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Phone: (408) 603 - 7875 Email: andria@angelpeace.com
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Preventing
and Treating Post-Partum Depression
Naturally
by
Andria R. Wagner Learning how to properly maintain and improve your health during pregnancy can help prevent post-partum depression and there are many holistic ways to achieve this perfect health. After childbirth, it helps to have healing time scheduled at least once a week to keep you healthy. Surround yourself with loving and supportive people. Turn off your phone and computer, and sleep as much as you can in the early weeks. Continue taking naps often. If you are breastfeeding, your body is expending a lot of energy (500 calories/day), so it’s important to eat a lot of the right foods for yourself. Give yourself time to grieve not being pregnant if you need to, and make sure you get time alone every day to bathe, read, or sip some tea. Demand help if you need to. The honest truth is that sometimes we have to take the initiative to assert that we deserve help; many times our husbands are busy working and are not intuitive enough to discern that we need help. Love and nurture yourself so you can meet your baby’s needs. Mothering is demanding work that requires women taking excellent care of their bodies. Anti-depressants can help, but many times all of the reasons why you went on them, will be there when you go off of them. It’s crucial to address these issues at the root cause and treat them individually without delay. Using lack of money as an excuse not to seek effective and proven holistic treatments is akin to saying you are not worth it. It is a fact that drugs are cheaper, but at what cost to your own health and well-being? This is often the core of the issue. If you are not worth a massage every other week or going to the gym once a day, how can you be worthy of being happy, healthy, and whole? Give yourself a break and accept help guiltlessly. You are not less of a woman because you admit you need help. It takes courage to assert that you need more time, space, and energy for yourself. You are the epicenter of your household. If mom is miserable, nothing else functions properly. Many of your family member’s problems are resolved after focusing on getting your own needs met. You are not selfish; you are a real, authentic, hard-working, honest woman deserving of way more than our society allows. Over are the days of self-martyrdom, and needless sacrifice. Not only will you reap the benefits, but your children will learn how to take care of and honor themselves as they grow older. There is nothing more devastating to a woman and new mother, than wanting to die or harm her own baby. Know that it is very common in our society and less so in others where women are held in higher esteem. You don’t have to grin and bear it. Communicate what you need to those around you; your partner is not a mind reader. Be pro-active before childbirth and line-up your helpers so you can enjoy the babymoon period. Know that your feelings will change frequently (every 5 minutes it seems), and know that things do get better and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Use the following affirmations daily and/or add your own: I deserve good, I deserve love, I deserve time alone to do whatever I please, I deserve rest, I deserve healthy food and loving treatments as often as I need them, and I deserve help. Our bodies work very hard during pregnancy and birth. Breastfeeding burns our nutrients and energy, therefore, supplementation is necessary. Anti-depressants have their place and are effective, however, it’s important to be aware of the risks of dependency on drugs. There are natural ways to prevent and treat depression of any kind. If you are pregnant, plan now for increased support during at least the first twelve weeks post-partum. Your sole focus should be to take care of yourself and then the baby. Enlist the help of your spouse, parents, family, friends, neighbors, a housekeeper and a knowledgeable team of people such as doulas and midwives to call when you need help. Below are recommendations for filling your tank when you feel like you’re running on empty. 1) Nutrition: Taking fish oil, pre-natal vitamins, extra magnesium, pro-biotics (acidophilus, etc.), and super-green foods will restore your body with vital nutrition, which will help balance your hormones. Herbal teas with red raspberry leaf, oatstraw, and nettles will help cleanse the liver and provide extra nutrition. Chamomile and/or St. John’s Wort tea will help soothe the nerves. Drink 1-2 gallons of water per day and eat plenty of organic, whole foods. 2) Sleep: Lack of sleep is the major cause of post-partum depression. Sleeping will give your body a chance to recuperate and will help your hormones balance. Hyland’s Calm Forte and Rescue Remedy ease anxiety and help you fall asleep. Beware of chocolate, sugar and caffeine. Although they work, they do disrupt sleep and hormones causing depression to worsen. Find healthy food substitutes for your cravings and eat more foods high in protein. 