Kimberly Snyder's Postpartum Tips
Kimberly Snyder is a Holistic Wellness Expert, Spiritual Teacher and founder of Solluna.
As a leader in the wellness space for countless years, we asked Kimberly some of her top postpartum tips. The few months after your delivery, also known as the 4th trimester, is a very crucial and sensitive time for both mama and baby. Mama’s body has been through so much, through the past 9 months of pregnancy along with delivery, and there is certainly a high chance of depletion and much needed extra love. It’s important to take extra care of yourself during this time, so that you can feel your best and be the best mama you can be. Here are some tips that Kimberly she shared with us (of course always consult your doctor first before trying anything):
1. Dashamoola Tea:
My Ayurvedic teacher, Dr. Jay, teaches how dashamoola tea is a mix of 10 different herbs which are beneficial to your bones. After pregnancy, your bones are very vulnerable and require extra nourishment. When your bones are strong, your spine can be strong, and according to him, Ayurveda says this will also minimize postpartum hair loss.
2. Not Weighing Yourself and Focusing Instead on your Vitality:
It's really not the time to focus on numbers! If you care for yourself properly, things will start to balance. I weighed myself one time about 10 days after giving birth, and it didn't feel good! So I stopped weighing myself and just focused on my lifestyle, and my body normalized much faster than if I kept weighing myself and obsessing, I genuinely believe. The more we stress, the worse our digestive systems work as hormones are imbalanced and digestion slows down, making it actually harder to lose weight.
3. Placenta Encapsulation:
I did not do this with my first child (my midwife told me to eat chunks of my placenta, which as a vegan, was not at all possible (!). So I ended up burying it under a tree!). This time around I did encapsulate, and it's felt wonderful in my body. Different cultures have eaten the placenta in some form, including in Chinese Medicine, and here are some of the believed benefits:
Balance your hormones
Increase milk supply
Combat Fatigue
Increase your energy
Prevent signs of aging
Recover more quickly from childbirth
Replenish what was lost during childbirth
Bring the body back into balance
Prevent and treat the “baby blues”
Shorten postnatal bleeding time
Increase postnatal iron levels
4. Abhyanga:
This is basically a warm oil massage before showering, which you can do on yourself! Ayurveda believes it is very nourishing to your nervous system, and as the "vata" energy in the body is really distrubed from pregnancy, abhyanga can really be beneficial in soothing you and bringing you back to balance.
5. Yoni Steams:
Yoni herbal steams are really a powerful way to rebalance your body and find your center. I like to use herbs like motherwort, tulsi and wormwood. The energy of the plants is invited in by way of steam during this very intimate ritual, where you can sit and meditate and recenter. I was doing them quite often during my 40 days post-birth!
6. Walking:
It's the best exercise because you can walk with the carrier and bond with baby at the same time! It's a lot to try to do everything post-birth, so when you can stack things it's a win-win. Like exercising and being with baby and keeping him/her on your heartbeat at the same time. Beautiful!
Solluna // www.mysolluna.com