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Why Postnatal Care

"I think as women we often give to everybody else first and if there’s anything left over we think that’s what we deserve. I learned through my struggles that unless we look after ourselves, prioritising our own health and well being we can’t nurture those around us. We run on empty and our mothering role and hence our lives can spiral out of control." Juanita, 36 (Esther Rose, 10 weeks)

The 5 facts you MUST KNOW of western women’s post-birth recovery

1. In Australian 83% of women initiate breastfeeding, though more than 40% have ceased breastfeeding before their baby is 1 year.

2. Up to 76% of women report fatigue in the postnatal period which significantly impacts on family life, relationships and libido

3. 15% of all Australian women suffer from Postnatal Depression

4. Approximately 50% of all new mums report backache

5. Up to 20% of women have postnatal weight retention of at least 5 kg at 6 months postbirth

1. Breastfeeding and Breast Health

The time spent nourishing and bonding with your baby can be one of the most rewarding experiences a new mum can have. However breastfeeding doesn’t always go according to plan. Unfortunately in Australia many women find breastfeeding challenging and only 18% of new mums are still breastfeeding at 6 months. The World Health Organization recommends that all babies are breastfed exclusively up until 6 months – so why do we have such a poor rate in Australia?

Breastfeeding is a skill that is learned over time by the new mum and the baby as a team, it can take patience and perseverance and some women need extra support. In Australia up to 40% of all new mums are discharged from within 72 hours of delivery, this is a relatively short time for new mums to have access to the support they need to establish breastfeeding. There are valuable public services available to women including the Australian Breastfeeding Association, but often women need extra support in their home by a trained professional.

Embracing Motherhood can help! Did you know is takes the same nutritional expenditure in the first four months of breastfeeding as it does for the full nine months of pregnancy – roughly double the nutritional requirements are needed for successful lactation. If the mother’s diet isn’t adequate she will suffer as the body takes all the nutrients to give to the baby. Good nutrition is essential for the mum and baby at this time. Our nutritionists can provide you with a specialized eating plan to make sure you have everything you need for successful breastfeeding!

Our specifically designed Breastfeeding Tea uses herbs that have been successfully used by breastfeeding women for thousands of years.

Do you have a family member or special friend who is struggling with breastfeeding issues? We can help! A Postnatal Nutritional Consultation will make the world of difference. Our Breastfeeding Tea also helps – this tea combines herbs that have been used successfully by traditional breastfeeding women.

2. Postnatal Fatigue

Your body naturally recovers from everyday tiredness due to activity through sleep and rest. Fatigue is clinically very different to this; it is a protective mechanism whereby the body slows down or stops so that overuse is prevented and regeneration can take place. Fatigue has been defined as “an overwhelming, sustained sense of exhaustion and a decreased capacity for physical and mental work”.

The difficulty in recognizing fatigue as abnormal or excessive is compounded following childbirth, when care of an infant inevitably results in increased activity and disturbed sleep patterns.

Up to 76% of women report fatigue as a new mother in the postnatal period which significantly impacts on family life, relationships and libido.

Fatigue has been shown to effect concentration, cause women to feel irritable and avoid socializing, it also can have a big impact on libido. This can lead to a women feeling isolated and impact their relationship. Fatigue is more than just feeling tired – without good energy reserves the demands of new parenthood can quickly become overwhelming. Sometimes just catching up on sleep is not enough.

Embracing Motherhood can help! There are many things you can do to improve your energy levels naturally and identifying the cause of your ongoing postnatal fatigue is imperative. Often nutritional deficiencies play a role in ongoing fatigue as does your hormones in the postnatal period. Your Embracing Motherhood Naturopath will be able to advise you on the best nutritional plan to help you beat fatigue and may use herbal medicine to help you regain your energy levels. Many women are amazed at how quickly their energy levels improve with treatment.

Our specifically designed New Mums Tea contains herbs that are traditionally used for fatigue and help the body adapt to stress.

Do you have a family member or special friend who is struggling with Postnatal Fatigue? You can support them with a Postnatal Nutritional Consultations.

3. Postnatal Depression

Postnatal Depression (PND) is common, occurring in approximately 15% of all postpartum women. A quarter of all cases will be diagnosed within the first month, however it often goes undiagnosed for some time as the gradual onset of symptoms may not be easily distinguishable from the fatigue and emotional changes experienced by most mothers as they recover from childbirth and adjust to motherhood.

