Importance of Balancing Hormones After Birth
Balancing hormones after giving birth is crucial for several reasons. Here are some key points highlighting its importance:
1. Physical Health Recovery
- Energy Levels: Hormonal imbalances can lead to fatigue and low energy, making it challenging for new mothers to cope with the demands of caring for a newborn.
- Weight Management: Hormones like thyroid hormones and cortisol play a role in metabolism. Balancing these can help with postpartum weight loss and preventing excessive weight gain.
2. Mental Health
- Mood Stability: Imbalances in hormones such as estrogen and progesterone can contribute to postpartum depression, anxiety, and mood swings.
- Stress Response: Cortisol, the stress hormone, can be dysregulated postpartum, affecting overall stress levels and mental well-being.
3. Breastfeeding
- Milk Production: Prolactin and oxytocin are critical for milk production and letdown. Ensuring these hormones are balanced supports successful breastfeeding.
4. Immune Function
- Immunity: Hormones like cortisol can impact immune function. Balanced hormones help maintain a robust immune system, which is crucial for new mothers who are often more vulnerable to infections.
5. Reproductive Health
- Menstrual Cycle Regulation: Postpartum hormonal balance is essential for the regularization of menstrual cycles and overall reproductive health.
- Future Fertility: Hormonal health postpartum can influence future fertility and the health of subsequent pregnancies.
6. Sleep Quality
- Restful Sleep: Hormones such as melatonin and cortisol are involved in sleep regulation. Balancing these hormones can improve sleep quality, which is often disrupted after childbirth.
Several strategies to help balance hormones postpartum, including:
- Nutrition: Ensuring a balanced diet rich in essential nutrients that support hormonal health.
- Herbal Medicine: Using herbs that can support hormonal balance, such as vitex (chaste tree) and adaptogens like ashwagandha.
- Lifestyle Modifications: Encouraging regular physical activity, stress management techniques (such as meditation and yoga), and adequate sleep.
- Supplementation: Recommending specific vitamins and minerals that support hormonal balance, such as magnesium, vitamin D, and B vitamins.
Balancing hormones postpartum is essential for the overall health and well-being of the new mother, ensuring she can care for her baby and herself effectively.
Scents you should know…EO 09 Cedarwood (Virginia)
Cedarwood Virginian is an important ornamental and timber tree of eastern North America whose fragrant wood is made into cabinets, fence posts, and pencils. It is used by native American Indians to treat respiratory infections. A decoction of the leaves, bark, twigs, and fruits, is said to help with menstrual delay, rheumatism, arthritis, skin rashes, and kidney infections.
Cedarwood Virginian calms nervous tension and states of anxiety. It is an expectorant and useful in treating hemorrhoids, deterring moths and other insects, and will act as a mild astringent. It is a very powerful antiseptic, fungicidal and antiseborrheic (helps with dandruff, hair loss and oily hair). Consumers will also see it in men’s toiletries, in products used to combat acne, and in products designed to relieve muscle and joint pain.
Cedarwood oil’s great benefit lies in its ability to calm and sooth nerves. It relieves skin and hair problems and is important in easing conditions of a respiratory nature. It also clears urinary infections, rheumatism and arthritis.
- Burners & vaporizers– in vapor therapy, cedarwood oil can be used for arthritis, bronchitis, rheumatism, respiratory problems, as a general tonic and as an insect repellant.
- Blended massage oil or in the bath– use in a blended massage oil or diluted in the bath to assist with asthma, bronchitis, respiratory problems, catarrh, cystitis, painful joints, oily skin and dandruff. Care must be taken that is does not cause irritation to the mucus membranes.
- In a cream– when diluted in a cream, cedarwood oil is of great value to combat oily skin and related problems, as well as dermatitis and psoriasis, while brining relief to the scalp from dandruff.
What’s Up Doc?
What are 7 Ways to Be an Overall Healthier Woman?
- Take a look at your diet, nutrition can be everything!
- Get Moving, Activate skeletal muscle!
- Watch what you put in your body… in every aspect of your life.
- Prioritize sleep, the “sleep when you’re dead” mantra is dead.
- Reduce stress, it affects every body system.
- Learn to say “no”.
Make a list of personal needs and goals for your medical visits to connect and communicate your needs with your healthcare provider.
- I suddenly don’t feel like myself anymore, sometimes I feel crazy.
- I’m only in my mid 30’s and not close to menopause what is happening?
It is common to experience sudden fluctuations in hormones such as progesterone, pregnenolone, and estrogen as you hit your mid 30’s and early 40’s. Although you are not fully reaching “peri-menopause” or “menopause” your body is making suggestions towards the inevitable fact that it is coming in the future. You may experience depression, mood swings, irritability, feelings of rage, sleep disturbances, decreased libido, and changes in appetite and sudden weight gain.
Do not panic, there are definitely things that can help this transitional phase of life.
Simple changes in diet, exercise, vitamin supplementation, mental health exercises, and monitoring hormonal levels with possible hormone treatments can make a world of difference.
We would love to help you feel like your “self” again.”
