We all get it. Postpartum and the years after having a baby is no walk in the park. But you know what? It isn't just about depression or anxiety either.
Hey, my friend, I'm Maranda Bower, a homesteading mama with four wild kids. My life passion and education is all about supporting mothers and providers in understanding the science, the art, and the sacredness of healing after birth. What we know as common sense in the postpartum years has many women feeling just plain awful. It's time to bring back the truth, get you the tools you need to heal, and thrive in motherhood and beyond.
Hello, my friends. Welcome to the Postpartum Circle podcast. I'm Maranda Bower. And I'm very, very honored to share with you this episode where we're going to be diving into some misconceptions about postpartum that has actually kind of defined the postpartum period. So what I'm going to be sharing with you here is essentially redefining the period that is postpartum. This is a really big topic and I'm very, very excited to share it with you, especially as the season of spring is upon us. I see so many friends are having babies, and here on my homestead in Alaska, we've got baby chicks running around and we just got ourselves two geese. It's so much fun watching them in their own postpartum experiences. You guys, animals also have postpartum and it's just very interesting to see all of that.
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So let's dive right in. I want to talk about the postpartum period and how it does not last for just six weeks. I will tell you that postpartum lasts an upward of six years. And this really shouldn't be a shocker because every woman who's ever birthed a baby will tell you that they are not fully healed at the six-week mark, right? And most women can attest to not ever feeling like, you know, that quote-unquote "normal" human being until their child reaches a certain level of independence. And then they can focus on their very own health and well-being. I see this a lot in my own clients. My average client is not someone who's in the first six weeks postpartum. They are three to four years in the postpartum period. They've given birth, you know, years previous, and their baby has become a toddler. They're experiencing more independence and they're able to kind of step back a lot more and ask the question, "Who am I? What am I doing? How do I feel in this body? Oh my gosh, what is this body?" We often ask those questions during this time and that's when the healing truly begins for a lot of women, when we're able to look at ourselves and give ourselves that time that we need to truly focus on healing our body.
And that has happened because women have been conditioned to believe that babies come first and that you as a mother come last. It's not only a conditioning, but it's also the way our entire society operates. We do not have support systems in place to even allow a mother to step back and to honor her body, to marvel at its changes, to appreciate what it's done, and to really say, "Okay, what's next in my healing process? What do I need physically, emotionally, mentally?" This is not something that we provide women. And this is not only painful for the mother, it actually has drastic repercussions for the baby and for the family as well. Our children are defining self-care through watching our own self-care. Our girls especially are looking to mothers; they're watching what motherhood is, they're defining motherhood by seeing us. And our boys are seeing how to support women during that phase too, by seeing what postpartum is about and the level of support that needs to come through with that.
So, how did this narrow timeline of six weeks postpartum really define the postpartum period? That's what I really want to get into today. And I will tell you that this was established by the patriarchal medical system. The first six weeks marks the time when a woman's uterus should be done bleeding and returned to its pre-pregnancy size essentially. And the six weeks has become the normal, it's become the definition, and so we've based our entire medical practice, this whole entire postpartum phase, on that one reflection of a woman's body. Wikipedia also defines the six-week mark as a time when all hormones return to their pre-pregnancy state, which is hilarious. They think that's where we should cue the laughter.
Another really great example of why you should dismiss 90% of everything you hear and read about postpartum. Now, we have this postpartum checkup where we don't even get support most of the time after giving birth until that six-week mark. When we go into our provider's office, they take a look, ask a couple of questions, and say, "All good, you know, you're all fine, right? Here's some birth control." Oftentimes, we're left wondering, "Am I still postpartum? Why do I feel so weak and off? Is there something wrong with me? Is that all I get after everything that's happened?"
Your instincts are absolutely right. You are still postpartum. You're still feeling "off", and the care one receives postpartum is greatly lacking. I remember my very first six-week checkup; having four kids, I've been through this a few times. I wondered what they were actually looking at. They can't see my uterus by just looking into my vagina; they only see a cervix. That doesn't tell the whole story about the rest of my body. Most aren't even able to diagnose a prolapse; that's not their specialty. So, I remember walking away thinking, "What was the purpose of that?"
Although the six weeks post-birth define this monumental change in the body, it doesn't and shouldn't wholly define the period that is postpartum. This transformational period continues for months as your body adjusts to having grown and birthed a human being. Often, you're sustaining that child's life outside of the womb with your breast milk. Joints and ligaments take about three months to return to normal. Depending on the pregnancy and birth experience, you can expect even longer for complications and trauma related to pregnancy. It takes around six months to fully replenish the nutrients lost from growing a baby, and that's with dedication. That's with focusing on supporting your gut health, nutrient absorption, and eating healthy meals, which in postpartum are not just salads and smoothies.
Hormones don't stabilize until around nine months postpartum, and that's if they're cared for and nourished properly with food and sleep. Then, they go through another shift when the menstrual cycle returns and again when weaning from breastfeeding. The emotional toll of becoming a mother, finding this rhythm, appreciating body changes, creating balance amidst chaos, and discovering oneself again is immense. Chances are, if you're like me, you're pregnant again before you even felt complete in your transition to being a mother, starting the process all over.
For the record, the stages of these postpartum years are influenced greatly by the care received in the first few weeks. Just as healing from foot surgery in the initial week sets the health foundation for that foot for years to come, the same is true for postpartum in those initial weeks, only with childbirth. This is known as a sacred time because it impacts your entire body, not just a foot. It's a major disruption and transition, like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. Pieces might be similar, but they're not the same. How you experience the first few weeks after birth determines how long you'll spend time healing in the years to come. Will it be two or three years, or six, like most people in our world who aren't given the opportunity, knowledge, or tools to heal their body? If you're like me and many mamas, having another baby or two within the initial six postpartum years means you're double or even triple postpartum, and the effects run deep.
The moral is, you're likely still very much in the post-childbirth years. It's crucial to be gentle with yourself, understanding that you deserve healing, understanding, and love for your body. This journey is beautiful and passed down to your children. We have so much control over our healing; our bodies are meant to heal and thrive, not merely survive. If you're in that state, know you can change. If you feel you haven't healed in those first six weeks postpartum, that's okay. There are many things you can do to support your body, no matter where you are in your postpartum journey. That's what I'm here for.
So, enjoy this information. We'll delve deeper into the components and what you can do. I'll provide the tools you need to deeply heal your body postpartum. Thanks for tuning in and taking the time to learn about supporting deep healing. This work isn't just for us or for you; your healing impacts your children, relationships, and community. We do this work because the health and vibrancy of our world begin with its mothers. I hope you've taken valuable information today and can apply it to your life. If you're unsure where to begin, reach out about working together one-on-one or at least learn about my postpartum nutrition plan, which is where I start every client. You can find that at MarandaBower.com. Hope you enjoyed this episode. Please leave a review, and see you next time.