Healing Your Body From Birth

Continuing on from our look at Arnica and Hypericum (St Johns Wort) to help manage pain from birth, we now explore other techniques such as deep breathing and restorative herbs to help you on your journey. Approaching healing after birth naturally will ensure that you are treating your body and your baby with respect and kindness, just what you need if you are not yet feeling one hundred percent!

Soothe yourself

Healing Your Body From Birth - Dr JimGlide / CC BY 2.0

The journey of pregnancy and birth can leave a woman chronically exhausted, so it is important to make use of the many herbs that soothe the nervous system and promote a better quality of sleep such as Oats (Avena sativa), Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) and Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata). Oats strengthens the adrenals, restores bone and muscle mass, supports normal hormone balance and enhances the health of capillaries and the circulatory system. Well known herbalist Susan Weed recommends it especially for woman after birth. Take it in extract form for best results. Valerian and Passionflower improve quality and duration of sleep so that energy levels and endurance during the day are improved. Both are thought to reduce insomnia and can be used in tea or tincture form for good results. Valerian is an especially good recovery tonic for states convalescence where fatigue and anxiety are present.

Healing on the inside

When it comes to healing tissues and preventing infection the delightful marigold flower, known as Calendula officinalis can provide these with virtually no known side effects. So it’s completely safe and natural. Use Calendula cream to keep your skin soft and supple as pregnancy can dehydrate the skin, and use it prior to the birth in perineal massage to reduce the risk of a perineal tear during birth.

To support healing from an episiotomy or any injury to the body, introduce calendula into your daily cleansing regime by diluting a strong organic Calendula lotion with water and applying as a wash. A couple handfuls of dried calendula herb can also be added to bath water for skin soothing activity or drink the herb as an infused ea for a cleansing and healing hot drink. Calendula has a long history of being used in casseroles and soups for a similar purpose.

The herb witchhazel is also useful in sitz baths to aid recovery from an episiotomy. If you find that swelling occurs or worsens, switch to cold water. Any pus or foul smelling discharge from the episiotomy location may indicate an infection and you should contact your care giver for assistance.

Calendula (Calendula officinalis) is a powerful healing herb that prevents bacterial and fungal infections. Applied to the skin in the form of oils or creams, it provides deep nourishment and protection. It can be used for pre-birth massage of the perineum to lower the risk of episiotomy, and post birth in sitz baths to aid healing and prevent infection.

Om – Keep Breathing

The use of deep breathing to ease pain in birth is well known, however it is also a fabulous way to relieve pain and reduce anxiety after birth too. It floods the body with lots of oxygen, which in turn speeds up healing at a cellular level and relaxes you. Deep breathing is something that you can do at every opportune moment to provide some rest in short bouts so it’s free and accessible to everybody. Finding a breathing technique that works for you is a personal journey. You might even find that humming works better than a deep exhalation. Your lungs should fully inflate and your breath should be connected with your abdomen (belly breathing) for best results.
In the first week after birth your uterus will be shrinking its way back to a pre-pregnant state. This is a natural process triggered by the hormone oxytocin, which kicks into gear to enable breastfeeding, however the recurrent muscular spasm can be uncomfortable and painful. Try deep breathing to take some charge out of the pain and soothe you. The breathing technique below encourages the release of endorphins, proteins that relieve pain, reduce anxiety and encourage a sense of well-being.

This gratitude meditation can be done at any time, sitting or standing:

Relax your pelvis and knees and soften your weight into both feet evenly. Closed your eyes and bring your awareness into the present moment. Breathe in through your nose. As you do this, feel your abdomen expand to receive the air, and soften your eyes. When you have inhaled fully for a count of 4 to 10 seconds, then slowly exhale as you smile and think of something or someone you really appreciate and feel grateful for. If you open your eyes here, keep your gaze soft. Repeat as many times as you like.

References
Stoppard, Dr.M (1993) Conception, Pregnancy and Birth, Dorling Kindersley, p.141
Kent, J.T, (1987) Lectures on Homeopathic Materia Medica, B J Publishers, New Delhi
Balch P (2000) Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Avery, New York
Thich Nhat Hanh; Primary source. Talk available on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aubF7v-MlMM accessed 9th July 2008
Weed, S (1989) Healing Wise, Ash Tree Publishing, New York
McIntyre A (1995) The Complete Woman’s Herbal, Henry Holt & Co, New York
Morris Dr.J (2001) Pregnancy, Childbirth & the Newborn, Hinkler Books Pty Ltd, Australia
Macarthur A, Macarthur C, Weeks S, (1995) “Epidural anaesthesia and low back pain after delivery: a prospective cohort study”, British Medical Journal, vol.311, pp. 1336-1339
Russell R, Dundas R, Reynolds F (1996) “Long term backache after childbirth: prospective search for causative factors”, British Medical Journal, vol.312, pp. 1384-1388
Labrecque M (2001) ” Perineal massage in pregnancy”, British Medical Journal, vol. 323, pp.753
Stamp G, Kruzins G, Crowther C (2001) “Perineal massage in labour and prevention of perineal trauma: randomised controlled trial”, British Medical Journal, vol.322, pp.1277-1280