Post-Pregnancy Periods

Your hair's a mess, you're running low on sleep... and your period is back with a vengeance. It's been a long time since you've had a normal period. Most women have been on the pill for most of their life (suppressing their real hormones), they get pregnant and don't experience a period for almost a year, and if they breastfeed that further delays their first post pregnancy period. Within that large time span, not only have you experienced physical changes - you've also experienced hormonal changes as well.

Let's face it, once you get your period back you're likely busying making sure your baby is thriving, cooking, cleaning and trying to make up for lack of sleep. It's the easiest time for moms to become stressed and frustrated - and neglecting 'me' time.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, all this emotional stress can cause our qi (energy) to become blocked. If qi is not moving smoothy throughout the  body, it will prevent our blood from moving smoothly - resulting in dysmenorrhea.

Acupuncture

Not all needles need to be bad! Specific points in our body can help eliminate stagnation and cause qi and blood to flow smoothly again. The liver (our TCM version) is the main culprit behind PMS symptoms, so when a ND chooses acupuncture points, it's to help restore balance in the liver. The best part about acupuncture is that it's a gentle treatment and helps you lay down and relax for at least 30 minutes.

Food

Do you drink lemon water in the morning? If not, you may want to start. The sourness of lemon will help break up stagnation and fresh, organic greens will help ensure it's smooth flow. Pro-tip: If you have the time to sit down an enjoy a meal - take this opportunity! Eating in a rush is never a good thing - especially if you're doing it all the time.

Exercise

Not only is this a great form of self-care, but out bodies need movement to help maintain a healthy qi. This doesn't mean that you need to start prepping for a 10k - simple and restorative exercises like yoga and walking can be just as effective.

Meditation

If there's anything that our bodies crave, it's relaxation. It can be tough to do with a baby, but simply playing attention to your breath for 5 minutes while your baby sleeps can be doable. Better yet, pair it with an acupuncture treatment to reap the benefit!

Supplements

It might be difficult to adopt all these recommendations at once, which is why a once a day supplement can help ease particular symptoms. Some of these include magnesium, fish oils, Vitamin B6 and chaste tree.

Next Steps

A painless period is possible - and that includes all the symptoms that go with it! If you're looking to see if acupuncture can be effective for you or are wanting to give supplements a try, book an appointment with a Naturopathic Doctor. You deserve to have a healthy period!

Now that you have a solid plan, please sign up for my monthly newsletter called The Flow for more informative and useful content like this! I want to make sure that you have a good flow!