Honey Chile, your body has just done one of the most remarkable things it will ever do: grow another human being. After working all of this magic, your body needs time to heal and recover.
This time period is called the 4th trimester. This is the postpartum period.
When you hear the word postpartum, you should think ceremony, ritual, and celebration. A new human has been called to be in THIS word, in YOUR family/community to care for.
So much of your focus and energy during the coming weeks and months will be on baby, but remember that you also need to take care of yourself, too. And it is normal to be cared for during this time.
Your delivery may have been easy, painless, empowering, or hard, complicated, and intense. You may have had a vaginal birth, or cesarean birth (C-section). You may have labored for a few hours or a few days. No matter what your birth looked like, your body has been through a lot of transformations. It is going to need time to find order and balance during postpartum recover.
Your postpartum recovery won’t be just a few days.
Fully recovering from pregnancy and childbirth can take months. While many women feel mostly recovered by 6-8 weeks, it may take longer than this to feel like yourself again. During this time, you may feel as though your body has a mind of its own. Try not to get frustrated. Remember that your body is not aware of your timelines and expectations. The best thing you can do for it is rest, eat good nourishing foods, and allow yourself the ability to rest. Take a break. Humble yourself and now down to the Goddess within. You deserve it!
There is a holistic path to improved postpartum health and it is found in many cultural communities. Ancient wisdoms and traditions know that if it took the better part of a year to grow and have a baby- Then it will take some substantial time for the body to heal itself after the event of childbirth.
Take comfort in knowing that, for the most part, you will begin to feel like yourself much sooner than that.
Think of it like this. You have the option of laying-in with your new baby. Resting in you home, surrounded by a support team that loves you. With a secure postpartum plan, in a few months, you should be well on your way to recovery.
Bee SWEET Honey!
Ask me how you can get access to your very own postpartum care plan? As an INNATE Postpartum Care Provider I tend to the needs of the childbearing community in the of ways of my ancestors.