Let’s talk about postpartum and motherhood.
Let’s talk openly with each other about the journey – the good and the bad.
Let’s stop hiding the exhaustion, anxiety, depression, shame, guilt, and feelings of social isolation.
Let’s come together as a community, embrace our new selves, and learn how to LOVE our new bodies.
Yes – that’s right – I want you to LOVE yourself.
The silver lining to the depression, anxiety, tears, fatigue, and insomnia is that this is a chance that you have to listen to your body to reclaim your vitality and discover your vibrancy as a mother. The emotional roller coaster, feeling achy, fatigued, and depressed are all clues that your body is sending to you. It’s a sign, like a billboard, that your body is screaming, “Hey! Wake up and fix me!” All of these feelings are symptoms and these symptoms are an expression from the body giving you a chance to address them. Keep asking the question why do you feel this way until you find the root cause. Don’t just suppress the symptom, treat the underlying cause, too. Listening to your body is an opportunity you have to reclaim your vibrant self.
Your Billboard: Some common cues of how your body tells you that it’s out of balance:
Fatigue Depression Anxiety Obsessive compulsive tendencies No romantic desires
Weight gain Restless sleep Insomnia Hot flashes Night sweats
Loss of romantic desires Brain fog Mood swings Belly that looks still pregnant Melasma – darkening of the skin
Cold hands Cold feet Cold sensitive Hair loss Graying hair Aches Irregular cycles PMS
Sugar and carb cravings Pain with sex Migraines Urinary incontinence Pelvic pain
Why is it so important to take care of yourself?
A stronger you makes a stronger mama, a stronger partner, and a role model for your kids with self care and balance. Allowing your body to heal from pregnancy and birth will prevent future health issues, creating a lasting vibrant motherhood. You only get one body, so love it and nourish it.
Nourish – ReNew – Honor Self
So what happens at birth?
There is a major inflammatory spike, that in some women, triggers emotional instability, fatigue, physical pain, insomnia, depression, anxiety, OCD, thyroid disease activation, genetic alterations, and just trouble recovering from pregnancy. It is the psychoneruoinflammatory model. Through my research and clinical experience, I’ve come to see that inflammation is not a risk factor for dysfunctional changes after birth, but it is THE risk factor. Generally speaking, the higher levels of post birth inflammation, the harder time moms have recovering. Learning how to control and mitigate the degree of this immunological shift after birth, has become a focal point with postpartum moms.
Controlling your immune balance is a combination of self care techniques such as sleeping well, eating nutrient dense meals, controlling blood sugar stability, working on stress management, and replenishing deficient nutrients. That list can be overwhelming for most moms. So just break it down and take it step and step. This is a journey that take time, yet one that is transformative.
A quick trick that you can use to re-balance your nervous system tone (meaning stress management that improves this immune shift) is vagal nerve work. First, it is possible to use the Vagus nerve to help control pain and stress triggers. Here’s why: The Vagus nerve controls heart, lung, and digestive function as well as your ability to relax. There is a link between postpartum depression and an inability to simply relax, which means the Vagus nerve is not firing normally. On top of that, feelings of shame and guilt conspire to further inhibit the Vagus nerve response. But wait a minute, don’t most new moms struggle with feelings of shame and guilt? Probably, I know I still struggle with guilt of not being good enough. But what makes shame and guilt worse is when, physiologically, the Vagus nerve is not functioning optimally.
What if we could reset our Vagus nerve activity? Turns out, we can. Fortunately, singing, hugging, deep breathing, gargling, brushing your tongue, massage, laughter, grounding, walking, meditation, and ending your shower on cold all help to reset Vagal Nerve function. So hug and sing to your baby many times throughout the day and you can actually reset your relaxation response. Now that is cool!
I will keep posting tips and information about postpartum, pregnancy, and creating a vibrant motherhood. But if you want more information now, check out The Vibrant Mom ebook. Because motherhood and postpartum is so close to my heart, I wrote an ebook on healing from pregnancy and how to create a vibrant motherhood. My mission is to heal moms, expand our postpartum care, and teach mothers how to create their balance and feel vibrant. If I can
help even just one more mom navigate postpartum and feel strong and balanced, I’m thrilled. This book has taken months of writing to combine months of research with years of clinical experience. I want all moms to feel energized, vibrant, balanced, fulfilled, and a general sense of wellbeing. My wish for you is for you to reach your full potential in motherhood. That means having tons of energy, feeling present with your family and kids, balancing work and family, creating self-time, and creating a healthier environment at home.
