The Conception and Birth of Maternal Wellness

"Connecting with those you know love, like, and appreciate you, restores the spirit and gives you energy to keep moving forward in this life." ~Deborah Day

According to the Facebook Memories feature and my beloved TimeHop app, I posted the following exactly one year ago today, as a preface to the article below. It seems that this is when and where the seeds of Blossom Health and Maternal Wellness were planted: 

10/28/14

I can't say enough about this topic. As a prenatal massage therapist, I thought that I offered a nice service. As an occupational therapist treating countless repetitive use injuries- but never any related to pregnancy, childbirth, nursing, or motherhood- I overlooked a great many potential patients.  As a yogi & runner, I cheered on new mommies to just bounce back quickly, but there is SO much more to consider besides dropping 30+ pounds. Specialized intervention is sometimes necessary, as is self-care. There is a market for this kind of treatment, if docs, moms, and dads buy into it.

My Child Is Here, But My Body Is Not My Own

10/28/15

I don't think that even I imagined that less than 6 months later, these ideas, experiences, opportunities, and skills would align themselves to birth Blossom Health and Maternal Wellness, which offers perinatal fitness, massage, nutrition, education, breastfeeding support, and rehabilitation all in one place. 

Now for the buy in: moms, there are ways to help usher in normalcy, even if it is a slightly new normal. There are mechanisms and modalities to help alleviate pain, strengthen weakened areas, regain confidence. Your body will be different, your sleep habits will be different, your priorities will be different, and your emotional state will be different, but you should not be unrecognizable. You do not have to succumb to the abyss of post-baby everything. You are not weak for asking for help. Typically, when we think about postpartum ailments, we're only thinking about depression, which is good. Postpartum depression is real, affects many, and needs to be better understood and treated. However, there are also physical and physiological remnants of childbearing that do not have to remain indefinitely.

Daddies, despite what you may see on television, there is no metaphor, similie, mental image, or weighted vest that can adequately convey all that a woman's body and mind go through during and after the 40 weeks of pregnancy. Trust, anticipate, and listen. Your partner is amazing! She is a warrior! She has gone through battle and has birthed a miracle. She needs a massage. She needs an opportunity to exercise. She may even need therapy or chiropractic care. She is not a wimp. She is not looking for attention. She needs for you to understand and advocate for her. The easier and more complete her recovery, the better she will be able to take care of your family... and the less resentful she will be toward you, for the rest of her life. There's nothing worse than grandma oversharing at Thanksgiving about how her body was completely destroyed 55 years earlier by childbirth and how it is all grandpa's fault. Women remember those BC (before children) bodies and capabilities like they do the days of the week. Find ways to help her get back to that.

Physicians can help too. By listening to new moms, asking thoughtful questions, re-sensitizing themselves to the wonder of each and every birth experience, and being aware of pregnancy and postpartum community resources, they can assist moms in adjusting to life on the other side, with minimal pain and without involuntary peeing. 

We often hear about how the care for postpartum mothers in this country is amongst the least desirable and least helpful in all of the world. Our bodies were not meant to create a life, birth it forth, stick an artificial nipple in its mouth and return to data entry 6 weeks later (or whatever amazing career we have). We simply were not designed that way.

We were designed to be nurtured by our tribe and to be nurturing to our children. After giving birth, we need rest and restoration. Facilitating this recovery is the reason that Blossom Health and Maternal Wellness is here today.