Okay, so not everything covered on this page is weird or never discussed.
But all of these problems have happened to me or my friends during our
postpartum times, and some are things for which I've wondered, "Why have I
never
heard of this before now? Why didn't anyone tell
me this could happen?" Well, it turns out that most if not all of
these conditions are preventable and/or fairly straightforward to fix. Read on, and find out how you can
safeguard your own health after baby arrives.
You can click on any of the following links to skip to the section(s)
you are interested in:
Protecting your immune system
The postpartum heart: arrhythmias, low
estrogen, & magnesium deficiency
Nail changes
"Baby blues" and postpartum
depression
Postpartum Thyroiditis
Stress/fitness
Gallbladder problems
Diastasis ("split" in abdominal muscles), and ab aches and pains
Restricted diet while nursing
Birth control issues
The postpartum heart -
Within 8 weeks of birthing our second baby, I began to have arrhythmias
(irregular, racing heartbeats, or a fluttery feeling in the chest).
They were frequent, did not hurt, and were more of a nuisance
than anything else. They continued until 13 months postpartum, which
is when my periods resumed after starting my baby on solid foods
when he was 12 months old. Because of the way the arrhythmias
disappeared (only following lowered milk production and resumption of menstruation),
I figured they must have been hormone-related.
Less than 4 weeks after I gave birth to our third baby, the arrhythmias
were back. This time they continued even after solids were introduced
when baby was 8 months old. They got so bad that it
often seemed like my heart would jump out of my chest, and sometimes they
even hurt. Medication was not an option because I was still nursing,
so I did some research and found out about magnesium deficiency. I
began taking a daily magnesium supplement and was pleased to find that within 3 days, my arrhythmias
had vanished. I continued the Mg for about six weeks, then
stopped taking it. The arrhythmias returned but were not as bad
as before. They gradually faded, and were completely gone well
before my periods resumed at nearly 16 months postpartum.
I have not heard or read of anyone else who has experienced months
of arrhythmias following childbirth, but I suspect I'm not the only
one. I definitely feel these postpartum arrhythmias are at
least partly hormone-related. That is
because estrogen levels are low during the amenorrheic postpartum time, sort of
like a mini-menopause; in fact, some women do experience arrhythmias
during actual menopause. It also seems that I was nutrient-depleted in spite
of watching my diet and taking a prenatal supplement faithfully, including
postpartum.
Please do seek medical attention if you are experiencing any heart
problems or symptoms that feel like they might be heart
problems. They may be nothing, but it's well worth it to
make sure. Between babies, I had an EKG and cholesterol and
blood pressure checks; everything turned up fine. My heart
and blood pressure have also been great during each pregnancy.
So in my case, the arrhythmias seem to have been relatively minor
problems strictly related to postpartum conditions. But there are some
serious heart ailments that, rarely, do arise during birth and/or
postpartum, such as cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart). Those do
warrant close medical monitoring.
Nail changes - After the birth of my second baby, my
nails gradually became softer and more misshapen. Several
became
flattened or even a bit concave in spots. They looked somewhat
better while I was pregnant with my third baby, and then considerably
worse in the months after his birth. I wondered if
this problem, like the heart arrhythmias, could be tied to nutrient and especially mineral depletion
caused by repeated pregnancies, births, and especially breastfeeding.
Finally I found a website that specifically related this type of nail
abnormality to childbearing: Nail Health: Online
Reference for Health Concerns (scroll down to where it talks about iron
deficiency anemia under "Nutritional Considerations"). Though I had
faithfully taken prenatal vitamins for years, I began to wonder if they
were not as effective as they might have been. Under the guidance of
my nurse-midwife and doctor, I modified my supplement regimen, adding
things like B-complex and calcium-magnesium, and eventually switching to a whole-foods based prenatal supplement. I noticed that over time, my nails improved. They have retained their improved appearance throughout my pregnancy and postpartum time with our fourth baby.
Here are two resources if you wish to study these topics
further: The Magnesium
Web Site and Diseases that show
up in your fingernails.
I have also read that it is wise not to
take one's supplements with a high-fiber meal, such as bran cereal,
because that can inhibit mineral absorption. Here's a quote from
an article in the February 8, 2000 issue of Women's
World, p. 12, "Are you accidentally sabotaging your health?":
Breakfast may seem like the ideal time to take your multi-unless
you're one of the millions who also eats a high-fiber cereal.
