3 Important Postpartum Activities That Are Worth The Cost
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Postnatal care is the continuation of the care mothers receive after delivery. According to University College London Hospitals, the postnatal period refers to the first six to 8 weeks following delivery (1). This period is a critical phase in the lives of mothers and newborn babies, as it’s when most maternal and infant deaths occur, as stated by WHO (2).
Postnatal care is meant to help women recuperate from the stress of childbearing and pregnancy. Unfortunately, many don’t plan well for a very much needed postpartum recovery phase. To help with this, here are some cost-worthy postpartum care and activities you should consider.
Postnatal Massage For Physical and Emotional Healing
Postpartum massage is a full body massage that occurs within the first 12 weeks of delivery. Postnatal massage is different from a regular massage because it’s designed specifically for newly delivered moms. Therefore, it takes into consideration the physiology of your body.
Postpartum massage holds a lot of benefits. It reduces swelling, improves milk production, regulates hormone production, speeds-up recovery from a C-section, reduces anxiety and depression, and helps you sleep better (3).
There are many types of postnatal massage. Some of the most common are Jamu, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and Ayurvedic. Each type of massage has a different style and approach. However, all of them involve the Sengkak (uterus massage).
Sengkak is a form of massage used to help the uterus contract back to its original size. Whatever type of massage you choose, ensure it matches up to your personal preferences.
Sign Up For A Confinement Meal Service If You Don’t Have Time To Cook
After delivery, your body needs to replenish itself. For this to happen, you must eat a diet that is healthy and nutritious. After delivery, you’d have plenty of baby-related responsibilities, so you’d have to be in good shape.
Keeping a healthy and nutritious diet will ensure you’re active enough to take care of your baby. Additionally, since your baby depends on you for food, you’ve to keep the supply rich and flowing to meet your baby’s feeding needs.
Given that you are new to this, chances are you’d struggle juggling your baby’s care with other responsibilities. Often, preparing and planning a proper meal suffers in this regard, and this is something that you can’t trivialize.
To address this problem, you can use confinement meal delivery services. They’d deliver personalized nutritious meals to your home every day. This way, you can spend the time grocery shopping or cooking to better cater to other responsibilities, rest, and bond with your baby.
Many people get put-off from using confinement meal delivery services because they appear too pricey. In reality, these prices are quite manageable. The net cost per meal, including delivery, ranges between $21 and $28, and some services offer up to 10% discounts.
The price aside, it’s a very worthwhile measure for you because of the free time it gives you. You can use a trial meal to confirm whether the services are desirable.
Hiring A Confinement Nanny
New moms will always need help, especially during the first few weeks after delivery. You can be lucky to get help from female family members or friends who’d be willing to help you. But in the case where you don’t have such privileges, you should think about hiring a confinement nanny.
A confinement nanny is either an experienced mom or a professional specially trained in the care of mothers and newborns. These individuals are often hired to stay with mothers during the period of confinement. Confinement nannies are a great choice because of their training and experience.
They help with chores and look after your baby, and also teach you plenty of baby stuff. They can teach you the practical aspects of things you only knew in theory, such as how to bathe a newborn, developing a healthy feeding schedule that works for you and your baby, and how to make your baby sleep all night.
The key to having a good postnatal care package is planning. If you leave it till after delivery, it might not go so well. Ensure you work it out before delivery, and you can be sure you’d have yourself well catered for post-delivery.
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