Holistic Therapies for Postpartum - Holistic Pregnancy and Childbirth

Holistic Therapies for Postpartum

Holistic therapies immediately following childbirth focus on mother-baby bonding, and naturally healing the mother's uterus and perineum. It is extremely important that mother and baby bond before the umbilical cord is cut, and the mother nurse her newborn baby before it is given eyedrops. Placing the baby on the mother's breast will normally initiate suckling, which is important to future breast-feeding. Most infants will imitate crawling motions toward the breast immediately after delivery and suckle in less than an hour if they're not drugged or disturbed.

Holistic Key: Mother-Baby Bonding.     Holistic physicians also recommend that a mother nurse her baby before it is given vitamin K injections. If the mother has consumed vitamin K-rich foods or vitamin K oral supplements during the last month of pregnancy, her baby will usually not need injections. There have been several studies released linking intramuscular vitamin K shots with childhood cancer, whereas no such ties were found when vitamin K was administered orally.

Bonding with the baby is not only an important spiritual event, it also has immediate medical benefits. The May 1986 issue of Pediatrics reported a study in which doctors at the University of Miami Medical School divided 40 premature babies who had been delivered after 31 weeks of pregnancy. One group was given normal treatment in the hospital's intensive care unit. The other received 15 minutes of daily special attention, in which someone reached in through the portholes of their sealed cribs to stroke them and gently wiggle their arms and legs.

The results of such a simple bonding-like touch therapy were striking. Although fed on demand with the same formula, the stroked babies gained 47% more weight each day than the control group. They were more alert and started to act like normally delivered babies. They also left the hospital a week ahead of schedule, resulting in a savings of $1,000.

Massaging the baby will reduce both the baby and the mother's stress levels. Researchers at the Touch Research Institute (TRI) at the University of Miami Medical School conducted a study investigating the effects of massage on adolescent mothers and their newborn infants. They found that after a 30-minute massage, both the mothers and their babies had lower levels of Cortisol and norepinephrine (stress hormones) and were more alert, less restless, and better able to sleep.

Holistic Key: Breastfeeding.     The holistic method of childbirth recommends that women breastfeed their babies whenever possible. Breastfeeding has many advantages extensively documented in clinical trials, the most important of which is that it stimulates the development of the newborn baby's immune system. Breastfed babies, for example, have been shown to have lower rates of allergies, diarrhea, colic, stomachaches, dental problems, ear infections, respiratory infections, and meningitis than bottle-fed infants.

Holistic Key: Uterine Massage.     It is important that the mother's uterus remain contracted after birth to prevent excess bleeding. Most women lose about one cup of blood at the time of birth, and nursing the baby often causes the uterus to contract. Nursing is the most natural way of healing the uterus—and it has the added benefit of helping to establish the mother's milk supply. Uterine massage should be continued for several days until it stays naturally contracted, and begins to shrink to the size of a tennis ball.

A small number of pregnant women experience postpartum hemorrhaging. Dr. M. Varner reports one trial in the October 1991 issue of Critical Care Clinics in which massage effectively reduced minor hemorrhaging and pelvic pulse pressure. Women whose hemorrhaging was due to a rupture of their uterus, however, required surgery.

Holistic Key: Perineal Massage.     The mother's perineum may be sore and swollen for several days after birth, due to stretching during delivery. The first day following childbirth, she can reduce swelling by massaging the perineum with ice packs (covered with a cloth) at half hour intervals. On the second day, holistic obstetricians normally recommend replacing the ice pack with a hot water bottle or heating lamp (not ultraviolet or sunlamp). Taking a warm water sitz baths at 20-minute intervals is also helpful. Witch hazel or essential oil of lavender applied to a sanitary napkin can also help reduce swelling. Douching and tampons should be avoided during this period.

Many mothers find it difficult or painful to urinate the first week following childbirth. This is normally caused by tight sphincter muscles which can be relaxed by performing gentle yoga exercises and visualizations. It's also important to keep the perineum clean after urination; an excellent method is to spray warm water using a peri bottle. Some mothers experience constipation and painful bowel movements immediately following childbirth. One way to keep stools soft is to eat high-fiber foods such as bran and fresh vegetables, and drink more fluids.

