Ayurvedic Care for Mother and Baby
What is included:
· Soothing Ayurvedic mother’s massage
· Delicious Ayurvedically balanced meals (for mom and family) and menu planning to enhance digestion, lactation and whole body rejuvenation.
· Tailored support for mom’s best rest and rejuvenation
· Infant Massage and Instruction
What is an Ayurvedic massage:
An Ayurvedic postpartum massage is a gentle, repetitive, warm, oily and nourishing full body oil massage that supports deep mind-body integration, addressing the mother on a physical and emotional level. It nourishes the tissues that are undergoing so many transitions and that are often fragile, depleted and exhausted at this time. It facilitates the movement of fluids and wastes through their proper channels and balances the nervous system. The mom is placed in 5-6 positions throughout the massage, ample amounts of oil is applied to the entire body from head to toe, and a continuous massage of long and circular strokes follows. Extra focus on areas of maternal physiology under extra workload includes hips, shoulders, neck, breasts, foot and hand reflex points, lower back, abdomen, and emotional marmas (energy points).
The mother’s oil massage is one of the top three ways to prevent problems after childbirth which can be done in the early postpartum time, and one of the top six to reverse them. This is essential postpartum care; it supports needed purifications and rejuvenation from pregnancy, birth, and many postpartum needs.
From an Ayurvedic perspective, after birth Vata is out of balance. Vata pacification occurs with the warmth, oiliness, gentleness, simplicity, repetition, rest, and mothering/nurturing elements of this practice. Application of warm oils soothes all of the tissues from the outside-in, and the Ayurvedic nutritional support soothes and balances the body and tissues from the inside-out. Together this is a very integrative approach to whole body healing. Stress hormones are brought back into balance and simple awareness and loving maternal behavior naturally blossom. Natural balance of female hormones is facilitated. Breast tissues are soothed, bellies function more coherently, weight naturally falls off and normalizes, and deep rest is promoted.
Why the Need for Postpartum Care
Being out of balance is the common experience of most American mothers for many months postpartum, and it is not necessary. The quickest and most effective way to restore balance at this time is through the physiology, not the mind (and her heart is already so open). Ayurvedic mother and infant care program elements work synergistically to soothe the mother’s system and to bring balance and strength.
The newly delivered mother is in a state of tremendous transition and openness for a full 6 weeks after childbirth. There have been great openings and structural changes of the body, as well as natural depletions of fluid, energy and tissues. Every tissue and system is undergoing intense transitions and adjustments. Her heart is wide open and her emotions raw. Because her heart is so open, vulnerable and trusting, the body has the guidance and opportunity (with proper support) to restructure in the direction of maximum ability to love and serve. Mother Nature provides a profound opportunity for the restructuring and rejuvenation for the mother’s body and being on the deepest levels. Not providing opportunity for essential rejuvenation after birth contributes greatly to rapid aging, burnout, stress, depression and depletion. This is why we so strongly emphasize that it is a time for the new mother (whether with her first child or third) as well as the new baby, to be nurtured and mothered with Ayurvedic Postpartum Care. According to Ayurvedic physicians, the mother’s psychophysiology is as delicate as the newborn’s. Now is a very cost-effective time to protect and nurture her – during this 6 week window – and allow the “invisible” self-rejuvenation work (assisting the body to heal itself) to have maximum beneficial effects.
There is a long list of benefits for this care (you can find this listed at the bottom of this post). Between all the extra responsibilities added to her schedule, along with extra expenses, mothers are often reluctant to take care of themselves as a priority. So, it is important to consider this delicate and sacred window of opportunity, and that mothers are on-call 24/7 – they can’t afford to NOT feel more whole, relaxed, strong, balanced and vital!
Choices made directly after birth to support rejuvenation will be much more potent than almost any other time in the mother’s life!
Mother the Mother
According to Ayurveda, choices within the first 42 days of giving birth influence a woman’s health and ability to mother and partner well for the next 42 years. Because there is so much reorganizing and restructuring already taking place after birth, we have a critical choice to make: to provide nurturing and rejuvenation for the mom to help reset all tissues and systems in the direction of ideal and therefore support her natural abilities to mother and to serve; or to have a mother begin her mothering path from a place of exhaustion and depletion and thus serving and mothering to a point of stress. From this vantage point we can see more clearly how postpartum depression, stressors, and other common physiological problems can set in…and not move out very quickly.
