Gentle First Year: The Essential Guide to Mother and Baby Wellbeing in the First Twelve Months. Karen MacLeod Swan
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guidelines set out in my first book, The Gentle Birth Method, so that even in the eventuality of an instrumental delivery there can be easier application of the instruments with a gentler delivery for the baby.
A good homeopathic remedy to help ease the disappointment of instrumentation or a Caesarean section is staphysagria 200c immediately after the birth and, if possible, three times a day for three days afterwards.
Baby
Post-Partum Care
Here is a summary of useful treatments and care techniques for the baby in the first week after birth.
Light reflexology. At this point, it’s more of a gentle foot massage for the baby. Very gently lift your baby’s foot and softly massage the toes, one by one. Then, with either the heel of your hand or the knuckle of your crooked index finger, lightly stroke the soles of the feet in an upward direction. This area helps digestion and encourages the baby to relax, and it’s something you can do easily whilst feeding.
Cupping and cooling. Otherwise known as ‘stroking the aura’, this non-touch remedy can really soothe irritable babies. Put a drop of Rescue Remedy onto some cotton wool and wipe it over the fontanelles. Then mould your hand into a cup shape and, at a distance of one inch from the baby’s head, gently make long sweeping strokes in one direction only, from the baby’s forehead to the occiput at the back of her head. Repeat for at least five minutes, and up to twenty minutes, as often as you like daily.
Cranio-sacral therapy. Take the baby to a reputed practitioner in the first few days after the birth, especially if your labour was long or instrumentation was used. Go, too, if you had a Caesarean. A good cranial practitioner can make a big difference if your baby is fractious, irritable, difficult to settle, or suffered moulding to the head during the birth.
Cleaning the umbilical stump. Do this twice a day with a solution of 20ml of boiled and cooled water, mixed with a drop of tea tree oil.
Eye contact. Make lots of eye contact with your baby, especially when talking to her. You may well find your voice is naturally higher and softer than normal. This is known as ‘motherese’ and is an instinctive response – babies find it easier to listen to a higher-pitched voice.
Holding your baby. Your newborn baby feels most secure and is easiest to hold when snugly wrapped in the swaddling blanket and held up with her head nuzzling into your neck. There’s a natural nook for her there, and she can rest her head and smell your hair. Baby bliss.
Sleep. Place your baby to sleep in a small space, such as a Moses basket, thottil, hammock or crib. Avoid letting her sleep in the car seat as lying in this crouched position for too long can cause her blood circulation to pool. Allow your baby to sleep as long as she wants to between feeds.
Swaddling. During naps, fully swaddle the baby to make her feel secure and held (see box), and to minimize the Moro reflex.
Nappy changes. Keep them brief – dress the baby in sleep suits with leg and crotch poppers to minimize tugging and wrestling with arms and legs. This will cut down on crying time in the first days.
Songs and Lullabies. Choose a short song or lullaby that you would like to sing to your baby every day. Sing it whenever you do a nappy change, or softly hum it during feeds. Let her associate the tune with closeness and care from you.
Winding. This should be gentle and relaxed. Many mothers frantically jiggle their babies on their knees, or pat their back hard, or rock them backwards and forwards to encourage the burps to come up. I have always felt that the gentler the touch, the more relaxed the baby will be – and if she’s relaxed, there’ll be less resistance or internal tension keeping the wind down. Only wind when the baby has naturally broken off during the feed, and again at the end of the feed. Gently sit the baby up and, holding her under the arms, lift her just off your knees so that she is stretched out and her body is stretched long under her full weight. Hold for a moment, then return her to a sitting position on your lap. Place her chin in the cradle of your hand (between thumb and index finger) and put your other hand on her back. Gently stroke the back rhythmically, preferably only in a downward direction. Pause frequently to ‘allow’ the baby to bring up the wind. Another winding method is to rest her on your shoulder with her arms hanging over your shoulder and down your back (the positioning is crucial for this method). This places light pressure on her abdomen, and the stretched-out position makes it easier for the air bubbles to come up. Place a cloth over your shoulder to protect your clothes!
Mother
Birth Recovery
Arnica. Take immediately after the birth and then every thirty minutes for the first five days. Arnica is very important in reducing post-partum bruising and swelling, even after the gentlest birth.
Hypericum. If you had a Caesarean or suffered a tear/episiotomy, take 200c immediately after the birth and every six hours for five days.
Painkillers. Take as necessary if prescribed by the hospital if you have had a Caesarean or an episiotomy.
Ice packs. If your perineum feels bruised and sore after a vaginal birth you could apply an ice pack for ten minutes, three times a day, whilst sitting or lying down. You can bathe your perineum with cotton swabs soaked in a solution of 50ml of water containing ten to twenty drops of the mother tincture of calendula.
Supplements. Start taking vitamin B12 and Floradix (a natural iron supplement) to help build up your haemoglobin levels. This will counteract the effects of any significant blood loss during the birth. Anaemia can cause tiredness, anxiety and dizzy spells. Take 500mg vitamin C daily. This is important for the cell membranes and will speed healing in all your tissues after birth.
Massage. In India, it is traditional to massage the mother from the day of the birth using Ayurvedic oils. As is the custom, the pregnant mother goes to live with her mother and gives birth in her childhood home. Then her mother or aunt will massage her daily with warm coconut or cured sesame oil. The more aware women use Ayurvedic oils. I adapt this for Western cultures by advocating a rose otto oil massage (see rose otto oil self-massage). This will help lift your mood and banish the baby blues. Repeat daily if possible.
Ayurvedic herbs. Baladi choornam tones up the uterus as it involutes (the same herb I prescribe in my first book, The Gentle Birth Method). It is also a strengthening herb. Take once a day after your evening meal for a total of forty days postnatally (see Resources for details). The following Ayurvedic elixirs taste like sweet sherry:
Jeerarishtam helps to bring in your milk: the main ingredient is cumin. (See recipe in Recipe for Fennel Tonic for substitute fennel tonic.)
Dashamoolarishtam tightens the pelvic ligaments and tones the uterus.
Dhanwantaram kashayam tastes like bitters and is also prescribed for postnatal recovery of the tissues.
Visualizations. From the first day, practise daily, short visualizations of your uterus involuting and shrinking back into the pelvis – imagine it becoming small, round and tight, like a tennis ball. You may well feel afterpains. This is due to the fact that suckling stimulates the release of oxytocin, the hormone responsible for the womb contracting. This helps your uterus involute and return to its pre-pregnant size. So please practise these visualizations during feed times and whenever you have a moment when you can sit down, close your eyes and relax!
Take a shower. Preferably take a shower in the hospital. If you have been sent home within the first twenty-four hours, then you could have a shower or short bath at home. Beware: too hot a bath may cause you to have heavier lochia (vaginal bleeding). There is always some degree of bruising in the vagina, so avoid prolonged baths within the first twenty-four hours as bruised tissue is more susceptible to absorbing water, swelling up and getting infected.
Healing waters. After day two, run a bath of warm water (about 36 degrees centigrade) and add a herbal infusion made up of dried marjoram flowers, comfrey leaves and St John’s wort leaves and