Reproductive Restoration Initiative
Recently, I announced my plans to transition my birth work into postnatal care and I have big plans for this. I am so excited to watch this baby of mine unfold and share with you what I hope is a gift to your postpartum experience.
The Steps
Delving into a bit of this big idea and dream I have -- postpartum is precious -- and my hope is to inspire you to reach out for guidance and care through that time so you can remember and experience it's value.
Base functions of my postnatal support packages --
Preparation - Hopefully, you will reach out to make a plan BEFORE baby arrives, that is my ideal scenario. We visit and have two meetings to make plans that focus on day 1, day 5, day 14, and day 40. We will talk about more than what kind of diapers to buy and what is the best monitor to buy, or do you even need a monitor? So many questions! So many directions we could go, but creating the path that fits YOUR family is KEY. I will have a handy questionnaire on my website for new clients that will give me and you insight into the kind of postpartum experience that aligns with your needs as an individual, a mother, a father, a parent, and as a family.
Nutrition - We will address your nutritional NEEDS as your body heals and recovers from such an intense physical experience. You will be equipped with plans for simple and practical ways to be nourished while you nurture your infant. You cannot pour from an empty cup, and your body deserves tons of attention and INTENTION during this period. Warm foods that heal, foods that balance and brighten your emotional state, foods that bring you total joy and bliss, we will talk about all of that, along with a personal chef (me!) who will prepare what you need after we figure that out together.
Processing - Between 25 and 34 per cent of women report that their births were traumatic. You deserve space to walk into these feelings comforted and supported. We will find a way of processing that fits you, whether writing, meditating, or referring you for therapy, so you can approach parenthood with the least amount of emotional weight and pain possible. One recent study found that 1 in 7 women may experience PPD in the year after giving birth. With approximately 4 million live births occurring each year in the United States, this equates to almost 600,000 postpartum depression diagnoses. We can not guarantee that our birth experiences will go smoothly, beautifully, or as planned, we cannot control birth in itself, but we can control the planning and preparation we implement to care for ourselves after birth.
Normalizing - I feel that a large idea surrounding doula work in birth and postpartum is that we will fix things, or take pain away, or create your space to cope. I think in some respects we do, but that is not all of it, the important parts we miss are shifting our mindsets from coping to FLOWING. We cannot control birth, we cannot control our babies in postpartum either, but we can control our mindset. Life is just downright uncomfortable sometimes, and we surrender to that truth in birth and in caring for newborns. Sometimes there is nothing to fix, there is nothing to "do", sometimes just "being" is the right place to be. Part of my work will be validating and normalizing your experience, whatever that may be, so at 3 am when your infant is crying their head off and your wondering if they are starving but they just ate and you have changed their diaper and you are tired and wondering what is WRONG, you can call me, or reach out to me if I am present and I can tell you that sometimes this is just very hard, and asking for help is the best thing you can do in this moment. Normalizing new parenthood is key, NO not everything is going to be back to normal, NO you are not going to feel confident every step of they way, NO you won't have all the answers, BUT THAT IS OKAY. That is the human experience in essence.
Spiritual Support/Practical Support - There are so many approaches to parenthood, the fourth trimester, the first 40 days, lying in, newborn care, that span from eastern style with slowness and stillness and herbs and mantras to western style get back in shape and pump as much as you can and prepare your family for going back to work and get baby on a schedule, that it can be overwhelming to pinpoint where you will land on that spectrum, my questionnaire will work to pinpoint what areas are important to you and what fits, leaving you with practical tools that have spiritual benefits, the definition of holistic is "characterized by comprehension of the parts of something as intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole." We will approach all parts of this at realistic angles that are accessible for all families.
Future plans for functional independence - Before I leave your side, we will cover future transitions, future concerns or worries and help you feel set up to take those on. Matters pertaining to physical health, pelvic floor care, feeding, adjusting back into the work force, intimacy with your partner and other things won't be left ignored just because they are not readily relevant. We will address your need for your own identity and make a plan for you to intentionally curate your NEW self, to find them and embrace them through independent acts of self love and expression! Life is not over, it has just begun.
How I practice these components is still being built, but this is the mechanism, the nuts and bolts are being tuned and refined, and I am so thrilled to bring this sort of practice to you all. Have questions? Have insight? What am I missing? I would love to hear your feedback! Please tag a new parent in the comments or leave your own so I can craft the most well rounded package for you guys.