Risk factors

• previous history of depression
• family history of depression
• poor or absent relationship with partner
• obstetric intervention
• hormonal disorders
• lack of support

Symptoms of PND

• lethargy and loss of interest in things
• tearfulness and oversensitivity
• hopelessness and irrational fears
• anxiety and feelings of guilt
• disturbed sleep and/or eating patterns

PND is a serious condition that needs to be diagnosed and treated by a medical professional. There is no shame in a diagnosis of PND; it can affect any woman regardless of her health or personal situation.

Embracing Motherhood can help! Embracing Motherhood has a policy of or working within an integrative medicine model, by working as a collaborative team with your doctor we can provide valuable support to help you recover from PND and enjoy being a new mum.

We provide access to some of Australia’s most dedicated and highly trained health professionals. Our Postnatal Counsellor can provide valuable emotional support to you at this time. It has been shown in clinical trials that medication combined with counselling gets the best results for new mum with this condition.

There are also many nutritional factors that have been associated with PND, including deficiency in iron, zinc, calcium folate, B12, B6, chromium and omega 3 fatty acids to name a few. Our Embracing Motherhood Naturopaths have been specially trained to support new mums with PND and can devise a nutritional supplementation programme to assist your recovery.

Through team work and caring support we can help you on the path to recovery so you can enjoy motherhood and your relationships!

Do you know someone with Postnatal Depression? You can support them through this challenging condition with a Postnatal Nutritional Consultation

4. Post-birth Backache

Backache can be a common occurrence in the postnatal period.

Many women experience backache during pregnancy and following delivery, with approximately 50% of all new mums reporting backache. Several studies have shown that postnatal backache is not transient, with a prevalence of up to 37% of women still experiencing backache after 12-18 months.

This can be a painful and irritating condition, that is further compounded by the lifting involved with the care of your infant, breastfeeding and nursing for long periods also place a great deal of strain on the muscles of your back.

There are many things your can do to relieve backache and regain your range of movement naturally. Identifying the cause of your ongoing back pain is imperative! Many women are amazed at how quickly their back pain improves with treatment!

Embracing Motherhood can help! The highly trained Massage Therapists at Embracing Motherhood can help! They can assist in treating your back pain – many women also find that our abdominal wrapping in the postnatal period helps to support the abdominal and lower back muscles and relieve pain.

Our specifically designed Toning Tea uses herbs that have been traditionally used by women recovering from pregnancy and childbirth.

Do you know someone with Post birth backache? YOu can support them with a Signature Postnatal Massages.

5. Post Pregnancy Weight Retention

Did you know that clinical studies have shown that up to 20% of all women have postnatal weight retention of at least 5kg after 6 months?

In Australia, obesity is at epidemic levels, with the Australian Bureau of statistics recently reporting that 45% of women are either overweight or obese. Overweight and obesity is the number one cause of preventable disease and costs our society millions of dollars.

Often it is the postnatal period that is the start of the slippery slide into weight problems for many women. Women often lack support and are much busier at this time, they are often so busy looking after their baby they neglect their own diet and nutritional needs – reaching for whatever snack food is convenient.

In Eastern cultures healthy eating is paramount for the new mum, she often has family members cooking traditional foods for her that are designed to provide with all the nutrition she needs to regain her vitality and support breastfeeding. They believe that if a women is not properly cared for in the postnatal period she will have poor health in the years to come – when we look at the postnatal weight retention statistics you can see what they mean!

The type of food you eat in the postnatal period is important – your body is designed to regain its pre-pregnancy shape if it has the correct foods.

Embracing Motherhood can help! The Nutritionists at Embracing Motherhood have specialized training to help you with all aspects of weightloss so you can make healthier choices and regain your pre-pregnancy body quickly, and increase your energy without feeling hungry! We devise nutritional programmes that support correct body composition while you are breastfeeding too!

Do you know someone who is struggling with postnatal weight retention? You can support them regain their pre-baby body and feel fabulous about themselves with a Postnatal Nutritional Consultations.

References

• Australian Bureau of Statistics, Breastfeeding in Australia, 2001
• Bick D et al, Postnatal Care, evidence and guidelines for management, pg 150, Elsevier Science Limited, Churchill Livingstone, 2002
• National Health and Medical Research Council. 2000. Postnatal Depression: Not just the baby blues. Canberra
• Bick D et al, Postnatal Care, evidence and guidelines for management, pg 165, Elsevier Science Limited, Churchill Livingstone, 2002
• Kinnunen T I et al, Reducing postpartum weight retention – a pilot trial in primary health care, Nutrition Journal 2007 www.nutritionj.com/content/pdf/1475-2891-6-21.pdf