"Bran fiber binds to minerals, including zinc, selenium, magnesium and
even calcium, forcing them to be excreted instead of absorbed," says
Dr. Gillespie [according to the article, she is a nutrition researcher and the author of The
Menopause Diet].
Over a period of months, that could increase your risk of a mineral
deficiency - which saps your bones, brain and immune system. And
studies show women with even slight calcium and magnesium deficiencies
suffer PMS symptoms almost twice as severe.
Better habit: "Take your vitamins an hour before breakfast,
or have them with dinner instead," suggests Dr. Gillespie.
This simple adjustment may be all that is needed to help our bodies
absorb those minerals better.
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Stress/fitness - To cut down on postpartum
stress, one of the most important things you can do is avoid isolation.
This is crucial, especially if you are suffering from postpartum blues
or depression. Get out for walks, find a mommy/baby group (La Leche
League is great if you are breastfeeding), have your mate give you breaks
here and there so you can take a shower or have some quiet time reading
or in prayer, or call or email another mom. If you are housebound
for any reason, see if you can have any mom friends over to chat.
From my own experience, I feel I must also caution you to not overcommit
yourself to outside duties (a job, volunteer work, etc.) too soon, unless
you truly thrive on such things! Otherwise you might stress yourself
out too much. For me personally, it is very difficult and exhausting
to divide my attention between outside demands and the needs of a tiny
baby. Baby needs me NOW... I can do all that outside stuff later.
I'm sure you probably already know this next tip, but it bears repeating,
particularly for the postpartum period when mothers tend to neglect their
own health: exercise is a wonderful stress-reliever and health-enhancer.
So as soon as your physical condition permits it - often at around six
weeks postpartum - it's a good idea to get into a regular exercise routine.
Remember to go really easy at first! If weather or other factors
prevent outdoor workouts, exercise videos can be most helpful. With
two or three videos, you can rotate workouts as desired, exercising in
the comfort and privacy of your own home with baby close at hand.
This is cheaper and much more convenient than belonging to a health club!
It is important, though, to know your fitness level and general state of health before embarking on any exercise program, and you may wish to consult a health care provider beforehand.
A great online resource for exercise videos is Video
Fitness. This site is run by home exercisers, for home exercisers.
It has reviews of many exercise videos, instructors and vendors, and helpful
message boards and tips. The selection of exercise videos available
online and by mail order far exceeds what you may have seen in video stores,
and this site will help you choose the best workouts for you.
For my own
reviews of several exercise videos, plus a few guidelines for choosing
the right workout clothes and shoes, go here.
As the instructor on one of my exercise videos points out, working out
three times a week will help you maintain good fitness; exercising
four or more times per week will aid in losing weight. If you are
breastfeeding your baby on cue, that will help take care of the postpartum
weight loss. I keep my workouts to three per week for fitness only;
for me, exercising any more often, or more vigorously, reduces my milk
supply. That is fine if I'm working on weaning my toddler, but not
so good if I have a younger baby who needs lots of breast milk.
For me, working out is not about "looking good" or "getting my shape
back" - I know I'll probably never again look like I did when I was 18
(and really, why would I want to?) I work out so that my heart and
body will be fit, to improve my overall health, and to reduce stress.
Pregnant or postpartum, I feel way better on a regular workout routine
than if I'm not doing anything.
One last thing: if you need naps, take them!
Childbirth is a lot of work for most women, and rest is essential afterward,
especially if you are now nursing. Particularly during the first
few weeks, getting lots of rest and plenty of nourishing food and fluids
will help you maintain a good milk supply for your new baby. If you
are feeling exhausted, listen to your body and take it easy. I have
learned the hard way that overdoing it on housework or other, nonessential
tasks can lead to stress, reduced milk supply, lowered resistance
to colds and other ailments, and an increase in plugged
milk ducts.
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Gallbladder problems - Some women have gallbladder
trouble during pregnancy and/or postpartum. I began having problems
about four months after our third baby was born. As my gallbladder attacks got more frequent and more severe, I began to research standard vs. alternative treatments, as well as the health implications of having one's gallbladder removed, which is the conventional medical approach.
Here is what I learned:
Gallbladder disease is not
uncommon in Western societies, in which the typical diet consists of too much
fat and not enough fiber. Combine this diet with pregnancy, and
problems can result either during pregnancy or afterward. The high
estrogen levels that accompany pregnancy affect the gallbladder in two
ways: first, by making the gallbladder, normally very good at
squeezing and pumping concentrated bile into the bile ducts, more
sluggish; and second, by raising the level of cholesterol in the
bile, which in turn contributes to the formation of gallstones.
