Replenishing Qi & Blood After Childbirth
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, a woman’s body loses a great deal of qi and blood during childbirth. Because a pregnant woman’s vital energy (qi) is utilized to make a beautiful newborn, it’s essential for the new mother to replenish her qi and blood after childbirth.
A deficiency of qi and blood can cause many troublesome symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, weight gain, hair loss, future infertility, anxiety, depression, memory loss, dental cavities, dry skin, insomnia, mood swings, back pain, blurry vision and painful menses.
There are many ways to do replenish qi and blood. In this article, we’ll focus on three options; nutrition, exercise and herbs.
Nutrition
Diminished qi and blood can be improved by adding specific foods into your diet. For patients that are not adverse to eating meat, we recommend slow-cooked beef bone soup or chicken soup cooked with the bone as an easy way to build your body’s vital substances. After a week of taking 4 ounces of beef bone broth with dinner, patients usually remark on their sleep patterns regulating and their mental fog lifting.
For vegetarians patients, we suggest eating slow-cooked rice soup with black kidney beans and loads of lightly steamed dark green vegetables as well as adding blood building herbal supplements. Foods high in healthy fats like avocados are great for nourishing your brain.
Exercise
While studies show that exercise is the new wonder treatment for anxiety and depression, it’s important for a new mommy to be gentle with her exercise routine during the first few months after giving birth. Tai chi and qi gong are forms of daily exercise that will actually help develop additional qi and blood while also moving energy through parts of the body that have blockage. Taking your baby for daily strolls through the park will give your body a number of gifts; stress reduction by being in nature, immune-boosting vitamin D from the sun and gentle movement for your body.
Herbs
Replenishing the body by using nourishing herbs is one of the easiest and best ways to restore the vital energy and blood that is lost through childbirth. This approach is especially useful if the mother is planning on nursing her baby, as nursing takes additional blood and energy. For centuries in China it was routine to take herbs after pregnancy as a means of ensuring a healthy body. Consider seeking out a qualified Chinese Medicine Practitioner to obtain a suitable herbal formula.
Most new mommy’s are so busy taking care of their baby that they forget to take care of themselves. It’s essential for a new parent to realize that by giving your body adequate self-care, you are modeling health for your child and you are insuring your child will have a healthy parent to care for them in the future.
Chris Bruckner, L.Ac.
Green Jade Acupuncture
949-278-3642
