The M-P of postpartum.
M is for mother.
When a baby is born, so is a mother.
When you become a mother,whether for the first or fifth time, it's life changing. Everything will change, from your relationships to work and you. You will need all the support you can get after your baby arrives. It takes a village to raise a child and a mother. All mothers deserve to be honoured and cared for after birth.
M is for massage.
Postpartum massage helps mothers recover and heal after birth. It soothes sore, aching muscles from carrying and breastfeeding your baby. It's a time for you, to relax and be nurtured after the work of growing and birthing your baby.
A postpartum massage cares for your body, mind and spirit.
I do in-home postpartum massages as part of my post birth doula support.
N is for naps, nurture and needs.
During postpartum, it's important for mothers to put their own needs first.
This is why you need others to care for you, while you care for your baby. As a mother who has recently given birth, you need to be nurtured, just like your baby.
Naps and nutritious food are the key to having enough energy to care for your baby in the early days and weeks after birth.
O is for Oxytocin.
Oxytocin is the love hormone. The one that's present at conception and helps you to birth your baby. It's also good after the birth to help you to breastfeed, fall in love with your baby and enjoy postpartum. You can boost your oxytocin by doing or looking at something you love, like staring into your baby's eyes.
P is for postpartum.
(Of course it is!) Post-partum means after the birth or following childbirth.
It generally means the 6 weeks after birth. When you have given birth, you're post-partum forever. As a postpartum doula, one of the things I do is work with mothers to plan their postpartum before their baby arrives.
I'm Libby. I support mothers after birth in Castlemaine and surrounds to get the rest, care and love they need. Contact me to find out how I can care for you postpartum as a mother care professional/ doula.