Postpartum Care
The 5 Insights: Reclaiming Ancient Wisdom

RETREAT

It sounds ominous and perhaps it was meant that way, but every postpartum protocol advises the mom and babe to stay inside for as long as possible after birth and cautions rushing out into the world too soon. Both parties are seen to be especially susceptible in this time, and not just to obvious triggers of illness like germs. They are susceptible to the aggravating effects of the cold, wind and noise, which can penetrate their especially “open” states and burrow in to disturb physical and mental balances. 

As Traditional Chinese logic goes: lie low. Keep activity to a minimal amount and keep the mind resting in the simplest form of awareness with few distractions and responsibilities, so that mom and baby’s brain wave stay slowly in sync. Dial down distractions and say no to as much activity and people as you want. Have full permission to turn it off (be it technology or your tendency to host and take care of others). It may be difficult to completely disregard everything for forty days, but practicing restraint and setting boundaries in this time is vital. Retreat is healthy for both mom and for baby too. This period of rest offers plenty of opportunity to practice shifting the awareness to the infant in front of you. 

WARMTH

The foundation of many mother care protocols is the practice of preserving and building warmth in the body. A women’s blood volume nearly doubles during pregnancy to support her growing baby so after birth, the loss of this excess of water and circulating blood, combined with an open state, means that this heat must be recaptured and circulation must be boosted to optimize healing. In addition, any nooks and crannies of the body where cold penetrates and lingers, such as the spine, neck or abdomen, can lead to pain and dysfunction there later in life. One timeless warming approach is the eating of soft and easily digestible foods in the early days after birth. Soft foods ensure that you absorb as much nutrition as possible and include warming ingredients that boost your circulation naturally. According to Chinese medicine, supporting the middle burner digestive system builds up the blood which in turns builds good breast milk, a beautiful domino effect. If you were to overstress that middle burner with inappropriate food instead, the resulting disruption could lead to excessive sleep deprivation and depression. So keep in mind soft, easily digestible warming foods when eating postpartum. You will find recipes and more information at the bottom of this document.

SUPPORT

In traditional times, post-birth circles of support were engrained in the fabric of community life. Family members, friends, midwives and doulas surrounded a woman from before birth until many weeks after, creating a continuum of care that helped with mom’s inner emotional stability and her family’s outer stability. However today we live in a quest for independence and are somewhat closed off from community. Postpartum support is often found on the internet, as mom’s search for advice and companionship turn online at all hours of the night. This blocks us from reaching for help in person and community is one of the most important factors for postpartum care. Often at this time people are feeling particularly generous and wanting to care for one other, so reach out to those close to you.

REST

Many of the old ways prescribe staying in bed and limiting activities beyond caring for baby to rebuild chi. Some add rest-enhancing herbs and calming treatments as well. Perhaps the biggest misconception we have about health in our culture today is that we underestimate the need for rest and recovery. In our do-more world, rest is the first thing to get sacrificed. Ironically, sleep deprivation amplifies every ache and stressor. By creating a support system of people on hand to help, and letting go of some old responsibilities, the postpartum mother can get a little more rest, helping both baby and mama. Adding in small moments of self-care is the final touch. Prioritize it during this time.

FOOD THERAPY IN THE POSTPARTUM TIME

Women in the postnatal period are prone to suffering patterns of disharmony due to: 

1. Deficiencies of qi, blood and yin, 
2. Blood stasis, and/or
3. Invasion of pathogenic cold / wind

From a traditional Chinese medicine view, the first three days post-birth are a time of elimination. During this time, treatment should be given for only those problems arising from stagnation. This is then followed by 30 days of tonification, which is necessary to rebuild the blood and qi lost through pregnancy and childbirth. **This applies to all women, not just those that feel exhausted following a difficult pregnancy or labour.**

In the days following childbirth, it’s vital that women avoid exposure to wind, cold, and anything that will disrupt the harmony of their emotions, as they are in their most vulnerable state. 

In our society, we have set unhealthy expectations for how a woman “should” recover after childbirth. It’s important for women to realize that they are not expected to bounce back within a few weeks and it will take longer for their energy to recover.

Avoiding pathogenic wind and cold

Most women now have access to hot showers and hairdryers, and in this respect, at least it is easier to avoid exposure to cold. However, it is still important to avoid exposure to literal cold and wind. For example: avoid sleeping or breastfeeding by open window or fans, don’t leave a swimming pool feeling chilled and avoid going outside with damp hair. 

Pathogenic cold also has relevance when considering diet, as cold raw foods (sandwiches, green salads, iced water, juices and yogurt) are often consumed post birth, not always by choice, but because they are a quick and easy item to grab with the chaos of a new baby. Unfortunately, some women see these as ideal foods to lose some of the weight gained during pregnancy. It’s important to note that you spend nine months in the gestation period and it should take women about the same time to reach their post-pregnancy body. It’s more important at this time to nourish the body with warm, easy-to-digest foods than to lose weight.