Holistic Key: Nutrition.     During childbirth, the mother's body is depleted of many essential nutrients which must be replaced as soon as possible during her postpartum recovery. Obstetricians normally advise mothers who breastfeed to consume at three to four servings of calcium-rich foods each day, including whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean meat, or cooked dried beans and peas. Low-fat milk is an excellent source of nutrients, including protein, calcium, vitamin B ₂ , and magnesium. Mothers who cannot tolerate milk (lactose intolerant) should consume foods similar in nutrient composition such as cheese, soy milk, dark green vegetables, and yogurt.

Holistic Key: Exercise.     It's also important for every mother to resume Kegel exercises as soon as she feels comfortable to regain pelvic strength. Each mother should be guided by her own body, and resume her preferred form of exercise when she feels ready. Lack of sleep, nursing, and child care will place extra demands on her body—and the fastest way for her to recover her physical energy is to resume safe, gentle exercises such as yoga, qigong, or tai chi.

Holistic Key: Yoga.     Yoga is the safest restorative therapy that women can begin immediately after birth. Yoga will quickly normalize their heart rate, blood pressure and breathing, and gently exercise their pelvic and abdominal muscles so they do not become sore or tight. A study by Dr. P. Raju indicates that practicing yoga effectively restores aerobic fitness in new mothers without raising their blood lactate levels (which cause muscle soreness). This, in turn, according to Raju, gives new mothers more energy to nurse their babies.

Yoga also helps mothers regain their normal, pre-pregnancy body weight and shape. Dr. T. Bera reports in the July 1993 issue of the Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology that when new mothers practice yoga they experience a “significant improvement in ideal body weight, body density, cardiovascular endurance and anaerobic power.”

Holistic Key: Physiotherapy.     European mothers commonly undergo physiotherapy immediately following childbirth to heal their pelvic muscles. First-time mothers may find it difficult to walk without pain, and physiotherapy exercises retrain women to walk in a relaxed and comfortable way. Physiotherapy also restores the circulation of blood in abdominal muscles and reduces swelling and pain. The most restorative physiotherapy programs combine exercise, massage, relaxation, and other treatments.

Holistic Key: Craniosacral Therapy for the Baby.     Difficult deliveries, extended periods of engagement (the time the baby's head is in the birth canal), or the incorrect application of forceps and vacuum suction can pinch a newborn baby's cranial tissues. This can cause ear aches, sinus congestion, vomiting, irritability, and hyperactivity. In some cases, these symptoms occur if part of the baby's neck was compressed during birth—especially by an extreme backward extension of the baby's head during delivery. According to Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide , newborn babies can be treated immediately after birth by craniosacral therapy which gently readjusts baby's soft neck and spine cartilage, and eases the symptoms of a difficult delivery.

Holistic Key: Guided Imagery.     Many mothers suffer postpartum depression often because of a painful delivery, medical complications, an insufficient postpartum diet, or stress. Dr. B. Reese reports a clinical study in the September 1993 issue of the Journal of Holistic Nursing which found that “anxiety and depression declined and self-esteem increased” in women who were trained in relaxation and guided imagery.

Holistic Key: Nursing and Relaxation Exercises.     The way a mother touches, nurses, and communicates with her newborn baby directly affects the development of its nervous system. Mothers who nurse their infants in a relaxed manner tend to develop fewer diseases and infections—and so do their babies.

Several studies by Dr. Roger Mayer, a pediatric researcher, for example, compared the sickness rates of babies nursed by relaxed or stressful mothers. In one study, he found that babies with strep throats were four times as likely to have been nursed by nervous mothers. Other studies have also shown that the duration of upper respiratory illnesses is prolonged in babies who undergo stress during nursing and early development.

Becoming a parent is truly one of life's great moments, and it should be approached with a plan to do everything possible to ensure that the new infant is healthy and will enjoy a natural, peaceful development. The expectant mother and child are one biological organism until the moment of birth, and whatever the woman puts into her body will most likely be passed to her baby. Therefore, it is extremely important that the pregnant woman eat properly and avoid consuming any drugs or toxins that could harm the fetus. Starting and maintaining an exercise routine has been strongly linked in several studies with good health during pregnancy, an easier delivery, and larger, healthier babies. Childbirth should be a natural process except in cases of emergency, and the baby should be bonded to the mother as soon as possible. Women who breastfeed significantly increase the chances that their babies will enjoy healthy physiological and psychological development. The most important factor in ensuring a safe and successful pregnancy is a woman's confidence in her obstetrician and nurse-midwife and her awareness of her own body.