Postpartum is a wonderful time for a new mother and her baby to bond. Most mothers end up going back to work and normal daily life shortly after giving birth. However, this is the time they should be taking to rest and recover. Traditionally, there are at least 30 days of bonding and rest following birth for the new mother and her baby. The birthing process takes a LOT out of a woman. She just spent the last 9+ months growing a human, and then goes through the major activity of giving birth. The body needs to rest, relax, be supported, and nourished in this time.

In TCM new mothers are often depleted of Qi, Blood, and Yin from giving birth. They are also susceptible to Wind and Cold invading into the body so it is especially important at this time to stay warm and protected. Digestion will be slower and weaker from being pregnant which causes Spleen Qi Xu. Warm, soft, and easy to digest foods are important to ease the Stomach and Spleen.

Here are a few things all mothers can incorporate to help fortify them and heal them, making them stronger and ready to face the world again.

1. Stay Warm

This includes physically staying warm and eating warm food and drinks. Wear scarves and sweaters. Keep the midriff/abdomen, low back area, ankles, and feet covered and cozy.

2. Avoid iced drinks and cold and raw food.

Avoiding cold, raw food and iced drinks is important all the time, but especially now. Cold foods diminish the digestive fire in the abdomen and make the body have to work even harder to digest food. This puts unnecessary fatigue on the body while it is trying to heal and replenish itself after giving birth. Instead, drink room temperature, warm, and hot drinks. Tea is always a good choice, especially opting for Ginger or Raspberry tea (ginger for warming digestion and easing stomach pain, and raspberry for calming the uterus and cramping after giving birth.) This also means no ice cream, which is a cold-damp food in TCM. These congeal and slow down absorption and circulation in the body.

3. Rest.

Let this be the time to rest and be taken care of by family members and/or friends. This is the best time to ask for help and support!

4. Hydration.

Drink lots of water! A lot of water is lost in the birthing process and needs to be replenished in order to make adequate breast milk. Sip on room temperature water throughout the day or warm teas. Bone broth is another amazing choice because it has nutrients and fat to replenish the lost nutrients and help lubricate the intestines. From a TCM perspective, bone broth boosts Qi and builds blood!

A recommended book is, “Recipes from The First Forty Days: the essential art of nourishing the new mother,” written by Heng Ou. It has easy to follow recipes for things like Beef Bone Broth, Avocado, Coconut, and Lime smoothies, Red Date and Gogi tea, and much more!

Really try to take this time off and to fully rest, if able. This is a special, one time experience of bonding and being still as mother and newborn. By allowing adequate time for Blood, Qi, and Yin to replenish after giving birth, a new mother will bounce back even stronger than before and live a longer and healthier life.