Supporting Hormones Postpartum
Hormones spike to the highest they’ll ever be when a woman is pregnant and the lowest they’ll ever be right after birth. We’re talking as low as a woman in her menopausal stage of life. That is a drastic dip within moments and it takes our body a bit to get back into balance. This dip will take some time to get it to where we need it to be. We didn’t grow a baby overnight, so we aren’t going to balance our hormones overnight either. We also need to take a look at what life looked like before we became pregnant too. Were we living a lifestyle conducive to healing? Were we eating and doing whatever we wanted? This is such a great time to take a look at the lifestyle we have led. See where changes can be made, so that you are able to live a wonderfully full life without feeling depleted and run down.
The first step in balancing your hormones is changing your lifestyle. We need to look at how you’re managing your stress, what’s your sleep schedule looking like (if you have a newborn, this will be tough I hear ya and I know, but not impossible. Get help to rest during the day if you need to or are able), I’m also a big proponent of mama getting at least five days of straight up rest after her baby is born (we’ll chat about this in another post). Are you eating foods that add nourishment to your body or taking away from it? What about hydration, getting enough of it, adding minerals to your water, or are we drinking a bunch of caffeine without replacing water? Are you moving your body-even a lite stretch or walk around the block? Let’s also take a look at those endocrine disruptors, make a list and slowly switch these out! We can’t change our hormones until we slow down, eat what our body needs by using the innate wisdom we have, and we need to incorporate some type of movement.
When we become mothers our life changes within a blink of an eye. Add the shift of hormones and it feels like we could lose our minds. Maybe you don’t always feel this way, but for this mama I once felt like I was coming apart at the seams. We are supposed to keep schedules, change diapers, do laundry, make food, be the bottle, keep up with other kids, do the entertaining, etc. Regardless of the support we have, we are experiencing a crucial amount of change. What a huge blessing it is though, as well as a huge responsibility we get to have in raising these little squishy humans! While we are spending majority of our days caring for their needs we need to make sure we’re doing all the same things for ourselves, maybe minus the diaper situation. However, if you feel the need for a diaper let me know, I know a pelvic floor therapist who can work with ya. ;)
Remember that lifestyle changes don’t have to be rigid and they don’t have to be something that’s done all at once. All these tips are here to give you the foundations of a life you want to lead, bring you back to a joy you’ve once experienced, and truly feeling free in your own body. You have the ability to unveil a joy sparked life, all you need to do is take one step at a time.
Top 10 nutrients to restore hormone balance postpartum.
1- selenium: brazil nuts, tuna, liver
2- zinc: oysters, liver, nuts, seeds
3- vitamin A: liver, butter, egg yolk, sweet potatoes, carrots
4-vitamin D: fatty fish, liver, butter, egg yolk
5- essential fatty acids: fish oil, flax seeds, walnuts, primrose and borage oil
6- protein: cold water fish, grass-fed beef and poultry
7- B-vitamins: liver, organ meats, nutritional yeast
8- probiotic-containing foods: sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, kefir, kombucha
9- Add healthy fats: avocado oil, animal fat, omega-3s, grass fed butter, fatty fish
10- Hydrate properly by adding in trace minerals or unrefined sea salt. DO NOT add your regular table salt to water, this does not contain minerals we need and is 100% stripped of its nutrients.
The strength of a mother is unmatched. You’re juggling the care of a new life, care for yourself, your home, and it’s difficult for you to make sure you’re truly tapping into your needs. In this space I hope you find encouragement to nourish your body and to advocate for the things you need and desire for your life.
In my course, Thriving Through Postpartum, allows you to understand your body on a whole new level, teaches you the connection between our brain and gut functions, we work on how to build a completely balanced plate, and a few extra goodies to help you thrive!
