Postnatal

All you need after giving birth

The postnatal (or postpartum) period begins immediately after childbirth as the mother’s body, including hormone levels and uterus size, returns to a non-pregnant state.

In other cultures like in South Korea, a great level of importance is placed on postnatal care.

Sanhujori is the term for traditional postnatal care in Korea (see more on Wikipedia) and is a practice followed by the majority of women for the purpose of proper recovery after giving birth.

The main tenants of sanhujori emphasise activities and foods that keep the body warm, rest and relaxation to maximise the body’s return to its normal state, maintaining cleanliness, eating nutritious foods, and peace of mind and heart.

• Eating beneficial foods – such as seaweed soup (Researchers demonstrated that seaweed contains a great deal of omega-3 fatty acids, i.e., polyunsaturated fatty acids found in certain seeds and fish, and the soup with seaweed helps to accelerate the recovery time of mothers.)
• Keep one’s body warm – avoid cold foods such as ice cream, staying indoors and refraining from outdoor activities is perceived as one of the effective ways to keep the mother’s body warm
• Doing moderate physical exercise – Childbirth tends to lower the immunity of mothers, and they may have pains and swellings in their bodies. During the postpartum period, Korean mothers do light stretching and self-massage of the muscles to relax and strengthen their bodies. It is scientifically proved that 30 minutes exercise, per day, is helpful in recovering the bladder and pelvic muscles rapidly.