Photo by JKehoe
Once you have your baby, you are ready to start getting your life situated with your new little person. Unfortunately, many women will experience hormonal issues including baby blues, mood swings, and more. As your body is readjusting, your hormone levels are working hard to readjust as well. These hormones include estrogen, progesterone, prolactin, thyroid, and cortisol. When your hormones are imbalanced, your milk supply and even your sleep patterns can be affected negatively. Helping your body balance these vital hormones is easier than you think.
Photo by Nociveglia
10 Natural Ways to Balance Postpartum Hormones
1.Clary Sage Essential Oil
Clary Sage naturally helps to regulate a woman’s estrogen levels. Studies have shown that Clary Sage lowers cortisol (the stress hormone) and can be used to assist with depression. Adequately dilute this essential oil and use topically on ankles and wrist, or you can diffuse it in your home.
2. Placenta Pills
Through a process of encapsulating your placenta, you can utilize this organ to help balance your postpartum hormones. The placenta has been used for thousands of years in Traditional Chinese Medicine to assist a woman during the postpartum period in order to balance her hormones and replenish her. You can also make a placenta tincture instead or even add pieces to smoothies.
3. Magnesium
This supplement can be used as an oil, a pill, or a powder. Magnesium contributes to better sleep which is vital for hormone production and balance. Magnesium is also an important part of the body’s process of creating hormones like estrogen and progesterone.
Photo by Jenny Downing
4. Red Raspberry Leaf Tea
There are many benefits to taking Red Raspberry Leaf tea during pregnancy as well as during the months postpartum. This tea can help with many different issues and functions relating to the female reproductive system. Red Raspberry Leaf tea contains an enormous amount of vitamins and minerals that are beneficial to the body’s processes and work toward the goal of balancing hormones.
5. Vitamin D
Vitamin D is easily obtainable by spending time in the sun, or through the use of pills, or even fermented cod liver oil. Vitamin D complements the function of certain hormones and it is important for our body to have enough of it in order to properly function.
6. Maca Root
This wonderful herb, which is available through powder or pills, helps balance hormones by boosting hormone production. It is also very high in minerals and essential fatty acids which is great for balancing hormones naturally.
Photo by JKehoe
7. Evening Primrose Oil
Evening Primrose Oil is vital in balancing hormones because of its high essential fatty acid content. Your body needs these nutrients in order to effectively balance itself. Many people take this orally.
8. Minimize Toxins
Everything we come into contact with has toxins, whether it be our deodorant with toxic chemicals or food with added hormones. Toxins like parabens, phthalanes, BPA, added hormones, and such all interfere with hormone function. It is very important that we work to minimize these toxins in our lives so our bodies have the chance to balance its hormones.
9. Do Not Take Hormonal Birth Control
It is no secret that many women who are on hormonal birth control such as the Lessina birth control pill sometimes have imbalanced hormones. Add in the fact that our postpartum hormones are already imbalanced and need time to balance out. Hormonal birth control, like the pill, contains high levels of synthetic estrogen which will further cause postpartum hormones to be imbalanced. Another option is to look into Natural Family Planning which is just as effective as the pill with none of the negative side effects.
10. Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a holistic treatment that includes seeing a trained specialist to help you balance your hormones. The specialist will work with your current imbalance and assist you in balancing your estrogen and progesterone.
These are just ten simple and natural ways to balance your postpartum hormones. There are many other ways out there.
Magnesium daily and clary sage essential oil have made a huge difference in my personal recovery. Now that I know more, I plan on adding a few more things to my regime to help like Red Raspberry Leaf tea and maca root.
What things have worked to help you balance your hormones?
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Are these also helpful for weaning? I’ve been known to navigate the immediate postpartum part pretty well, but last time, I was a hormonal roller coaster when we weaned. My 2nd LO is trying to wean himself before I’m ready, and I’d like to control things a bit better this time!
Absolutely! These are all meant to help balance hormones in general. So any woman would be able to benefit from them regardless of their stage in life.
Is this all safe to do while nursing?