Holistic Health for New Mothers in Portland
Posted by Dr. Della Parker on August 15, 2018
What is the best way for new moms to rest and recover after giving birth and how long should that resting period be? Before Portland was a city and before Oregon was even a state in the union, women in colonial America rested for three weeks calling it the “rest in period”. In China they call it “sitting the month” and comes with specific dieting rules—like not being able to eat or drink anything cold. Malaysians get 44 days and includes having a traditional masseuse. Indian women get a full two months and include bathing with an herbal infusion. Korea tops the list with a tradition that, when translated, is called “100 Days of Birth” which includes lots of seaweed soup.
According to census numbers most modern American moms return to work before the allotted 12 weeks for maternity leave. One in ten women go back to work in four weeks or less. That’s a half a million each year. Portland is no different than any other metropolitan area in that statistic.
We also know that being a new mom goes beyond the post-partum period. After having a baby, you have a whole host of other factors that can make you feel wiped out. Here are three ways to fight those blahs and baby blues that come with being a busy mom.
MAKE TIME FOR REST
Exhaustion rates the highest of all symptoms among new moms. Stress and lack of sleep burn energy you already don’t have. Properly supporting your adrenal glands can help you fall into a deeper sleep earlier and help you wake up feeling more refreshed. Can you even imagine?!
GET A MASSAGE
If you were wise enough during your pregnancy to fit in some pre-natal massage, consider yourself one lucky mother. A massage not only helps you restore and relax your body, but it also provides you with a time and place devoted to getting some crucial rest time.
WATCH YOUR DIET
When we feel like crap, we crave crap! Sugar cravings? Salt cravings? Both can contribute to adrenal fatigue and are also caused by it too! If we can fix the need for these unhealthy cravings, we can break the cycle! Let’s get you craving things like water and kale instead, shall we? Ok, that might sound a little crazy, but it could happen! Also, by testing for food intolerances we can figure out what foods are causing the most problems. Maybe your body responds better to grains than dairy, or vice versa. We can help you figure it out!
It may start out as just feeling wiped out, but it can progress to much worse. We are talking about crazy things like disease and cancer. Uncontrolled stress leads to these things more frequently than you probably realize. So, let’s help you get your body back to health so you can stay around to keep that house afloat!
At Stellar Health and Wellness all three of our wellness professionals are focused on the individual. Dr. Della focuses on dried blood cell analysis, functional lab evaluation, Nutritional Response Testing (NRT), clinical nutrition, and botanical medicine. Contact Dr. Della Parker, Integrative Nutritionist Amy Hardesty, or Massage Therapist Yvonne Schroeder for an appointment today or call 503-344-6631.