The first six weeks after giving birth marks an important transitional period for a new mother as she recovers from the journey of pregnancy and childbirth. Known as the postpartum period, this window of time allows a woman to restore her physical strength, stabilize her emotions, embrace her changing body, and bond deeply with her precious new baby.
Ayurveda offers a wealth of gentle, natural therapies intended to nourish and care for the postpartum mother. Incorporating the profound wisdom of Ayurveda into at-home postnatal care allows new moms to heal faster, improve vitality, find inner calm, and adjust to motherhood with grace.
Rest and Restore Energy
Ayurveda emphasizes the importance of deep rest and recovery after childbirth. New moms are advised to spend the first 14-21 days focused solely on caring for themselves and their baby - relieving stress from other duties to rebuild their strength. Getting plenty of sleep and rest, while letting others handle chores and meals, allows the body to direct its energy toward recovery. Ayurvedic herbs like ashwagandha, oats, and ghee help nourish the body, mind, and nervous system during this replenishing phase.
Improve Circulation and Drain Lymph
Proper circulation is key for postpartum recovery. Gentle Ayurvedic massage with healing oils helps relieve swelling, stimulates blood flow, tones muscles and tissues, and drains stagnant lymph. New moms can massage their lower abdomen and limbs daily using a light, nutrient-rich oil like almond, coconut, or sesame oil. Relaxing Ayurvedic therapies like Shirodhara and Swedana are also perfectly safe after childbirth and may be continued throughout the postpartum period to improve circulation, lymph flow, and toxin removal.
Promote Healing with Warmth
Warming the body is a core principle of Ayurvedic postpartum care. New moms have just lost nourishing blood during delivery, so staying warm preserves energy and promotes healing. Ayurveda suggests drinking hot water through the day, eating warm soups and porridge, applying heat packs to the perineum, and staying covered with blankets. Room heaters can be used if needed. Spices like ginger, clove, ajwain, cumin, and black pepper add internal warmth through meals. Gentle sun exposure also provides nourishing heat.
Replenish Nutrients and Rebalance Digestion
Proper nutrition with herbs and spices that balance digestion can help reduce fatigue, constipation, cramps, and other postpartum issues. The Ayurvedic diet focuses on whole, easy-to-digest foods like rice, wheat, quinoa, vegetables, lentils, broths, stewed fruits, and ghee. Calming spices like cumin, fennel, ginger, and hing improve digestion and assimilation of nutrients. Herbal teas can provide added nourishment between meals. Iron-rich green leafy vegetables help replenish blood and also support good digestion.
Relieve Sore Breasts and Promote Lactation
Breastfeeding moms can rely on Ayurveda’s age-old remedies for soothing engorged, sore breasts and increasing milk flow naturally. Applying a paste of sandalwood powder, licorice root powder, and water can provide cooling relief for hot, swollen breasts. Drinking lactation-boosting teas with fenugreek, cumin, fennel, and shatavari helps balance hormones and production. Gentle marma point massage around the breasts and under armpits releases tension and also, alternating warm and cold compresses often provides comfort.
Strengthen the Uterus and Pelvic Floor
To help the uterus return to normal size and strengthen weakened pelvic tissues, Ayurveda suggests a gentle belly wrap and herbal steam bath. Wrapping the lower abdomen with a long cotton cloth tightens tissues, while steam from a pot of nourishing herbs like neem, lavender, mint, and marigold promotes circulation, drainage, and toning. Yoni steaming, or vaginal steaming, offers similar benefits using those same healing vapours. Doing kegel exercises daily provides added strengthening.
Release Stress and Balance Moods
The rush of hormones along with fatigue during postpartum can create mood swings, irritation, sadness, and anxiety. Ayurvedic oils like jasmine, rose, geranium, and sandalwood nourish the nerves when used in massage, baths, candles, or diffusers. Soothing mantras, prayers, affirmations, meditations, yoga, or inspirational reading integrates spirituality for inner calm. Talking through emotions and getting counsel also helps balance difficult feelings. Herbs like brahmi, jatamansi, passionflower, and bhringraj take the edge off while providing vigor, clarity, and comfort emotionally.
Bond with Baby through Panchakarma
Panchakarma is a treasured Ayurvedic therapy for cleansing, rejuvenating, and strengthening the body, mind, and emotions. It uses herbalized oils, heat treatments, massage, steam, diet advice, and more in a customized protocol for each mom and her unique needs. Panchakarma helps remove postpartum toxins, improves breast milk purity, restores depleted tissues, and provides stress relief – all of which allow deeper bonding with baby. After panchakarma, moms report feeling lighter, cleaner, more balanced, and energized.
Conclusion:
The Ayurvedic approach provides natural healing wisdom formed over thousands of years specifically to help women recover from the journey of pregnancy and childbirth. Using its gentle practices supports the entire mother-baby dyad by promoting inner balance physically and emotionally for the new mom. Combining Ayurvedic therapies with modern medical care encourages optimal postnatal recovery so women can embrace motherhood with strength, joy, and vibrant health.
Shop for the Best baby Care Products
FAQs
1. What is the postpartum period?
Ans. The first six weeks after giving birth is termed as the postpartum period.
2. What is panchkarma?
Ans. Panchakarma is a treasured Ayurvedic therapy for cleansing, rejuvenating, and strengthening the body, mind, and emotions.
3. How many days mothers should solely rest after childbirth?
Ans. New moms are advised to spend the first 14-21 days focused solely on caring for themselves and their baby - relieving stress from other duties to rebuild their strength.
4. Which herbs can help mothers to manage postpartum stress?
Ans. Herbs like brahmi, jatamansi, and bhringraj can provide emotional comfort to new mothers.
5. What are the benefits of oil massage for mothers?
Ans. Gentle Ayurvedic massage with healing oils helps relieve swelling, stimulates blood flow, tones muscles and tissues, and drains stagnant lymph.
