Loving yourself through the postpartum phase

Happy Monday everyone!  And happy memorial day to all those who have or are currently serving.  We truly appreciate the sacrifices you have and will continue to make every day.  
We wouldn’t be where we are without you!!

As we finish up the month of may, we conclude our topics on postpartum healing.. I hope you’ve enjoyed this month and shared with those that need this information!! Trust me, many women need to hear a lot of these things!  I’d like to finish up today briefly on how you can love yourself through this stage in life.  If you want more information about post partum care, I highly recommend you read the book The Fourth Trimester by Kimberly Johnson.  

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As we’ve gone through different aspects of post partum healing this month through nutrition, body work, ect.. it’s also extremely important to mention balancing the emotional part.  You have become a mother after all, and for some women although it is such a beautiful empowering event, for some it can be scary and hard to navigate the changes that take place in her body.  As well as relationship dynamics changing after.

I think a big part of this healing journey starts with just being in tune with your body.  For some, even before birth, being not in tune with your body was a norm.  However, once you give birth, what you may have ignored earlier now come to the surface, which is actually a good thing.  You now have the chance to choose to take care of your body in a different way.  Afterall, you only have one body, so if we love it, rather than judge it, we only stand in the way of our happiness.

Although probably one of the most difficult things is to love yourself and your body when it has been through a major change, and is constantly changing.  However, as women, I believe this is one of the most worthwhile processes we can give to ourselves.  

It’s important through this phase to not look at the ever present social media world, of women who seem to just bounce back after having children, and are deemed “superwoman”.  Although some women do bounce back quickly, we also aren’t all created equal.  Alot depends on the health of the women before pregnancy, and the steps taken during the healing period.   It could also come from help she’s had, or genetics.

A big step in healing this part is not “comparing ourselves to who you used to be before pregnancy and giving birth.” The healing process is a slow and steady one, and knowing this and giving yourself patience and kindness through it will serve you so much better in the long run, as well as fully healing post partum. 

After all, the mind and emotions are a HUGE part of healing for anyone, post partum or not.  The goal is to have a long term vision of where you would like to be, rather than trying to surge full force into something you think will be good to get back into shape after birth.

A part of this is also not judging the body on how it looks after birth, but appreciating all that it just went through!  The process is an amazing one, and when we look back at it, women have pretty extraordinary bodies.  

I often find many of my women patients also get very overwhelmed when they don’t get enough help post partum.  It’s OKAY and downright a must to have help during this time.  You need rest to fully recover, and when you get help your mind can be at ease and focus on the needs of your newborn.

-Set a plan before birth about who can help you. Make meals, do laundry, ect..  Set goals with your partner as well about who will do things, or about how your body will change BEFORE it actually does.  Communicating is key to be able to strengthen your relationship through this phase, and to let it grow and blossom.

Truth of the matter is.. you’re all superwomen!  Appreciate and know that.  Not to someone else’s standards but to the miracle of life you have accomplished.  And remember, “where you are right now is not where you will be forever! “

Tapping into the emotional part of healing is not always wanted, but it is needed.  I know that once a baby is born, the focus can be entirely on their well being, while mom goes by the wayside.  Put yourself first.  Know that by doing that you will be able to take care of them better!  And of course, if you need additional emotional support there are always more options for you.  

I love treating postpartum women in my office because I get to tell them they DON’T have to live with the pains and aches and leaks they think are normal.  Incorporating specific bodywork care, emotional work and nutritional recommendations can really make such a huge difference in a women’s health for the rest of her life.

So, what are you waiting for??

On the Spotlight this week, is DoTerra’s Balance.

doTERRA Balance Product Description
Created with the purpose of grounding emotions, doTERRA Balance is formulated with emotionally beneficial essential oils that work together to create a sense of calmness and well-being. doTERRA Balance essential oil blend has a variety of uses and benefits that can be obtained both aromatically and topically. When applied to the skin or diffused, doTERRA Balance can ease anxious feelings and create a soothing and calming environment—encouraging strong relaxation. The aroma of doTERRA Balance is sweet and woody and is the perfect fragrance for promoting feelings of balance and tranquility. Infused with Spruce, Ho Wood, Blue Tansy, Blue Chamomile, and Frankincense essential oils, doTERRA Balance is the perfect blend for stabilizing emotions.

doTERRA Balance Uses and Benefits

  1. Relaxing your body begins with the mind. Help your body relax by focusing on your emotions first. Use doTERRA Balance essential oil blend to help ground your emotions so that your whole body can feel completely at ease when you need it most. This emotionally balancing blend is a great oil to use during meditation or yoga practices.
  2. Start your day off right by putting a little doTERRA Balance into your step. After you wake up, apply one to two drops of doTERRA Balance to the bottom of your feet. This will help promote feelings of calmness and tranquility throughout the day. doTERRA Balance can also be applied to your feet throughout the day to help lessen feelings of stress.
  3. If a road trip is in your future, make sure to bring some doTERRA Balance. For those long hours of driving in a full car, diffusing doTERRA Balance will help create a calming and soothing environment. Once you experience the serene feelings of doTERRA Balance, you’ll wonder how you ever took long road trips without it.
  4. doTERRA Balance is one of the essential oils used in the AromaTouch® technique. doTERRA Balance essential oil blend is important to the AromaTouch experience because it helps produce emotional harmony and relaxation. Experience the enriching benefits of doTERRA Balance during an AromaTouch Hand Massage by either applying it to your own hands or having someone else perform the hand massage. The AromaTouch Hand Massage can also be performed on a grandparent to help them feel relaxed and calm.
  5. If you experience occasional feelings of anxiousness, apply doTERRA Balance to your wrists and neck. The topical application of doTERRA Balance essential oil blend will help ease anxious feelings when they arise.
  6. One of the main benefits of doTERRA Balance is its ability to evoke feelings of tranquility. When you feel overwhelmed emotionally, take a step back and give yourself the peace your mind needs. Diffuse doTERRA Balance or apply doTERRA Balance topically to create an environment of tranquility so that you can press forward feeling emotionally balanced and ready to take on the tasks ahead of you.
  7. Do you find yourself with little time to sit back and let your mind relax? For an emotionally grounding experience in a short amount of time, apply one or two drops of doTERRA Balance to your hands and cup them over your nose, breathing in deeply. The same results can be felt by simply uncapping the doTERRA Balance essential oil blend bottle and breathing deeply with the bottle of doTERRA Balance held a couple of inches from the nose.
  8. Before you go to bed, apply doTERRA Balance to the bottoms of your feet. This calming and soothing blend will encourage a restful night’s sleep.
  9. Promote a whole body relaxation by including doTERRA Balance in your bath. doTERRA Balance will help relax the body and provide a comforting and soothing experience. For those moments when you just need time to relax and recharge, add a couple drops of doTERRA Balance with some Epsom salts to your bath water. You will love how easily it evokes feelings of balance and tranquility.
  10. doTERRA Balance is a powerful blend of CPTG® oils designed to promote harmony in the mind and body and help balance emotions. When you have stressful events or meetings, make sure to use doTERRA Balance so that you can experience a sense of stability and relaxation during situations that are prone to anxious and stressful feelings.

Oils that Blend Well with doTERRA Balance 
doTERRA Balance blends well with FrankincenseBergamotPeppermintCorianderdoTERRA Forgive®Citrus Bliss®, and Wintergreen essential oils for diffusion.

Key Ingredients

  • Spruce Leaf
  • Ho Wood Leaf
  • Frankincense Resin
  • Blue Tansy Flower
  • Blue Chamomile Flower
  • Fractionated Coconut Oil