Matresence - The Birth of a Mother
The first few months postpartum are beautiful and gruelling all at the same time. This transformative phase in a woman's life is referred to as Matrescence, or the fourth trimester.
Not only has a new baby been born, but so have you - the new mother.
The expectations of the modern mother are often overwhelming, we are expected to get back to ‘normal’ as fast as possible, to cook, clean, entertain guests, breastfeed, attend coffee groups, get back in shape and return to work as soon as possible. All while navigating the new role of motherhood, healing postpartum, bonding with our beautiful new baby and making time for the other relationships in our life. This often leaves new mothers exhausted and at times feeling like they are failing.
Many traditional cultures approach this postpartum period in a vastly different way. It is a time where the new mother stays home and is cared for, she is given the time and space to rest, recuperate, heal, nourish and bond with her new baby. The new mother is fed warming and nourishing meals such as soups and tea which assist in healing and establishing a healthy milk supply, this often continues for at least the first forty days postpartum.
Being a mother of four myself and living away from our families, the early postpartum phase was at times really hard and lonely. As much as I would have loved to have 40 days of being cared for, it just wasn't realistic or possible. I thought about this a lot, knowing this is the same for many of the mothers I work with.
With this in mind I considered ways I could nurture myself and my new baby. Good nutrition is hugely important for healing post birth and to support the radical shift in hormones, sleep deprivation and subsequent exhaustion. As a pregnant woman it is common to stay well-nourished during pregnancy when you are growing a baby, yet incredibly common for a new mother to start dieting soon after birth to get her body back.
One thing I always like to remind new mothers who are breastfeeding is that you are still nourishing a baby, they are just outside of your womb now. Nutrient intake is still just as important in the postpartum phase as it was during pregnancy, a mother's nutrient status directly affects milk quality and quantity and her own wellbeing. This highlights the importance of not restricting food intake but instead focusing on a diet rich in nutritious whole and unprocessed foods.
In the last blog post I spoke about the importance of meal preparation, it really is a life saver in those early months to ensure you are adequately fuelled. Take family and friends up on the offers of meals, babysitting older children and housework. You do not need to do it all, I found personally, that some of the most unrealistic expectations were the ones I placed on myself.
During those early months focus on warming slow cooked meals, such as casseroles, stews, broths and soups, these are nutrient packed and easy on the digestive system. The early postpartum weeks are a nutritionally expensive time where you are recovering from pregnancy, labour and birth, which is comparative to running a marathon, and also possibly healing from a caesarean or episiotomy. Your nutrient and calorie requirements are actually higher now than they were during pregnancy.
This is also an incredibly important time to stay adequately hydrated, as a rule I made sure that every time I breastfed my baby I would have a glass of water or breastfeeding tea (I love Artemis breastfeeding tea) then once a day would have a lactation smoothie and warm cup of bone broth (the Nutra Organics powder is really convenient). Incorporating all of these different things means you get the added benefits of nutrients and fluid to help you stay hydrated and nourished.
You will probably be told countless times to sleep when your baby sleeps. This can be really hard when you can think of a million other things to do - hello warm shower and hot cup of coffee!
But it really is important to get in as much rest as possible because the prolonged sleep deprivation really does catch up on you eventually. If you find you really struggle to nap you could try a short guided meditation to relax and take some time to simply breathe, the Headspace app is great for this and offers short 3-5 minute guided meditations.
From one mother to another don’t forget just how important it is to care for yourself as you do your baby. As the saying goes you can’t pour from an empty cup. If you are interested in a deeper look into the importance of this postpartum phase I highly recommend the book ‘The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother’ it is also packed with lots of nutrient rich yummy recipes.
Kylie White
Registered Clinical Nutritionist & Naturopath
Nourished Clinic
