6 Ways to Enhance Your Postpartum Healing
With all that we do to prepare and plan for pregnancy and birth, the often overlooked chapter is postpartum. Your baby isn’t the only one being born; you, too, are being rebirthed into a new version of yourself. You deserve a supported and well-balanced healing as you step into this transition.
As an experienced doula team, here are six things we recommend our clients consider implementing for the postpartum chapter:
1. Embrace slowness & patience.
While there is strong influence with the “bounce back culture,” there is absolutely no need to brush aside the time you need to heal. An ideal rule of thumb to start your postpartum healing journey is the 5-5-5 rule, which essentially is this: spend the first 5 days postpartum IN the bed, the next 5 days ON the bed and the next 5 days NEAR the bed. When you are IN bed, focus on sleeping, learning your baby and allow others to nourish you and care for your home. When you are ON the bed, be restful, sit up and do something you enjoy (skin to skin with baby, reading, watching tv) while still allowing others to care for you. Lastly, when you are NEAR the bed, consider light activities, limit extraneous activities and limit standing/movement to 30 minutes so you can wholly rest and heal.
2. Make food easy, nourishing and consistent.
Nothing will tank your energy, mental space or milk supply faster than not nourishing yourself well; this includes staying extremely well-hydrated! Consider using glasses or water bottles that have a straw for easier and quicker consumption of water. When you are trying to heal from the major process of birth, it’s a huge gift (and really a necessity) to be particularly focused on food. Warming and filling meals that are nutrient-dense with protein, vegetables and healthy fats are imperative. If possible, stock up on freezer meals to help bridge the gap between where you are and where you will be as far as how much time you’re able to put into cooking. Consider casseroles, slow cooker recipes and stews. Don’t be afraid to call upon your people to nourish you. When someone asks if they can bring you anything or is just asking to visit, tell them how much it would mean to you if they brought you something to eat! Family and friends want to help; you just have to tell them how.
3. Prepare texts to copy & paste as needed for any mental or emotional relief.
A big part of the postpartum healing journey is the mental and emotional experience of it all. You may feel excitement, anxiety, relief, depression, pure wonder and overwhelm all in one day. Prepare yourself for the possibility that typical communication methods may feel more difficult or time-consuming due to fluctuating energy levels. Consider creating text templates to ease the pressures and anxiety it might bring you to wonder how to even write what you need to those around you. Your partner, doula and/or therapist can also help you with this. It’s okay to prepare yourself to both ask for help and to ask for space. Have a couple text templates prepared and / or cut your workload by copying & pasting something you’ve previously sent to someone else.
4. Prioritize pelvic floor therapy.
Your entire pregnancy and birth experience greatly impacts your pelvic floor. Both local and virtual options exist for pelvic floor therapy. Kegels aren’t the only answer to improving your pelvic floor! In fact, some folks may need to work on releasing a tight pelvic floor rather than rebuilding the strength of it. It is beneficial to establish a relationship with a pelvic floor specialist (typically a physical therapist or occupational therapist that specializes in pelvic floor health) while still pregnant, or at least as early on in the postpartum chapter as possible. Whether it’s hip mobility, deep breathing, strengthening, stretching or exercising, your specialist will be able to help you learn where your body is at and what shifts you can start to make to see positive changes. While leaking, pain with intercourse, heaviness, etc. are common, they are not something you learn to live with.
5. Implement routine care for your vulva, especially with any soreness, tears or swelling.
There are many different tips and tricks when it comes to healing your vulva. A simple, DIY way to care for yourself is a sitz bath. This herb or epsom salt soak is an ideal way to decrease inflammation, alleviate discomfort and improve vulvar healing. Icing or “padsicles'' may be especially helpful in the first day or two postpartum to help decrease any inflammation (may be found in both vaginal and cesarean birth experiences). Typically with a peri bottle (provided by your birth location or one you get online), a cool or warm water rinse may be helpful. Spraying the water at your vulva can help with avoiding extra wiping on a potentially sensitive area and can help with diluting your urine as you pee, lessening the potential for a stinging sensation.
6. Incorporate ceremony, ritual and recognition of this healing path you are on.
Whether it’s a simple act, such as you getting 30 minutes to yourself in the morning to sit in the shower and be still, or sitting with your baby on the porch for the first feeding of the day, you can create little rituals throughout your day. While there is little structure and predictability during the first few weeks or months postpartum, you can instill meaningful recognition of your physical and mental healing on your journey. One way to incorporate a legitimate ceremony is to do a Closing of the Bones ceremony. This is usually an intimate, one-on-one session with the person providing you this service, though you could have your baby nearby along with someone who is holding space for you. During this ceremony, you are intentionally wrapped in several cloths or rebozos, effectively cocooning you. This is a time for increasing blood flow and healing, creating a feeling of safety.
As doulas and educators, we see a LOT of postpartum people hoping to get into a routine and on some sort of schedule for either themselves or their babies. We tend to like the predictability of a routine and it can feel like we have more control when this is occurring. The wild part is that postpartum is very much on its own timeline. Healing can have its ups and downs. Healing is not linear and can be unpredictable. Be patient with yourself as you navigate this chapter of healing and restoration. You are stepping into a new season as a parent and as a new version of yourself. We are rooting for you and are here if you need anything.
Using a holistic and thoughtful approach, we provide a range of services including birth doula services, postpartum doula services, childbirth & lactation education and placenta encapsulation.
Our intentions are to be a reliable, safe space for people anywhere along the pregnancy, birth or postpartum path to feel comforted, informed, heard and empowered.
