Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:In my culture, sadness/mood swings/being overwhelmed/crying etc are considered a natural negative outcome after birth because your body and mind are not healed. If you ignore it, it will progress to full blown PPD. You have to manage it after birth by giving good care to mom and child for at least 40 days.
For the 1st 3 months after birth (in DMV area) -
- My mom was with me 24/7. She came from my country of origin to help me with my postpartum care.
- My DH took time off and did his part - more than 50%.
- My diet and daily massages was very well regulated. We hired a masseuse for this.
- My mom took care of the baby in the day time so that I could sleep. Baby wanted to be held and sleep. My mom was willing to hold the baby in her lap and rock her. She only got the baby to me so that I could nurse the baby. My DH got the baby at night.
- I had a lactation consultant that I consulted with 2 times who was on my side and she made sure that nursing was easy for me and the baby. She helped me in picking the proper clothes, pump, chair, nursing cushion, nipple balm and pads etc. Thanks to her I was nursing on demand and continued to nurse each of my kids until they were 3 years old.
- I was made to drink a yummy concoction of milk, nuts, spices, fat, dates - every time I nursed the baby which is part of my cultural tradition. This kept my energy and essential nutrients up.
- We had a cleaning lady (twice a week) - who also did laundry. And a part time cook (twice a week) who also did our groceries. This was a time before instacart. We paid through our nose but we had been saving for the post-partum care since we had got married, and my parents and siblings also chipped in.
- Our household went into seclusion for the first 40 days, except for very close friends and family.
- I took Benadryl every night to sleep on my Drs. order.
- I pumped so that my DH could give one feed between midnight and 5 am to my baby.
- Between my mom and my DH - I did not even burp my kid, changed a single nappy, gave the baby a massage or a bath or rocked the baby to sleep. The entire care of the baby was on my mom and DH.
- I was not left alone at home. My mom was always there with me, and sometimes my sister also came and spent time with me.
- I was not allowed to do any work at home. I just nursed, ate post-pregnancy food, and slept.
- My daily massages and nutritious meals helped in healing my body and mind.
- Baby and I were kept in a warm room, we were made to sunbathe (sunny window) after being massaged with medicated oils indoors, we were kept extremely well hyderated and not allowed to eat or drink anything cold for the first 30 days. Even the bathroom was well heated, and I had to bathe and dry my hair completely and be dressed in warm clothes because a woman's body and mind needs time to get back in balance. My mom was horrified that post partum women were given cold chips to eat and big jumbo cups of cold water.
- No junk food for me. No caffine.
I assume you are Asian (Taiwanese?). This sounds heavenly. I want to offer to do this with my three daughters when they have children many, many years from now. It sounds awesome!