My 5 Essentials for Postpartum Recovery
When it comes to recovery after birth, I find it best to navigate the balance between trying too much and doing something to help my body in the healing process. Having a baby, as moms well know, is a beautiful, sacrificial time. One where we have very little time to ourselves navigating new rhythms with another little. This shouldn’t mean we leave our bodies on the back burner. We are called to be stewards of the body (not Instagram models) so the main motivation for me has been supporting myself in order to give the most to my family. I cannot accomplish this with crippling back pain, complete exhaustion, or a cloudy mind. I’ve found new tricks with each of my two pregnancies, deliveries and subsequent recoveries. Some have been staples since my first baby. They are tried and true and have left my body better than before. Others have found me over time, refining the foundational process I laid initially.
I will make a disclaimer now that it is always important to check with your healthcare provider when it comes to questions about remedies and supplements. With that out of the way, here are my five essentials to postpartum recovery that are natural, manageable, and support restoration of the body.
1. Raspberry/Red Raspberry Leaf Tea
This tea changed my life. I drank it from trimester two through the six week recovery period with my second and I dabbled in drinking it during my first pregnancy. It does all things reproductive system related. From helping manage monthly cramps to helping the uterus shrink back to its original size after birth, I have found that it helped my recovery process as well as inducing and making the labor pains more manageable this last go around.
You can find all the information on its particular benefits with these articles from Mama Natural and Sassy Organics. It is also important to note that you should be sure to purchase a brand of tea that only contains raspberry leaves. Choosing teas that have additional ingredients like hibiscus or rose hips can reduce the potency of the supplement.
2. Adding Collagen to my daily regimen
This was a trick my best friend learned from her midwife. It supports your joints, hair, skin and nails. It is also a good source of protein. I drank it postpartum with both of my boys. The only difference was that I found out about it a couple months after having my first baby. With the second I started right away. I found that this time around I’ve lost less hair, my nails have been less brittle and my stretch marks have faded significantly. (As I write this I am currently four weeks postpartum with number two). I add an unflavored version, though the chocolate one makes a good mocha, to my morning coffee to give it a nutritional boost. One serving can give you nearly 20 grams of protein! So if you struggle to get breakfast in before your kids are begging for something, this is a good way to make sure your body gets a little something extra. This supplement also supports breastfeeding which you can learn more about in this article from Better Not Younger. You can find the Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides at Walmart, sometimes Aldi, and other health food stores.
3. Begin with exercises that rehabilitate the core.
I learned a lot from a book I read after my first baby regarding the structural changes the body goes through during pregnancy. Written by an Army physical therapist, the book contains exercises that help you to re-engage your deep core which spent substantial time stretched out and disengaged. Focusing on these first can help with incontinence as well as many other common issues postpartum women face. I found that doing these served to help tighten my waist back up and made going back into other exercises much more smooth. You can find the book Healthy and Fit & Everything Quick here. Its website is also packed with additional resources.
4. Superfruits
Superfruits are exactly what they seem. Each of these are packed with nutrients that offer benefits to the postpartum body. I use four in particular; Noni, Mangosteen, Acai, and a blend called Go-Yin. Noni is a pain reliever. It also settles the stomach, great for postpartum pains. Mangosteen is both an anti-inflammatory as well as an antihistamine. Acai supports hair, skin and nails while being surprisingly high in both omega 3s and protein. Go-Yin is a blend of warming and cooling fruits, designed to balance the hormones. You can source these from multiple places (all except Go-Yin), but I suggest finding the fruit itself or a liquid version as it assimilates into your system quicker and will give you optimal absorption. These also make for a healthy and quick “snack”. I typically mix them all in a cup to sip on while my toddler eats his snack.
5. Chiropractic Care
I am a big proponent of chiropractic care, especially after it helped me completely recover from rolling a car at 17. Turns out it’s pivotal in all circumstances of life. Seeing my chiropractor regularly kept my hips aligned properly, helped manage sciatic pain during pregnancy, and after delivery I was adjusted and assessed for diastasis recti, my newborn was assessed (this was what informed me that I would need to give up dairy while breastfeeding my first), and it helped ensure everything settles back into its pre-pregnancy alignment. They are also able to help isolate any specific problems that might be an obstacle to your goals. My chiropractor is a rolodex of information about healing.
Postpartum time is bittersweet. At the end of the day our job is to do what we can to support ourselves for the task at hand. In a world seeking fake forms of perfection, leaning on the things God has made can help us to stay in tip top shape as we pursue our vocation. Striving to support your healing body will not only help you, but make the demands of everyday motherhood less taxing on you. Your body and your vocation are worth the work!
