Traditional Postpartum Care
China: one month confinement — nourishing warm foods, no visitors, no leaving the house, rest and feeding the baby.
Korea: mother sleeps, eats and nurses the baby for the first 21 days. Large amounts of hot tea and seaweed soup.
India: mother is kept warm for 10 – 40 days by a fire, she is fed warming rich foods containing almonds and pistachios.
Nepal: new mother spends first 11 days with baby in darkened room, nourishing foods include ghee and caraway soup.
Current Postpartum Care
Korea: parents can book into a posh postpartum hotel, with meals served in a common area for socializing, and the day is interspersed with activities like massages, hairdressing and classes to learn baby-related crafts.
India: many still follow the 40-day confinement and recuperation period also known as the jaappa.
New Zealand: regardless of where you give birth (home, birth center or hospital), you can check into a local birth center for free for three days following birth for around-the-clock support by health professionals during those early days with your newborn.
Belgium and France: all mothers are prescribed pelvic floor physiotherapy both before and after birth. Pelvic-perineal dysfunctions are common and can have a significant impact on both physical and mental health. Even mild incontinence can impact mental health, with those experiencing pelvic floor issues after birth leading to a 3-fold higher risk of developing depression.
Colombia: it is so ingrained in the culture to stay at home during those first 40 days, that you will be scolded if seen out and about with a new baby in hand!
Traditional Korean Postpartum Soup
1/ Sauté 1⁄2 chopped onion in 2 tbsp sesame oil until lightly browned. Add 1 chopped garlic clove, 115g organic beef sirloin OR 1 cup dried anchovies (omit if vegetarian). Stir and cook until browned.
2/ Add 2 litres of bone broth, 30g of dried seaweed (dulse / wakame or kelp) which has been rinsed and 6 shiitake mushrooms.
3/ Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes.
Eat warm and store leftovers in fridge for up to three days.
(Seaweed is rich in calcium and iron, promotes lactation and calms the nervous system.)
Your Naturopathic Nutritionist may advise:
1/ good quality protein (fish, organic eggs, beans, lentils)
2/ organ meats, grass-fed beef, spinach, kale, almonds (to replenish iron stores)
3/ seafood, pumpkin seeds, egg yolks (reduced zinc can contribute to postpartum depression)
4/ probiotic foods such as sauerkraut, yogurt, kombucha, kimchi and kefir.
5/ bone broth soups and stews (nutrient dense & easy to digest )
(adapted from: www.mother.ly; www.naturopathy-uk.com)
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