Our daily lives are anything but calm, things seem to be moving at an ever increasing rate sending us into overdrive. For the average person this can be enough to throw your hands up and scream, but for new mothers this can be more than just overwhelming and make the postpartum period feel impossible and puts us at risk for postpartum depression. As a new mother you’re being pulled in a number of different directions while battling the fatigue of a new schedule and the excitement of a new baby. This is a beautiful time in our lives and we deserve to enjoy it! How can we provide more support for those mothers in our lives and bring more awareness to the effects of postpartum.
In a previous blog, I discussed that in Chinese culture the mother will “sit” for the month following birth, this is known as zuo yue zi. The family will provide support, including cooking, cleaning, and assisting with daily chores and activities. The mother will rest to support her qi and blood and restore her body, avoid strenuous exercise or activities, and eat protein rich food. Many women who have tried this found that it greatly reduced postpartum symptoms and allowed them to be more energetic throughout the years following as well as supporting the postpartum phase of their next pregnancies leaving their bodies strong and healthy.
In my practice I have the honor of supporting many women through their first pregnancy and several come back for support during the postpartum phase. Often, many express how exhausting motherhood can be and several suffer from the overwhelming anxiety that may come with it. If we are able to acknowledge what we’re feeling and know when it’s time to ask for help we will be much better off. We are all too often under the impression we must “do it all” but I encourage you to let go of this idea and to listen to your body and allow those around you to provide the necessary support to enjoy this beautiful time in your life.
Check out this article here or this thorough guide here from Mom’s Love Best, a research driven parenting blog to see how you can help to spread awareness of postpartum depression and find support, or learn to better support those beautiful mothers around you.