Postpartum Recovery: The Golden Month Of Opportunity

Written by: Zaure Vuk, M.Ed, CFT, The Pampering Doula
Posted: February 25, 2024

“Should I prepare for postpartum when I am still pregnant?”

This question comes up very often as I present my Well-being After Birth Workshop at women’s gatherings or as a part of the childbirth education taught by birth doulas to communities in Colorado Springs, Denver,and Boston.
 
As a mother of four, I can relate to this question a lot, as some years ago, expecting my first child, I wouldn’t really consider the postpartum period. Partially because the majority of the educational pamphlets and brochures related to postpartum recovery I saw at the doctor’s office I visited while expecting, were covering baby blues, postpartum depression, pelvic floor prolapse. Perhaps, because these were mostly negative narratives that I didn't want to focus on.

Postpartum Preparation: Focusing on Mother's Health

After working with families and birth workers, including birth doulas and childbirth educators specifically, I notice that the time after birth is an overlooked stage, and a widely recognized fourth trimester is not sufficiently covered in the childbirth education taught to expectant parents. And in my work, I encourage both birth educators, childcare providers, health practitioners who work with newborn babies to shift the focus from the baby to the mother, prioritizing mother’s physical and mental health during pregnancy and especially in the postpartum period.
Unfortunately, very often I see parents hire their birth doula to continue coming after moms have a baby to help with overnight newborn care, or to clean the house, and do laundry. In this paradigm of matrescence, a very deep, meaningful, and transformative transition from maiden to mother, there is much more support and guidance needed.

 

Building a Birth Village: Support Network Essential

There are resources, such as the "BeHerVillage" Gift Registry, where the families can add to their Baby Gift Registry a few gifts that are mother-centered and service-based. I also like to highlight the importance of hiring a trained postpartum doula, who is knowledgeable and dedicated to the mother’s well-being and caring for her health during the first 6 or 12 weeks postpartum.
In my consultation and preparation sessions I stress to my clients that it is not enough to just hire your birth doula who is not trained in postpartum caregiving. Just as expecting parents discuss and prepare a birth plan, there must also be a thoughtfully put together a postpartum plan. And as they intentionally gather their birth team of midwives, doulas, chiropractors, birth photographers, there must be a village that will surround the mother after childbirth: lactation consultant, pelvic floor therapist, craniosacral therapist, and most importantly, a trained postpartum caregiver.

The mother needs to rest and receive nurturing and replenishing care from the trained postpartum practitioner, who is also trained to “mother the mother” through warming therapies, binding, nourishing meal preparation, the ceremonies, rituals, bodywork.

Postpartum practitioners who are there not to hold the baby, but to hold the mother in a container of safety, to witness the deep transitional shift that happens after childbirth. Speaking of childbirth, I mean all forms of childbirth, including terminated birth (chosen or not). Physiology of the mother's body requires extra support and witnessing during the postpartum time. As you consider your childbirth options, please seek guidance on how to prioritize and prepare the resources for your fourth trimester. This should start prenatally, ideally by the 24th week of gestation.

As a trained INNATE and Ayurvedic postpartum practitioner, in my workshops, I emphasize the importance of building a support network or "birth village" during pregnancy.

 In many traditional cultures around the world, postpartum recovery of the mother is held in the highest priority. The period of first 40 or 42 days after childbirth is called Sacred Window in Ayurveda and Golden Month in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), as there is an acknowledgment of the significance for physical and emotional healing. It is believed that during the 40 days of postpartum a mother can heal trauma, diseases she may have had since she was a child. Moreover, the healing and recovery she receives will set a foundation for her well-being for the years to come: “how you spend 40 days after birth is how you will spend the next 40 years.”
 

Zaure's Bio:

Zaure Vuk, M.Ed, a founder of Pampering Doula, a co-author of “Well-being After Birth,” empowers and guides expecting and newborn parents on their transitional journey. Her approach to postpartum caregiving is focused on prioritizing the mother’s well-being, and she believes that pampering a mother after childbirth is important for the well-being of the newborn baby, and well-being of the whole family unit: if the mother is well, the baby will be well. Pampering is healing is Zaure’s motto, as she serves families and educates birthworkers and childcare providers in the art of postpartum caregiving. For note information or to schedule a consultation, check out her website www.pamperingdoula.com.

Special offer from Zaure:

As a gift, you may receive a $20 discount for my Well-being After Birth: Overview Workshop registration. Use code “BeHerVillage” at checkout. Happy learning!


BeHerVillage is helping parents like you get the funds they need for the support they deserve! Are you having a baby and are looking for support? Create a registry for support today and get gifted funds directly into your bank account to pay for your support team. You deserve this.

Are you a birthworker who supports new moms? Use BeHerVillage to help your clients pay for your support. Create your free profile here and you can be the best baby shower gift a mom will ever get!
Category: Postpartum Planning , Tips From BeHerVillage Providers & Partners
Tags: postpartum recovery , postpartum , postpartum doula

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