Obesity,
rapid weight loss, and sedentary lifestyle all contribute to
gallbladder disease. One or more of these factors can easily be
present in the postpartum period. The good news is that regular
exercise has a strong protective effect against this condition.
The body uses bile to digest fats. If a meal contains a lot of fat, the gallbladder will work extra hard, pumping more bile into the digestive tract. This is why someone with gallstone problems will typically have a gallbladder attack after a rich meal. As their gallbladder is squeezing extra hard to push out lots of bile, a stone may be pushed out too, and get lodged in the gallbladder opening or bile duct. The result is an excruciating gallbladder attack that may last an hour or longer.
The typical sufferer of
gallbladder attacks is a woman of childbearing age who has had more
than one pregnancy. That fact certainly came as a surprise to
me;
I had thought
only old people got gallstones. Not so! One medical mnemonic for the typical gallstone patient is "Fair, fat, female, flatulant and fertile".
Similar to cesarean sections and
hysterectomies, gallbladder removals are performed far too often in
the US. In most cases, the gallbladder does not need to
be removed unless it is severely damaged or diseased.
Sometimes a change in diet is all it takes to bring relief. If you suffer from gallstones and want some good dietary tips, go here.
There are several ways of removing gallstones non-invasively at home. The method I followed is outlined in the book Are You "Stoned"? A Quick, Easy Guide for the Natural Removal of Gallstones by Claude M. Lewis, D.C., et. al. For more information or to purchase the book, go here. This approach flies in the face of modern medicine's aggressive, invasive (not to mention expensive) methods of "curing" gallstones. I invite you to read the book for yourself and see what you think.
Even if you do decide to have
your gallbladder removed, there are a couple of things you need to
know that your doctor may not tell you. First, some
postoperative patients continue to suffer pain and discomfort after
meals, almost as if they'd never had their gallbladders removed.
Second, in many cases the body compensates for not having a
gallbladder by "growing" a new one: the bile duct will enlarge
and form a new little sac for storing and concentrating the bile in,
and then you're back at square one -- unless you've changed your
lifestyle by exercising more and cutting down on your fat intake.
If you choose to go ahead and do the gallbladder cleanse as outlined in Dr. Lewis' book, I have a few tips to share. Note: these tips are specifically for nursing mothers, that is, postpartum moms with young babies who rely on mother's milk for all or most of their food.
I've researched the gallbladder and gallstone problem a fair
amount,
and have concluded that it's best to keep your gallbladder if at
all possible. For one thing, a good flow of concentrated bile helps digested foods move through the body properly, thereby avoiding constipation and related problems. For another, the gallbladder
may be important to heart health. This is because
gallbladder-concentrated bile (as opposed to the watery bile of a
person who's had their gallbladder removed) is best able to break down ingested
fats.
And proper digestion of fats is healthier for the body's blood
vessels; it's one factor that can help protect them from getting clogged up.
Whether or not your gallbladder bothers you, it is wise to not eat too
much fat. Even if you are not overweight, a too-rich diet can still
harm your health. In my case, I had heard that eating lots of fat
would help me make "rich milk". I dutifully ate a rich diet as I
nursed our second baby for the next year or so. This ended up being
bad for my heart
and gallbladder, though the gallbladder effects
did not show up until after the birth of my third baby. As I'm sure
you've heard, you need fat, but not too much, and not the wrong types
(avoiding
hydrogenated oils and saturated fats is a good idea).
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Birth control - this is a controversial topic,
especially among Christians. Early in our marriage, I found I was
allergic to all those barrier method foams and creams. I really didn't
want to go on the pill - didn't seem like the healthiest or most natural
way to go. Then we discovered natural family planning (NFP).
It's more accurate than the calendar rhythm method because you get to know
your own fertility signs, and you chart them as well as your basal temperature
(body temp when you first wake up in the morning, before you get out of
bed). NFP, when done correctly and diligently, is a very effective
method and has better than 95% reliability. The Couple
to Couple League's website is an excellent resource for more information
on NFP.
On the other hand, some Christians believe that any form of birth
control, even NFP, is wrong. They feel that the use of birth
control violates what the Bible teaches about childbearing and family
size. A key group advocating this view is QuiverFull.
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