Deficiencies of qui, blood and yin 

Dietary advice is an extremely important part of postnatal recovery. In general, it is important for all new mothers to carefully consider the foods they’re consuming, emphasizing foods that are building qi and blood. Emphasis must also be placed on cooking methods. Cooked foods, in traditional Chinese medicine, are more nourishing and kinder to the digestive system. Warms soups are considered particularity wholesome for women in their initial postnatal weeks. 

Foods to tonify qi

• Oats, rice, potato (sweet, regular, yam)
• Mushroom (button, shitake)
• Basil, clove, dill, fennel, fenugreek, ginger, rosemary, thyme, cinnamon
• Jasmine tea

Foods to build blood

• Corn, beetroot, avocado, kidney beans, spinach
• Sweet rice, sesame seeds, eggs
• All dark leafy greens
• Apricot, dates
• Soy milk
• Red meat

Foods for Spleen & Stomach qi

Traditional Chinese Medicine places a strong emphasis on the efficient functioning of the Spleen to extract maximum value from food. There are several simple, but important factors that help to maximize Spleen qi.

• Oat porridges with apple and cinnamon
• Rice porridges with soy milk, apricots and almonds
• Scrambled or poached eggs with spinach
• Miso soup with tofu
• Noodle soup with vegetables
• Fruit salad with nuts,
• Muesli and yogurt
• Fruit Smoothies (yogurt, milk, fruit – blend)

Foods to Nourish Yin

• Aduki, black and kidney beans
• Tofu, coconut milk, 
• Fish, beef, pork, egg
• Apple, apricot, avocado, pear

Foods to Tonify yang

• Radish, leek, chestnut, squash
• Fennel seed, basil, bay leaf, black pepper, cayenne, 
• Garlic, marjoram, onion, ginger, anchovy, coriander
• Mussel, trout, mutton
• Peach, sweet rice
• Vinegar

RECIPES:

Creamy Kabocha & Red Lentil Soup (Serves 8)

Orange is a color of celebration, ritual and happiness; a shade that instantly lifts the spirits. This pureed soup is so easy to make from the stock of your pantry, and it’s a great one to ask a visitor to whip up for you. The slightly sweet taste and grounding properties of kabocha squash are especially comforting on days you might feel teary or blue, and a generous amount of lubricating oil helps to remedy inner dryness and wind, soothing the nerves further.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons sesame oil or coconut oil
• ½ of a white or yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• ½ of a shallot roughly chopped
• 1 medium kabocha squash, peeled and cut into small cubes, or substitute acorn or butternut squash
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 2 liters’ vegetable broth
• 2 cups red lentils
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce, tamari or Bragg Liquid Amino
• 2 tablespoons nutrional yeasts

Directions:

Warm the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and shallot and lightly brown them, stirring with a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes. Add the squash, cumin, curry and lightly sauté with onions, about 5 minutes more. 

Reduce heat to medium low, add the broth and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce heat to low and cook for 40 minutes. Add the lentils and continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes, until the lentils and squash are tender.

Let the soup cool slightly, then transfer to a blender in batches and puree until creamy, if you like. Season with the soy sauce and nutritional yeast to taste, if desired. 

Drink throughout the day. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze in zip-tight plastic bags or glass mason jars for up to three months. 

Seasonal Greens Soup (Serves 6-8)

It’s hard for anyone to get their daily serving of fortifying greens, let alone a new mom, so this soup helps address that. By simmering and liquefying lots of leaves at once, you can consume a gardenful of greens in one brightly colored and very digestible bowl. Quinoa boosts the soup by adding texture, protein, and a pop of contrasting color. 

Ingredients:

• 3 leeks, white parts only cut crosswise into thin slices
• ½ cup peeled and roughly chopped white or yellow onion
• 3 medium parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoon oil or coconut oil
• 2 liters’ vegetable broth
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 cup quinoa
• 3 loosely packed cups fresh organic spinach
• 1 loosely packed cup chopped chard
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce, tamari or Bragg Liquid Amino
• 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast

Directions:

In a large pot over medium high heat, sauté the leeks, onions and parsnips in the oil until lightly browned. Add the broth, reduce heat to medium, cover, and let it simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the parsnips are soft. 

Meanwhile in a small pot, bring 2 cups water and the salt to a gentle boil. Add the quinoa, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered for 15 minutes or until the quinoa is fluffy and tender and has opened slightly. 

When the soup has finished cooking, remove it from the heat to cool down a bit. 

Working in batches, transfer the warm soup to a blender along with the fresh spinach and chard, and blend until everything is incorporated into a vibrant green puree. 