The nature of a mother’s unconditional heart makes it easy for her body to serve to the point of stress and to sacrifice herself. Therefore it is essential for mothers to nurture, nourish, and replenish their own resources (on a physical, emotional and spiritual level) in order to be able to give and nurture the newborn and the family.
This is Essential Care – Not Pampering
It is important for mothers and their spouses to understand the uniqueness of the postpartum window. This care should not be viewed as a luxury, nor as selfish pampering. It is a responsibility to family and community to see that this sacred window for her deep rejuvenation is properly supported. The heart of the home is considered to be the mother. Today we have an extremely high percentage of postpartum depression, where the heart of the home is not feeling “at home”. This separation and struggle creates heartaches and stresses for families. It is essential we support mothers to feel at home within themselves in order for them to find the energy and love to mother others.
Nourish the Primary Nourisher
With childbirth, the digestive strength of a mother is greatly diminished for the first few weeks. Yet the quality of a new mother’s digestion significantly influences the quality of both lactation and rejuvenation – for the connective tissues, reproductive system and hormonal health. Remember, there are a lot of tissue repairs and changes taking place within the body to regain balance without the baby that was gestating for 9 months!
For proper rejuvenation it is essential to provide the body with proper nourishment (including the right foods, spices, temperature and consistencies of the food) in order for the most optimal balance and rejuvenation to take place. With Ayurvedic Postpartum Care, delicious, nourishing and balancing meals are provided to aid in this process. A special feature of the postpartum diet is oleation therapy, which works in supportive conjunction with the massage, herbal and heat treatments in order to supply good rejuvenation, balance hormones and for weight normalization.
Nourishment for Newborns
Providing the mother with proper nourishment directly translates to proper nutrition and nourishment for the newborn. A perspective of Ayurvedic physician, Dr. Subhedar, is: “The best life insurance for your baby is mother’s milk and daily oil massage.” The quality of nutrition and digestion is essential as a breastfeeding mother for the quantity and quality of her milk. This can prevent colic, fussiness, gas discomfort and restlessness for the baby. Therefore, the Ayurvedic Postpartum Care is not only for the mothers, it is for the health of the babies as well.
Part of the Postpartum Care is providing Infant Massage and instructing the parents on how and when to incorporate this in the daily routine and care of the baby. There are many benefits for the baby from this, some of which include enhancing digestion, preventing and reversing colic, promoting needed weight gain (especially with preemies), enhancing immune strength, strengthening circulation, cultivating skin and muscle growth, and promoting deep sleep.
Babies are in tune energetically with the mothers as well. When mom is stressed, exhausted, not resting well, anxious and feeling “off” the baby picks up on this and is often fussy and restless as well. Working to balance the mother’s nervous system will be reflected with the baby. When mom is doing well, baby will thrive.
Supporting the Family Unit
Receiving Ayurvedic Postpartum Care benefits the entire family. So the adage goes: “When mom is happy, everyone is happy!” In addition, it allows the partner to relax more and enjoy the womb space post birth as well. With an Ayurvedic Doula, the meals are prepared and the mother attentively cared for with great focus on her recovery and health. He can then focus on just being with mom, baby (and any other siblings), as well as taking on some of the other tasks around the house that mom normally takes care of.
Benefits of Ayurvedic Massage
Physiological benefits:
- Supports lactation
- Nourishes the nervous system
- Reduces cortisol - the stress hormone from adrenal fatigue
- Releases physical strain and tension
- Improves circulation and oxygenation - reduces swollen ankles and general swelling and stagnation
- Supports digestion and nutrient delivery
- Promotes deeper sleep
- Gently presses out impurities into the channels for elimination
- Eases aches and pains, lubricating muscles, tissues and joints
- Promotes softness and luster of the skin
- Stimulates immune system effectiveness
- Supports full respiration
- nourishes all tissues through absorption of quality organic massage oil
Psycho-social benefits:
- Supports hormonal function and balance
- Integration of body, heart and mind
- Facilitates more relaxed, comfortable, natural mothering
- Nourishes emotions and desire to give gently, effectively and fully
- Structured rest and healing time for mom
- Enhances trust in one's own Nature, and in others
- Supports whole body awareness
