Ayurveda tips for post-natal care

Hello beautiful Mamma’s !!

If you are expecting or recently had a baby, then Congratulations !!! I would like to share that I recently gave birth to our second child. She is a few months old now and I am out of the so called confinement period. In India, confinement period refers to the first 45 days after giving birth. The mother is confined to a room and is not allowed to go out of the house or do any house chores. The basic idea is to let the new mother rest and help her regain the strength that she lost during pregnancy & child birth. There is also a special satvik diet that she is expected to follow. It was easier in olden days to follow this strict confinement since there was family living close by or people also lived in joint families. But in modern day, people live all over the world far away from their family and it can be difficult to get the much needed support post delivery. I was lucky that my mother agreed to come stay with us for couple of months and take care of our whole family during the first 45 days. I have also managed to learn a lot of things from her about the post-natal care.

Post- natal care is often not talked about much. It is just as important as pre natal care. It is important to maintain the physical and mental health during the first few months after giving birth. In this post, I am sharing important aspects of taking care of yourselves the Ayurvedic way. These are the things I have learned from my mother and grandmothers during the course of my two pregnancies and post natal period.

Satvic diet

Since the digestive fire is reduced post delivery it is important to eat foods that are easily digestible and with minimal flavors. Highly spiced foods should be avoided. Also, foods that are high in sugar has to be completely avoided. Absolutely no junk/processed foods. Eating simple home cooked foods is the best you can do . Add homemade ghee to your diet and have nutritious cookies/laddos made with gond( Tragacanth gum herb).

Abhyanga or the oil massage & bath

Oil massage is one of the most important things you can do during your post-natal care. Your body has gone through a lot during pregnancy and child birth and to it has to restore back to its old glory. To help regain the lost strength massaging the whole body with oil by concentrating on your lower back, legs and belly would be highly beneficial. Once you have oiled your body let it sink in for about five minutes and then take a hot water bath. Using a body scrubber is also helpful in getting rid of the discoloration and the wax developed on the skin during pregnancy. After bath, I was advised to sleep and take rest.

Abhyanga and hot water bath also helps kick in your milk production during the first few days and maintain the supply.

*If you had a C-section please consult with your OBGYN about doing Abhyanga.

Keep the ambience calm and quiet

It is highly advisable to keep the room calm and quiet for yourself and your baby. Loud noises stresses out your brain and could be damaging to your mental health during this sensitive period . A quiet, dimly lit room also helps your baby feel safe. Avoiding or restricting everyone in the house entering your room for the first few days also helps keep the germs away from the baby.

Stay home if possible

After child birth, you and your baby are more susceptible to the germs outside. So, in the best interest of the mother and the baby stay home as much as possible unless it’s something very important say may be a doctor’s appointment. It’s advised to cover your ears to restrict airflow in order to avoid catching cold.

Spend quality time with your child

It’s an important time to bond with you newborn baby . Don’t miss this opportunity and enjoy the first moments with your baby. Talk to them, cuddle, sing and watch them fall asleep. These moments are truly special and enjoy them while you can.

Rest

While this one can be easier said than done, especially if you have no help around the house, it is highly recommended that you try to get some rest. It’s very important for a new mother to rest and I can not stress on how many wonders sleeping when your baby sleeps does to you and your body.

Sleep deprivation is an added stress for the already stressful (yet beautiful!) period of your life. Resting your body also helps restore the muscles and ligaments and regain the strength.

Spend time with your older children if any

If you have an older child/children it can be hard to spend time with them and cater to their needs. While you want to do everything for them but you know your body is exhausted and needs rest. That’s when you can ask for help from a family member to take care of the older kids. But don’t forget they might still need you. Do provide them that emotional support and spend some quality time with your older child/children. Talk to them about their school, ask them how they feel and make plans on how to play with the baby when it gets older. Doing this not only helps strengthen your bond with your older child but also makes them feel that they are very much loved and important too.

Keep high-tech activities low key

During this time all you need to do is take care of yourself and the baby. Keep the screen time such as using mobile phone or working on the computer very minimal. Too much screen time might lead to lack of rest, headaches and stress.

Ask for help if you need

It’s okay to feel exhausted, it’s okay to be overwhelmed. Talk to someone whom you think can be helpful or ask someone if they could lend a hand with the chores or taking care of the baby or just giving some advice on taking care of the baby during this time, so then you will have some idea on what to do especially if it’s your first child.

Things will get better

Very soon things will get better, you will have more energy and probably you will get more things done around the house. Enjoy this beautiful time of your life and make memories with your little family.

Hope you will find this post helpful and do let me know if you have any questions, I will try to answer them to the best of my knowledge.

*Please note that I am sharing these tips and the lessons I have learned from my own personal experience and from my family. I am not a medical professional or an Ayurvedic practitioner.