Return the puree to the pot, stir in the quinoa and season with the soy sauce and nutritional yeast if using. Warm the soup over low heat before serving. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze in zip tight plastic bags or glass mason jars for up to three months. 

ADZUKI & SWEET POTATO CONGEE (Serves 6)

With its trio of beans, root vegetables and rice, this gentle congee takes good use of your stocked-up pantry. It uses the mildly sweet and fiber rich adzuki bean, a food that’s said to uplift the heart and is used in many Chinese desserts. This congee’s gingery taste can get enhanced with other spices, if you like – a touch of chili powder and smoked sea salt is yummy. 

• 5 Cups White Rice Congee
• 1 cup peeled, cubed sweet potato or yam
• 5 tbsp. brown cane sugar or raw honey or another sweetener
• 2-inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled, mashed and minced (do over a bowl to keep the juice)
• Pinch of sea salt

In a medium pot over low heat, combine the congee with 6 cups cold water or enough to cover the congee by ½ inch. Add the sweet potatoes, beans, sugar and ginger juice and salt if using. Cook three-quarters of the way covered, for 40 minutes stirring occasionally. Keep an eye on the water level and add more cold water to prevent sticking if needed. Store leftovers in the fridge up to 5 days, or freeze in 1-quart zip tight plastic bags in 3-cup portions for up to 3 months. 

CONGEE {serves 4-6}

Congee is prescribed any time that spleen chi – the energy that propels digestion – needs to be replenished. It is a food of rebirth; it’s simplicity and clean taste feel so comforting to a weary or recovering body. One cup of sticky rice is the secret to the nurturing texture, but if that grain is hard to find, use 3½ cups white jasmine rice. Congee loves water so if you sense it is getting too dried out, add another cup of water to the pot, stir and continue to cook. 

1 ½ cup white jasmine rice

½ cup white sticky rice

There are a few methods for making congee. Start each option by rinsing the rice with water, then swirling it around several times until the water runs clear when you drain it. 

OPTION 1:

Cook the rice in a rice cooker, as per instructions so you will end up with 4 to 41/2 cups of cooked rice. The cooked rice will then go into a pot with 1 quart of water. Over medium heat, bring to a boil then lower heat and cook for 45 minutes, covered, stirring often, checking to make sure the water level is always at least ½ inch above the rice level. Cook until the rice opens and softens. 

OPTION 2:

In a medium pot bring the uncooked rice with 1 quart of water, or enough to cover the rice by 1 ½ inches to a boil over high heat. When it comes to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 45 mins, until the grains soften and open. 

You’ll want to stir often and keep checking and adding water if it’s been absorbed. Adding the sticky rice gives it an extra full texture. 

It is ready to eat hot. Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze in 3-cup portions in zip tight plastic bags for up to 3 months. 

Mothers Bowls

Rotate protein, greens, whole grains or roots vegetables and mix and match as you see fit. See below for samples.

Group 1: Grains:

Rice (brown, black, red, purple, wild, sticky white, jasmine, basmati)

Quinoa

Millet

Amaranth

Barley

Buckwheat

Polenta

Oats (steel cut, rolled, quick)

Wheat berries or bulgur

Couscous, or Israeli couscous

Pasta (fresh, frozen, dried) – Noodles, spaghetti, gnocchi, GF- buckwheat, corn, spelt, quinoa, bean)

Group 2: Protein:

Eggs (scrambled, poached, hardboiled, over easy fried)

Chicken (roasted, cut up, poached, pan-fried)

Pork (shredded, pulled, bacon)

Beef (ground, stew, strings of cooked steak)

Bison (ground)

Lamb (ground of strips)

Fish (cooked, pickled smoked,

Legumes (green lentils, adzuiki beans, cannellini beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans)

Meatballs 

Group 3: Vegetables

Roasted (carrots, parsnips, fingerling potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, winter squash, onions, beets)

Pan-fried (Swiss chard, kale, bok choy, spinach, caramelized onions, leeks, shallots, red and green cabbage)

Steamed (carrots, celery, string beans, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower)

Grated (carrots, parsnips, celery root)

Mashed (yams, sweet potato, winter squash, celery root, parsnips)

Group 4: Toppings

Avocado

Soy sauce, tamari, Bragg Liquid amino, coconut amino

Nutritional yeast

Sesame seeds

Flaxseed

Hemp hearts

Sunflower seeds

Nuts (almonds cashes, hazelnuts, pistachios, peanuts, macadamia, pine nuts, walnuts)

Oils (flax, avocado, cocnonut, walnut sesame

Melted butter

Olives (black green)

Herbs and spices (chill powder, cayenne, minced basil, sea salt, ground pepper, paprika, minced dill

Sample Combinations:

In a medium frying pan, over medium heat combine the following until warm.

