Post pregnancy or postpartum is a difficult phase in every mother’s life. After the birth of her child, family members and loved ones seem to neglect the mother’s health by becoming more involved with the newborn child. Are you in that stage of your life? Then here is how you can take care of yourself with some ayurvedic practices for postpartum phase.
Postpartum Care and Tips
Postpartum is the period right after the birth of a child. This is a very crucial period in every mother’s life. If not given adequate and appropriate care, it can lead to serious health issues that become a lasting or lifelong companion for her.
Postpartum Diet
According to ayurveda, the first six to eight weeks after childbirth are very crucial for a mother on her recovery path. She needs proper rest and an extremely nutritious diet. This ensures how healthy she will be in the coming days.
Motherhood like all other different responsibilities is very challenging. A mother is new with all the basic cares and comforts that she must provide to her child and she also has to make a healthy recovery at this stage. She needs a proper diet, lots of care and compassion to deal with life. The entire body is affected after delivery and to regain this health, as per ayurveda it takes about 45 days. This is known as Sutikakalam in ayurveda.
As part of her diet she should consume:
- Low fat dairy products
- Legumes
- Oranges as per availability because this is a seasonal fruit
- Blueberries as per availability
- Red raspberry
- Leafy green vegetables
- Eggs
- Brown rice
- Whole wheat breads
- Foods rich in fibre to avoid constipation
At this stage, low-fat and less spicy and oily foods are recommended. Ayurveda believes in the principle that like increases like, and thus plenty of milk is required for milk production. Thus, Shatavari Kalpa in warm milk is good for a mother twice daily. Buttermilk with half a teaspoon of Pippali Mool helps the uterus to recover.
Medicated porridges, that is rice porridge with panchkola churna with adequate water are required in the first week. Along with that, plenty of ghee with panchkola churna should be consumed to heal the wounds and elevated energy levels.
In the second week after child delivery, along with the above, mutton soup should be started. All these diets are for women with normal delivery and for C-section this diet can be started after 2-3 weeks.
Spicy, sour, rich and oily foods are an absolute no-no during this time. Likewise meat should also be avoided initially because they interfere with digestion and delays recovery of the uterus.
Herbs and Medicines
Apart from food, herbs and medicines are also an important part of the regime in the postpartum period, according to ayurveda. Herbs like:
- Indian ginseng root (helps gain back lost strength and alleviates stress and can be taken as warm tea)
- Holy basil (it is a mood lifter and can help new mothers combat mood swings and also helps in milk production)
- Fenugreek (helps in milk production by taking it in powder form with tea or water)
- Moringa (it is anti-inflammatory in nature and is rich in Vitamins A, B and C, essential minerals like zinc, potassium, iron and calcium)
- Schisandra (helps fight against infections and helps in recovering pelvic strength)
These herbs when consumed in the right way can help a mother recover from her postpartum syndromes.
Conclusion
Pregnancy and childbirth can drain a lot out a woman. With postpartum care and proper diet and rest everything can come back to normal. It helps in recovery which is essential in raising a healthy child.
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