After having your baby, it’s especially important that you get plenty of sleep to help regain strength, build immunity, and cope with any physical and mental challenges. Frequent night feeds can make this challenging, but these Sleep Soundscapes and Sleep Meditations are designed to help you relax and fall asleep more easily.
Sleep when your baby sleeps
Taking the opportunity to sleep whenever your baby sleeps (both during the day and at night) will help you get the rest you need.
Create a calming environment
To create a relaxing atmosphere for both you and your baby, add 5-7 drops of our Lavender Essential Oil or Unwind Essential Oil Blend to our Yogaroma™ Ceramic Diffuser, or spritz our Sleepy Time Mist around the room.
While resting, feeding, or cuddling your baby, listen to the transcendental Yoga Sounds. This will benefit both you and your baby, helping relieve any stress or anxiety.
There’s no need to rush back into exercise. Take it easy for at least the first 6 weeks, or longer if you had a caesarean birth or are still bleeding. During this time, try these breathing techniques and gentle movements to help reactivate your abdominal muscles, strengthen your pelvic floor, and release tension.
Caution
Before you begin, please read Part 5 of our Safety Guidelines for important information on practicing asanas following pregnancy.
Daily self-massage with lavender oil
To help ease tension and relax, massage your temples, neck, shoulders, wrists, and soles of your feet with a few drops of our Lavender + Jojoba Oil Blend.
Yoga block
You'll need a yoga block for Mula Bandha.
The techniques in this secret gently strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and work to clear any blockages in your breasts, helping make breastfeeding feel easier and more comfortable.
Practice tips
- If you're breastfeeding, be sure to breastfeed before doing asanas.
- Once you have mastered Mula Bandha, practice it any time to help strengthen the pelvic floor.
- You can do the Pelvic Tilts lying on your back, even while in bed.
Release tension in your wrists, shoulders, neck, and back with the help of these techniques and sessions. They are also effective for boosting immunity and improving sleep quality.
Ease upper body tension
Breastfeeding can cause tension to accumulate in your shoulders, neck, and back. We recommend doing the exercises after breastfeeding to help prevent and relieve discomfort.
Diffuse lavender oil
Add 5-7 drops of Lavender Essential Oil to our Yogaroma™ Ceramic Diffuser for a calming atmosphere.
A vegetarian yoga diet is helpful in aiding postpartum recovery as it's naturally nourishing, strengthening, energizing, and easy to digest. Consuming warm, nutrient-dense foods will help restore your energy and replenish blood lost during childbirth. See the healthy diet tips below:
Foods to include
- Warm, moist foods like soups are ideal for early postpartum recovery, as they are easy to digest and full of nourishment. Options like vegetable soup with beans, lentil soup, congee (rice porridge), or miso soup, provide comfort and essential nutrients to support recovery and healing. Oatmeal is gentle on the stomach and can be fortified with dates, ghee, nuts, or seeds.
- Milk-boosting foods: Incorporate foods like black sesame seeds, walnuts, kelp, soybean sprouts, and oats into soups or porridge. These ingredients not only enhance milk production but also help clear excess blood from the uterus and support the repair of tissue affected by childbirth.
- Nourish your blood: Eat foods that nourish blood, such as beetroot, spinach, dark leafy greens, and plant-based sources of iron like lentils, mung beans, chickpeas, and tofu, which provide essential nutrients for replenishing blood after childbirth.
- Fenugreek, beneficial for milk production, can be taken as a tea, supplement, or added to meals when cooking.
Foods to avoid
To support digestion, healing and recovery, below are some examples to avoid:
- Cold and raw foods, as they disrupt digestion and reduce digestive fire (agni). They include salads, cold beverages, and foods straight from the fridge or freezer. Also, foods such as watermelon, tangerines, pears, oranges, and bitter melons are not suitable for women who are weak after giving birth.
- Hard to digest foods, such as heavy grains, kidney and black beans (which may cause bloating and gas).
- Processed foods, including refined carbohydrates (such as pastries, white bread, and cakes), frozen dinners, and fast food, often contain high levels of added sugars, unhealthy fats, and preservatives. These additives can hinder recovery and negatively affect overall health.
- Stimulating foods like chocolate, tea, and coffee: Caffeinated drinks or foods, including black and green teas, energy drinks, carbonated drinks, sports drinks, and weight loss supplements should be avoided because these stimulants enter the baby's body through the mother’s milk. Caffeine can cause discomfort to the baby, including anxiety, tension, excitement, anger, and trembling. It also interferes with sleep, hydration, and hormone balance during this delicate recovery period.
- Spicy foods, such as chili peppers, garlic, and excessive amounts of onions are best avoided or minimized as they can cause acid in the digestive tract and may disrupt the mother’s milk.
Other tips
- Eat when hungry: Breastfeeding can make you feel hungrier than usual, so eat nutritious, easy-to-digest snacks in between meals.
- Stay hydrated: During the first month after childbirth, you may feel hot when you sleep due to increased metabolism. Sip on warm water to prevent dehydration. Some supportive herbal tea options include ginger tea for digestion, fenugreek tea for lactation, and raspberry leaf tea to aid postpartum recovery.
- Supplements: Take multivitamins and calcium supplements while breastfeeding. Iron supplements are recommended to help the body replenish hemoglobin lost during childbirth. Consult your healthcare practitioner to check if these are right for you.
Let others care for you
After giving birth, a mother needs support and care. Don’t be afraid to accept help from your family members and friends.
Get help with household chores
Enlist friends or family members to do household chores; otherwise, you may find it difficult to rest when the house isn’t in order.
Make meals easy
Get your partner, other family members, or even friends, to help with meals. Ordering take-out is also an option, but choose restaurants that make healthy, nourishing foods.