Asian Bowl

Leftover congee

Fresh greens (arugula, chard, kale, spinach)

Pan friend or oven baked sausage or bacon

Chili powder optional

Season with the chili powder if you want some extra heat. Transfer to a bowl and eat warm.

Hearty Autumn Bowl

Roasted winter squash or sweet potato

Kale or any dark green leady vegetable sautéed in butter

Pan fried bacon strips.

Top with a drizzle of maple syrup and a handful of tasted pumpkin seeds. Eat warm. 

Smoothies:

Avocado, Coconut & Lime

• ½ avocado
• 2 cups light coconut milk
• 2 ½ tbsp. honey
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• pinch of sea salt
• shredded unsweetened coconut and or lime zest for garnish

Put the avocado, coconut milk, honey lime juice and salt into a blender and blend until smooth. Top with coconut and lime zest.

PB & J

• 5 tbsp. peanut butter
• 1 fresh or frozen banana
• 1 cup fresh or frozen berries or ¼ all natural jam
• 1 tbsp. flaxseed (optional)
• 2 cups light coconut milk (or nut milk of your choice)
• 1 tbsp. honey

Blend until smooth. 

Peanut Butter, Black Sesame, Coconut and Chocolate Granola (makes 5 cups)

The Gourmand’s Granola is decadent and healthy and manages to fold in an eastern secret of the sages – black sesame. It stores well, for weeks, so don’t be shy make a big batch. This granola is a great antidote to a sudden snack craving with just the right amount of honey to helpfully scratch that sugar itch. 

Ingredients:

• ½ cup coconut oil or salted butter
• 4 cups rolled oats
• 1.2 cup chopped nuts of your choice
• ¼ cup black sesame seeds
• ¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 2 cups peanut butter, almond or sunflower seed butter
• 1tbsp sea salt (if using unsalted butter)
• ¼ honey, or more to taste
• ½ cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• t tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground allspice or nutmeg
• ½ cup chocolate chips or chunks

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 300. Grease two large rimmed baking sheets or you can line them with parchment paper. In a small pan over low heat, melt coconut oil until liquid.

Meanwhile in a large bowl, mix oats, nuts, sesame seeds, shredded coconut, peanut butter, salt (If using) honey, cacao power, vanilla, cinnamon and allspice (if using.) Add the melted coconut oil and stir until everything is evenly coated. Spread out on the prepared baking sheets. 

Place one baking sheet on the top oven rack and the other on the bottom rack. Bake about 30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes, pulling the edges into the middle so they don’t burn, and rotating the baking sheets halfway through from top to bottom, to ensure even baking. The granola is done when toasted and nicely golden brown in color. Place the pans on wire racks and let the granola cool for 8-10 minutes. Stir in the chocolate chips if using. Store in an airtight container at room temperatures about two weeks. 

Blueberry & Oat Pancakes (serves 6-8)

These pancakes are fun to make.  They also provide tasty sustenance for new moms. The nutrients from the steel cut oats are absorbed into the blood more slowly than regular oats, which deliver energy in a sustained manner. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup steel-cut oats
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 4 tbsp. salted grass fed butter or coconut oil
• ¼ cup milk of your choice
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1tbsp olive or avocado oil
• ½ cup yogurt
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ gluten free flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
• 1 banana peeled, quartered, slices
• 1 tbsp. chia seeds, finely chopped walnuts, or hemp seeds
• Maple syrup, honey or cooked fruits for serving. 

Directions:

In a small pot, combine the steel-cut oats with 2 cups water and salt. Bring to a gentle boil over medium high heat then reduce heat to low. Give it a gentle stir, and cook, three quarters covered, for 20 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and add 2tbps butter and set aside. 

In a large bowl whisk milk, vanilla and olive oil with yogurt and then add eggs and whisk until incorporated. Stir in flour and baking powder and then add blueberries, banana and chia seeds, if using. Add the oat mixture to the batter and stir to combine. The consistency should be thick, not runny. If you need to add more flour, do so now. 

Melt the remaining 2tbsp. of butter in a nonstick pan over medium heat. When the pan is nice and hot, scoop or spoon the batter into the pan either making one large pancake or two or three small at a time. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side, flipping to the second side when the batter bubbles on top. Transfer the pancakes to a plate when golden on both sides. (The cooking time speeds up as the pan heats up so keep a careful watch). Add more butter to the pan for each batch. 

Serve the pancakes warm with butter, and, if you like, maple syrup or honey. You can keep them in the fridge for a snack. They heat up well in a toaster oven and are delicious topped with almond or peanut butter. They also freeze quite well.

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250-682-7289 | Dr. Andrea Hansen & Shawna Wafler