3) Exercise: Endorphins and Serotonin are hormones released during exercise – a vigorous walk, fresh air, and sunshine are important on a daily basis. If you are sitting indoors all day, lethargic and unhappy, exercising seems like a lot of work, but I promise you – the shift in your mood after exercising will motivate you to do more. Find a sitter if you need to, but honor your body by moving it. 4) Breastfeeding: Our bodies release calming hormones while nursing a baby, not to mention the extra bonding time helps too. Stare into your babies eyes and don’t be afraid to fall in love. Open your heart to the huge change you welcomed into your life. Get support through a doula or La Leche League. 5) Homeopathic Medicine: Sepia is a common post-partum remedy, but it is wise to consult a homeopath as there are many depression remedies. Once you find the right one, you will experience an enormous shift. It is completely safe and natural and homeopathy can also help a colicky baby. 6) Massage: A good therapist who is also attuned in Reiki will give you two treatments in one. Go every two weeks – you need it and deserve it. 7) Chiropractor: Physical pain post-partum is common. A good chiropractor can help get your hips, sacrum and pelvis back in alignment. Make sure you go to one who adjusts your sacrum properly, not all chiropractors do. 8) Energy Work: In addition to massage with Reiki, you may need deeper energy work to remove old blockages. Childbirth and childrearing tend to unleash childhood trauma or issues. Finding someone who can access deep layers of your energy body will help a great deal. Talking about our problems can help, however, transforming the energy by letting someone else remove what is bothering us, gently brings major improvement to our well being. 9) Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs: There are many formulas of herbs and different types of acupuncture, so I recommend you experiment in finding one that meets you needs. They help you relax by balancing your hormones, bringing you increased vitality and improved health. 10) Dead Sea Salt Baths: Take a daily bath as soon as you’re healed, to release toxins, tension and stress from your day. If you have a colicky baby, you can and should take a bath if you are at your wits end. You need as many breaks from the crying as much as possible. 11) Aromatherapy: Lavender and chamomile oils, among others will be helpful if added to your bath or sniff as needed. Find a scent you like, it’s probably the one you need. 12) Flower Essences: Bach Flower remedies, especially Rescue Remedy helps during labor and after delivery. Take a few drops in the mouth as often as needed and add it to your bathwater along with your essential oils. Visit www.AlaskanEssences.com for a wide variety of formulas. 13) Birth Options: Consider a drug-free birth with a doula or a home birth. Depression can be caused by a traumatic birth experience, which can be minimized by hiring a doula or having a home birth. Also, a post-partum doula or midwife is highly recommended. 14) Expressive Arts: Music, dancing, singing, chanting, yoga, meditation, journaling, or any hobby you used to love will keep you engaged and passionate about life. Being a mom is so time-consuming and often we become resentful because we no longer do the things we love. Enya, Joanne Shenandoah and Deva Premal are excellent singers to listen to when you need to shift a mood. Know that a good crying session is essential to release old toxic energy, allowing the new happier energy to move in. 15) Hypnotherapy: I call this the one-hour vacation to happy land. It removes fears and blockages to your happiness. Hypnotherapy is very relaxing and stress-reducing. As you can see, there are many ways to eliminate post-partum depression. Overall, it’s a time when women need a lot of extra attention, yet are often overlooked while all the attention is paid only to the baby. Moms want and need recognition for their hard work, and deserve rewards for being everyone’s caretaker. Even if she seems to be wonder-woman, effortlessly doing it all, I assure you a massage and a salt bath will go a long way in making a happier mom. Do not delay in seeking treatment for yourself, depression can spike at four months post-partum, so be sure to begin these treatments early and continue them throughout the first year post-partum or until you are feeling better. Not only will these suggestions help during post-partum, they are a reminder to take excellent care of ourselves as a habitual, life-long practice of giving ourselves unconditional love and respect. You are worthy of unconditional love and pampering after childbirth as well as whenever you need it. Put yourself first and do not settle for less.
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