Postpartum

How long is the postpartum healing period? In western society, that depends on so many factors: finances, career obligations, support system… the list goes on. While in some societies new moms are allotted a fair amount of recuperation and baby bonding time, in the states we have a severe lack of support and education surrounding the postpartum period. The truth is that once a woman gives birth she is postpartum for the rest of her life. When birth trauma, both physical and emotional, goes untreated, the body will heal itself in a way that carries that trauma instead of processing it and letting it go.

with embodied pelvic work

Scar tissue remediation is a modality of treatment for pelvic scar tissue, including (but not limited to) c-section scars, perineal tears and episiotomy scars. With embodiment coaching through a process of pelvic and vaginal mapping with caster oil, we learn to re-train the brain to understand the body’s default boundary settings, reacknowlege the pelvic floor and vulva in a safe way, and sometimes even process our traumas in an emotional release. All these outcomes are welcome in the space of a postpartum embodied pelvic care session, and any of these outcomes can be achieved whether you are in the first months of the postpartum period or even decades after giving birth.

Regaining sexual function after birth can be profoundly frustrating. Often, pelvic scar tissue from birth trauma can be a source of pain during sex. Sometimes, the emotional components of the felt experience in giving birth is more likely to blame. In this case, a traumatic experience, no matter how mild, can set the sympathetic nervous system into permanent “fight or flight” mode. In this case, embodied pelvic care can assist the nervous system in recognizing a therapeutic and loving touch once again, without the need to tense up. In other cases, internal imbalances that were present before getting pregnant might show up in postpartum in the form of hormone imbalances, which may call for an internal herbal medicine approach.

with acupuncture + Chinese medicine

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, rest and ample recovery time from the stress of giving birth is of utmost importance. Whether or not your birth was traumatic, it is important to focus on rebuilding blood, boosting gut health for proper nutrient absorption, and rebuilding the body’s system of support for nurturing a healthy infancy. As an acupuncturist I offer nutrition counseling, herbal therapy and continued monitoring for support of mom, so that both mom and baby can thrive. Specialized internal care for breastfeeding issues, postpartum depression, hormone regulation, and regaining libido are also complications that can be appropriately addressed through herbal supplements tailored to your condition and body presentation/diagnosis. The combination of embodied pelvic care, acupuncture and herbal therapy are a potent postpartum regimen, the value of which is priceless. A series of sessions can be created from both approaches to expedite wellness and get you back to health and sexual function as quickly as possible.