9 and a 1/2 months of pregnancy then labor, the new life brings unparalleled joy to the entire family! For mothers, at this moment, it seems that only the baby's cries and smiles are the most worth thinking about.

However, new mothers who have just had a cute baby should not forget that post-pregnancy maintenance is especially important! The 30th - 45th days after giving birth is a very important period of recovery for us women, which is also commonly known as "confinement".

In Chinese culture, confinement is like recreating a woman. It not only needs to make up for the amazing blood and vitality lost during childbirth, but if it is properly conditioned, it can lead to the future of life with abundant physical strength and spirit. As people's health awareness is getting higher and higher, more mothers are aware of the importance of postpartum related maintenance.

At Lis clinic, we have helped hundreds of couples to have healthy babies smoothly, and spent the mother's' ten months to protect their miscarriage and give birth smoothly. At the same time, after many years of clinical practice, we have also helped many mothers to use the pure and natural methods of traditional Chinese medicine to help restore health post labor. Return to previous stamina and body posture.

In the previous article, we explained to you the relevant knowledge of TCM prenatal care and tocolysis, and the self-medicating prescription for the third period of confinement. In this article, we will introduce to you the common symptoms of confinement period, their treatment and confinement diet from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine.

Postpartum Depression

After giving birth, some women often experience emotional disorders such as depression, boredom, sadness, and crying. Statistics show that this situation accounts for about 60% of all mothers. This kind of depressive symptoms mostly occurs within 3 days after giving birth, which is what we often call "three days postpartum dullness". It is worth noting that due to individual differences, environmental factors and other factors, "three days of postpartum boredom" may induce more severe postpartum depression.

Why does postpartum depression occur? The sharp drop in intraday estrogen and progesterone levels in puerperium women, as well as the decrease in catecholamine secretion, which is closely related to emotional activity, is one of the important causes of neurological disorders. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the disease belongs to the category of depression and impatience. The pathogenesis lies in emotional disorders, the inability of liver qi and blood to flow smoothly, or the deficiency of qi and yin, and the internal disturbance of virtual fire. Hormone levels in women vary greatly from pregnancy to childbirth, and the maternal health status also has a great impact on depression during pregnancy. Postpartum depression, like most neurological diseases, should be treated with psychotherapy combined with natural medicines. First of all, because the body of pregnant women is weak after giving birth, they should take more conditioning. It is recommended to use traditional Chinese medicine treatment, as well as the body conditioning method of relaxing tendons and collaterals, which has a mild effect and has no side effects. Different decoctions are used in the treatment of postpartum depression in our hospital. The treatment plan is comprehensively analyzed and prescribed according to each mother's own pulse, changes in qi and blood, and the influence of life factors. Commonly used Chinese herbal medicines are: Coptis chinensis, Scutellaria baicalensis, Baishao, Bupleurum, bath towel, floating wheat, jujube and so on. Secondly, the hospital will provide individualized psychological counseling according to each patient's personality characteristics, psychological state and cause of disease, so as to relieve the psychological pathogenic factors, so as to achieve overall improvement in the three aspects of mind, body and spirit.

Postpartum Lack Of Milk Supply

Many young mothers responded that after giving birth, they felt that their breasts did not swell, and the milk was scarce or not even when breastfeeding their children. Children often cry because they don't have enough to eat, and they are also upset and guilty. In fact, this is the performance of postpartum lack of milk, which mostly occurs in the second, three days to one week after giving birth, and may also occur during the entire lactation period.

Lack of milk is closely related to the spleen, stomach and liver. Modern fast-paced life, stressful working environment, dietary structure, lifestyle changes and other reasons can lead to postpartum lactation. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that there are two common causes and pathogenesis of lack of milk. One is that the patient's body is weak in qi and blood, and due to blood loss during labor or none at all. This type of lack of milk is easy to understand, so helping mothers to nourish with soup and protein supplements can achieve the purpose of replenishment, which is not only conducive to physical recovery, but also helps milk secretion.

There is also a type of lactation that is less well understood and easily overlooked, that is, "liver stagnation and qi stagnation". Patients often suffer from postpartum depression, liver dysfunction, and poor air flow, resulting in blockage of the milk pulse and poor milk flow, resulting in lack of milk. In this case, it is not that the source of chemical is insufficient, but that there is milk but the elimination is not smooth. Such cases are not uncommon in clinical practice now and are on the rise. Recently, a young mother complained when she came to our hospital for treatment: "pork trotter soup in the morning and crucian carp soup in the evening. I ate a lot of supplements every day. The breast pain was particularly obvious, but the milk just couldn't come down." In this case, go blindly. Supplementation is counterproductive. The more you supplement the patient's breast tenderness, the more painful it will be, but the milk will not come out. In severe cases, it may even cause mastitis. In this case, we advocate pure green therapy, using unique massage techniques combined with the concept of traditional Chinese medicine to solve the problems of open milk, lack of milk, swollen breasts, lumps, and accumulation of milk for you.

Confinement Diet Recipe

Maternal exhaustion and blood loss during childbirth, so postpartum will feel tired and weak, pale, prone to sweating, loss of appetite, hunger and not wanting to eat, coupled with the secretion of milk will also consume energy and nutrients, therefore, diet nutrition It is especially important for mothers during the confinement period. During confinement, a woman's body is like an open door, which can excrete excess water and toxins accumulated during pregnancy, and then make your body healthier and more beautiful through correct nourishment. The following is a brief introduction to the four-stage "Confinement Diet" specially designed by our hospital (all stages of meals are available in our hospital):

The 1st week: Appetizers to Remove Blood Stasis, Metabolic Detoxification. It is mainly to remove excess water, toxins and lochia from the body. At this stage, it is best to coordinate with the addition and subtraction of traditional Chinese medicine biochemical decoction. Its main function is to make the uterus expel lochia as soon as possible and help it return to its normal position and shape. Adjust the gastrointestinal system, promote the recovery of uterine contractions, remove toxins from the body and strengthen wound healing. The hospital usually adds and subtracts biochemical decoction according to the mother's constitution, mainly including: Angelica, Chuanxiong, Peach Kernel, Licorice, etc.

The 2nd week: Nourishing Yin and Moistening the Intestines, Nourishing Blood and Strengthening The Spleen. Mainly enhance the function of bone and waist and kidney, and restore the pelvis. Eat more fried kidneys and Eucommia, etc., to help relieve tailbone pain. At this time, according to the doctor's diagnosis, the measurement and the adjustment of the medicine and diet should be carried out.

The 3rd week: Strengthen the Kidneys functions, Raise the nest and enrich the milk. Improve milk secretion, Enhance physical strength, and Promote the recovery of internal organs. This stage mainly begins to nourish the body. Do remember that after taking the toxins, proper supplements can be absorbed by the body, otherwise they will accumulate in the body and become excess fat. Suitable meals such as: crucian carp soup, theme soup, lean meat porridge, etc.

The 4th week: Beauty, Slimming, and Rejuvenation. Nourishing yin and nourishing yang, the diet therapy during this period is mainly to clear the meridians and activate collaterals, beautify the body, restore vitality, such as Sijunzi soup, Sishen soup, etc.

Chinese medicine emphasizes the importance of physical adjustment, especially during the postpartum confinement period. The most important thing is to accurately understand your own physique, find the most suitable time, and the most suitable method for you, carry out recuperation, balanced nutrition, appropriate rest and exercise, and maintain a happy mood; With the overall adjustment, every mother can spend the important "confinement" months easily and healthily. I hope these two articles can help more mothers bid farewell to postpartum troubles as soon as possible and return to their prenatal health as soon as possible!