Natural Health After Birth: The Complete Guide to Postpartum Wellness

Provides essential advice for adjusting to the many challenges facing women during the first year after giving birth.

â?¢ Offers practical tips for finding balance between being fully immersed in the beautiful but demanding path of motherhood and maintaining a sense of self.

â?¢ Provides helpful herbal tips and recipes and includes gentle yoga exercises.

â?¢ Addresses a new mother's need to replenish her body, mind, and spirit so that she can nurture her child.

â?¢ By the author of The Natural Pregnancy Book and Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent's Guide.

New mothers need care and support to adjust to the myriad challenges facing them after birth: changing body image, lifestyle, work arrangements, and relationships. Midwife, herbalist, and mother of four, Aviva Jill Romm shares her insights into how to make this crucial time a happy one. She provides essential advice for preparing for the postpartum period, coping during the first few days after the birth, establishing a successful breast-feeding relationship, getting enough rest, eating well even with a hectic schedule, and finding time to regain strength and tone with gentle yoga exercises. Woven throughout are helpful herbal tips and recipes to make the first year of motherhood a naturally healthy one.A 

Natural Health after Birth also addresses a new mother's need to replenish her body, mind, and spirit so that she can nurture her child. This book provides support both for women who plan to be home full or part time during the first year and those who must return to their jobs soon after the birth. With humor and compassion, Romm offers mothers practical wisdom for attaining the delicate balance between being fully immersed in the beautiful but demanding path of motherhood and maintaining a sense of self.

<p><b>Natural Health after Birth</b> <br /><i>The Complete Guide to Postpartum Wellness</i> </p><p>Introduction <br /><b>ONE</b> <br />The Birth of a Mother <br />Birth: Only the Beginning <br />What Is the Postpartum? <br />Postnatal Care <br />The Fourth Trimester <br />Signs and Guideposts <br />Honoring Our Range of Emotions <br />Being a Mother Is Second Nature, Isn't It? <br />Realistic Expectations <br />The Feminine Mystique Revisited <br />Sacrifice and Empowerment <br />Developing Confidence <br />Mothering Archetypes <br /><b>TWO</b> <br />New-Mother Care around the World <br />Postpartum USA: Immediately after Birth <br />Immediately after Birth: A Glimpse at Traditions <br />Lying-In <br />Rites of Passage <br />Postpartum Family Support <br />Heat and Healing <br />Massage <br />Wrapping the Belly <br />Herbs <br />Bathing <br />Nutrition <br />Visitors <br />Mother-Baby <br />Men and Postpartum Care <br />Bringing the Best to the West <br /><b>THREE</b> <br />Preparing for the Postpartum before Baby Is Born <br />Late Pregnancy Health Is the Foundation for a Healthy Birth Recovery <br />The Needs of New Mothers <br />Creating a Support Circle <br />Breast Feeding <br />Maternity and Paternity Leaves <br />Creating a Postpartum Sanctuary <br />Drawing from a Full Well <br /><b>FOUR</b> <br />The First Days after Birth <br />The Birth Setting and Postpartum Experience <br />Bonding <br />Physical Changes in the Days after Birth <br />Herbal Baths <br />The Shape of Your Body <br />Healing from a Cesarean <br />Your Digestive System <br />When Your Milk Comes In <br />Breast-Feeding Challenges in the First Days <br />Sore Nipples <br />Difficulty Nursing <br />Insufficient Breast Milk <br />Breast-Feeding Support in the Days after Birth <br />If You Aren't Breast-Feeding <br />Reflecting on Your Birth <br />A Difficult Birth <br />Emotional Highs and Lows <br />Body Tonics <br />Exercise <br />Sex after Birth <br />Your Healthy Newborn <br />Signs of Illness in the Newborn <br />Babies in Need of Special Care <br />Getting Enough Rest <br />Visitors, Visitors, and More Visitors <br />New-Mama Nutrition <br />The Partner Relationship <br />Older Children <br /><b>FIVE</b> <br />The Next Six Weeks <br />More Body Changes <br />Where Did Everybody Go . . . or Yes, You Still Need Help around the House <br />Reinventing Yourself as a Mother <br />More Birth Reflections <br />Further Breast-Feeding Adventures <br />Herbs and Breast Feeding <br />The Magic of Your Baby <br />Fussy Babies <br />Infant Massage <br />Sleeping Arrangements <br />Getting Around with Baby <br />More Exercises for Loving Your Post-Birth Body <br />Back into the Swing of Things <br />Working and Breast-Feeding <br />Breast Pumps, Nursing, and Making It Work <br />Relationship Challenges and Triumphs <br />Sex in the Weeks after Birth <br />Baby Blues <br />Postpartum Depression <br />The Light at the End of the Tunnel <br /><b>SIX</b> <br />Nutrition for New Mothers <br />Not Pregnant Anymore: What You Need Now <br />Lactation and Nutrition <br />Planning a Healthy Diet <br /><b>SEVEN</b> <br />Into the First Year <br />Wondering Who You Are <br />&quot;I Feel Like I Can't Get Anything Done&quot; <br />Your Body <br />Motherhood and Your Career <br />Teething Baby, Sleepless Nights <br />Still Nursing <br />New-Mother Moods <br />Isolation and Social Networks <br />Postpartum Depression <br />Parenting Issues <br />Relationships, Sexuality, Fertility, and Birth Control <br /><b>EIGHT</b> <br />Replenishing Yourself <br />New-Mother Meditations <br />New-Mother Checklist <br />Creating Time to Nurture Yourself <br />Your Pelvic Floor <br />Free-Movement Dance <br />Postnatal Yoga <br />Fabulous Healing Baths <br />Shower Spa <br />Simple Pleasures for Your Hair and Body <br />Creating a Home Spa <br />Quiet Time Alone <br />Exploring Your Creativity <br />Keeping a Journal <br />Be Gentle with Yourself: Embrace and Enjoy Your Baby <br /><i>APPENDIX 1 <br />Herbal Preparations <br />Purchasing Herbs <br />Herbal Preparation <br />Forms of Preparation <br />APPENDIX 2 <br />Resources <br />Herbs and Herbal Supplies, Books, Support and Information Groups, Educational <br /> Programs, and Additional Health Supplies <br />Support and Resource Organizations <br />Educational Resources and Magazines <br />Miscellaneous Products <br />Bulk Herbs, Herbal Products, Books, and Supplies <br />Bibliography <br />Index</i></p>