Postnatal Care

From the Pediatricians t Shanghai East International Medical Center

Postnatal care refers to the time immediately after the delivery of a baby before the woman’s reproductive organs have completely recovered. The most important time to take care of the body is the first 6-8 weeks after giving birth.

What are the common discomforts after delivery?
During this period of time there are many common discomforts: for instance postnatal depression, postnatal abdominal pain, postnatal persistent lochia, puerperal fever, lacking of breast milk, postpartum spontaneous sweating, and night sweating and postnatal arthralgia.

What can acupuncture & Chinese Medicine offer?
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) encompasses a wide range of healing arts that date back to ancient China. A diagnosis looks at the person as a whole-body, mind and spirit and his/her relationship to the environment. Using ancient methods of diagnosis and differentiation, a Traditional Chinese Medical doctor looks at each patient individually, and no treatment is the same. Each treatment works on balancing the body’s organs as well as the emotions, thus assisting the body on a physical as well as emotional /mental level. There is no limit as to what TCM can treat, and dating back to as far back as 5,000 years, the treatment methods are still effective today.

Because Traditional Chinese Medicine works on strengthening the body’s own immunity and ability to heal itself naturally without masking the symptoms with drugs, it is especially beneficial for postnatal care as a method of bringing back the natural rhythms of the body after a delivery and helping the body to heal and function at a normal and possible even stronger state of health.

Traditional Chinese Medicine advises special care for women during the postnatal period.

• After child birth a women usually has lower lever energy and blood, so avoid cold foods & drink, and keep warm.
• Keep to a special diet especially food rich in vitamins and easy to digest, based on individual constitution and foods that promote energy, blood, yin, or yang.
• It is important to regulate your digestion so that elimination is regular and urination smooth.
• Combine rest with simple exercise routine depending on your fitness level.