or even 12 weeks after birth. In fact, a study just released this month in Nature found that some markers of certain organ functions don’t settle until closer to a year. And “Several measurements - including a marker for inflammation and several indicators of blood health - settled but did not return to their pre-conception levels even after 80 weeks, when the study ended.”
So many parts of our bodies are affected by pregnancy and birth, and there usually isn’t a lot of follow up care. It’s important to get bloodwork done and to take changes in your health and wellbeing seriously. It’s easy to brush symptoms off during such a dynamic time, but iron levels, vitamin d, and thyroid function are all commonly affected in the months after birth.
This is a time to focus heavily on hydration, healthy fats, and nourishing broths, especially if you are breastfeeding. And to prioritize gentle movement - walking and gentle, postpartum-specific strength training and core work. Acupuncture is hugely beneficial during this time as well, to help soothe the strain of sleep loss, to heal systemic inflammation in the body, and to help our joints and muscles settle back into place. Acupuncture is also great for treating C-section scars, breaking up scar tissue to mitigating long term effects of adhesions.
Vibrancy and Mendwell - Pelvic floor PT
Tracy So - postpartum massage
Skywolf Mama Wellness - Postpartum Fitness Training
Santosha Pilates - Movement Therapy and Pilates
Rose City Fitness- Pilates
Molly Ellis, ND at Kwan Yin - pelvic floor work and abdominal massage
Bliss Lactation - Chelsea DeSorbo, IBCLC
Jade Chiropractic - Infant Craniosacral (incredibly helpful if baby has a tongue or lip tie)
Books and Resources:
The Fourth Trimester
The Postnatal Depletion Cure
And the Postpartum episode of the Homebirth Midwife Podcast
Recipes I have been enjoying:
Tahini herb sauce (I use 1 bunch of cilantro, 1 bunch of parsley, and 1/2c mint)- I love this sauce on top of roasted sweet potatoes
It has been so incredible being back in the clinic, seeing and treating many of you, and I can’t wait to continue this new chapter with you all.
Warmly,