Postpartum Care
Envision emerging from your pregnancy, birth and immediate postpartum period feeling nourished, rested, and resourced for the rest of your life with your new, beloved baby.
As newly pregnant mothers, we tend to put a lot of energy into preparing for labor and birth, but what about the days and weeks after the baby has arrived? This is the precious fourth trimester, when the real challenges of parenting begin to arise...
The immediate postpartum time is a magical window of opportunity in which you are invited to enter motherhood, integrate, and bond with your baby with grace, vitality, and nourishment---and intentional care is needed for this to occur.
With attention to the pillars of postpartum care (nourishing food, uninterrupted warmth, rest, intentional bodywork, and community support), combined with well-deserved and appropriate celebration and ritual in the 6 weeks following birth, the newborn mother has the capacity to sustain her hormonal wellbeing for the rest of her mothering life and beyond!
Why is postpartum care so important?
According to Āyurveda (and several other cultures and modalities such as Traditional Chinese Medicine and traditional Mexican midwifery), the 40 days, or 6 weeks, immediately following birth are a “sacred window” in which deep healing can be established for the mother who is cared for and rests completely and properly. Beyond recovering from the intense processes of pregnancy and birth, this time offers a golden opportunity for deep, sincere bonding between mama and baby.
Intentional focus on nourishing the mother through properly prepared foods, herbal protocols, teas, ritual, gentle bodywork, uninterrupted warmth, and safety, allows space for mama and baby to establish necessary connections needed for a healthy breastfeeding relationship, and emotional connection for their entire lives.
“The world’s postpartum traditions are virtually identical, because they are rooted in the physiologic needs of postpartum Mothers.”
The first 40 days postpartum offer the perfect space in which the new mother can begin to gently address, nourish, heal, and even prevent long-held or deeply-seated hormonal, digestive, and other imbalances or dis-ease in her health. On the other hand, improper attention to health of the mother through deep rest in this delicate period of time can result in decline of overall health for the mother into her years of old age. Through good postpartum recovery, a woman can effectively be set up with a healthy foundation for the rest of her life.
My inspiration and education involving the practicality of postpartum care for new mothers and families is primarily rooted in my training with INNATE Traditions. Āyurveda also has a rich tradition in caring for new mothers in this deeply nourishing way through its’ inherently established wisdom. The principal philosophies of this ancient system apply so naturally to the magical and profoundly transformative experiences that come along with the phases of becoming a mother.
Each in-home postpartum visit entails:
One Āyurvedic postpartum meal, one snack, and one drink tonic prepared in my kitchen before visit and delivered to you
45 minute whole body oil massage (abhyaṅga) session for mama (baby massage also available)
moxibustion or localized heat to the womb
herbal flower baths and/or yoni steams for womb & yoni healing
belly wrapping
delivery of one week's worth of powdered herbal formulations, extracts, postpartum healing and lactation teas, bath herbs, medicated ghee, broths, and body oil
light cleaning/tidying and baby care as needed
support for emotional integration of birth experience and education surrounding maintenance of pelvic and hormonal health
“closing of the bones” ritual available 40+days postpartum
an initial 2.5 hour education and planning session, including setting up a support calendar and a meal train
continuous open contact and support throughout entire 42 days postpartum
all herbal preparations, foods, teas, oils
resource packet with meal guidelines, recipes, and other parenting/postpartum information
Between 2 and 12 in-home postpartum visits lasting approximately 2.5 hours each
All postpartum packages include:
"The woman plays the key role in this ashrama (family structure). Hence the health of the woman should be protected by all means. If the woman is protected, in turn she will protect the whole community."
- ASHTANGA SANGRAHA
Pricing
Discounts grow with each visit! Up to two 2.5 hour visits per week.
*Please note that all below listed prices INCLUDE the initial planning session and all foods, oils, and herbal remedies!*
***1 education and planning consultation PLUS...
-2 in-home postpartum visits…$750
-3 in-home postpartum visits…$975
-4 in-home postpartum visits…$1200
-5 in-home postpartum visits…$1425
-6 in-home postpartum visits…$1650
-7 in-home postpartum visits…$1875
-8 in-home postpartum visits…$2100
-9 in-home postpartum visits…$2325
-10 in-home postpartum visits…$2550
-11 in-home postpartum visits…$2775
-12 in-home postpartum visits…$3000
(additional $50 for each visit 30+ minutes drive from Sandpoint)
*Please note that all above listed prices INCLUDE the initial planning session and all foods, oils, and herbal remedies!*
I use the highest quality, organic ingredients in the food, teas and medicines that I prepare! The price reflects this, along with the time it takes to prepare food before each visit and travel time to and from your home.
*At least 3 sessions are recommended, but once or twice a week for 6 weeks are common choices for optimal support.
*First in-home visit ideally 2-3 days after birth.
This offering makes a wonderful gift!
CONTACT ME to schedule a free introductory phone call for questions and to learn more about me and whether I am a good fit for your family.
Support following pregnancy loss or release
“Postpartum” is the period of time which follows ANY pregnancy, whether it ends in a live birth, stillbirth, miscarriage, or abortion. Regardless of the result, healing attention is absolutely essential in the tender time immediately following the closing of a pregnancy.
The same principles apply in these cases: appropriate recovery from blood loss, womb transformations, hormonal processes, and emotional experiences which inevitably accompany pregnancy regardless of its length, is imperative for the lifelong health of the woman. A period of intentional rest, nourishment, and sincere regard for the body’s need for healing is indicated and justified.
I am honored to support women in the delicate process of recovering from pregnancy that does not end with a live baby. This may look like education and/or implementation of healing practices like:
herbal formulations and remedies to help in eliminating any remaining tissue or blood and to support hormonal and emotional processes
gentle, localized abhyaṅga (oil massage) on indicated areas of the body
moxibustion
yoni steam and/or sitz baths
meal plans, recipes, and guidelines for preparation of food
belly wrapping and “closing of the bones” ceremony
support for emotional integration of birth experience
education surrounding maintenance of womb health
I will provide guidelines for an accessible plan to approach your recovery in the weeks following the end of pregnancy. Therapies and guidance will be determined by individual circumstances.
Mothers who did not receive sufficient care in the immediate postpartum
Mothers and grandmothers of all ages are also encouraged and welcomed to take advantage of the postpartum services offered here, as they nourish women no matter where they are in their hormonal journey through womanhood. This is work that women deserve forever after the potent offering she makes when creating, growing, and raising a human being.
A woman is considered to be in the postpartum period ("the period of time following a pregnancy") for their entire experience in motherhood. Many of the treatments offered above will deeply benefit those who have been mothers for years and did not have proper immediate postpartum care and restructuring.
It is much too often in today’s reality that women are expected, by themselves or others, to return to work and daily tasks soon after the birthing process. This attitude can be hugely detrimental to the hormonal and physical re-balancing a woman requires after undergoing one of the most physically demanding and intense experiences a human being can endure. Any mother, no matter their age or the age of their children, is welcomed to and encouraged to take advantage of the postpartum and other services offered here. It would truly be an honor to serve you in this way.