I had my last baby about the same chaotic time as I was getting Earthley off the ground. I worked up until the day before he was born from home (at 41 weeks) and was working again later that same day he was born. I was back at the office in 2 weeks.
It was not ideal. I didn’t take the time I should have to heal, and my health really struggled for a couple of years. I should have known better (this being my sixth baby), but I thought I was “strong enough” to just do it all.
But no one is.
What I should have done is stayed in bed for a couple weeks, taking herbs, eating warm foods, and getting extra sleep. Then slowly easing my way back into life, a little at a time. I should have asked for help.
If you’re expecting this year, don’t make the same mistake I did. Nobody has to “prove” anything to anyone by bouncing back quickly and acting like 9 months of pregnancy, growing a whole entire person, and giving birth to that new person (never mind breastfeeding that person) is “nothing.” Because it’s not nothing, it’s huge!
At any rate, I wanted to give you all a recipe that I should have used in these early weeks to aid recovery. Caution with this – if you have bled a lot (in that case I would sip nettle and/or alfalfa infusions for a few days before doing this).
Keeping your body warm and supporting your liver is so important. Your hormone levels are sky high in pregnancy, and they crash to their lowest levels in the early days postpartum. This is normal, but your liver has to process all those no-longer-needed hormones (along with many things as your body heals).
Postpartum Balancing Drink
Ingredients:
- 3 – 4 thin slices of fresh ginger root
- 4 cups water
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
- 2 – 3 tbsp. raw honey or maple syrup
Directions:
Step 1: Boil the ginger root until the water is golden. Remove the root and add the lemon, sea salt, cream of tartar and honey; stir well to combine.
Step 1: Sip this warm throughout the day.
Options to consider:
- Mix in infusions of nettle, alfalfa, oatstraw, dandelion leaf, or raspberry leaf sometimes.
- Add a pinch of catnip to an infusion if you’re struggling to sleep or feeling anxious.
- Choose dandelion leaf and add a pinch of root if you’re very emotional or have any fullness/bloating in your upper right abdomen.
- If you take care of your body in the early weeks, you’ll do so much better in the long run!
And by the way, that recipe is also good if you’ve been sick, like so many have recently. It’s soothing and hydrating.
