The Dao Does… ‘Mother Warming’ treatment for Postpartum Recovery
Have you heard your Chinese Medicine Practitioner talk about booking a Postnatal tonification treatment or “mother warming” post-birth?
For all my pregnant patients, I will always recommend a “mother warming” treatment regardless of how she is feeling after she has given birth. A “mother warming” treatment, is a useful one-off moxibustion technique used to tonify a new mother post birth, it is given around day 5 – day 14 post birth and can be utilised to energise a woman and aid her recovery. From experience, it is well received by all mothers after childbirth.
So what is Moxibustion or/ Moxa? Moxibustion is a Chinese mugwort leaf that is used as a heat source to stimulate acupuncture points. Although Acupuncture is better known in the West, moxibustion has also been used in traditional treatments for over 2000 years in China and is actually the second part of the name for acupuncture in the Chinese language.
The moxibustion stick is used to warm specific areas of the body, to stimulate healing, and support blood flow. In a “mother warming” treatment, the moxibustion is focused on the woman’s abdomen. Traveling between acupuncture points REN2 to REN8, so from around the area of the top of the pubic bone up to the navel for 5 to 10 minutes. A woman should feel a nice pleasant warmth radiating around the local area.
The aim of mother warming is to ~
- Warm the channels and uterus post birth to facilitate recovery.
- Improve circulation of blood to reduce pain.
- Benefits the autonomic nervous system, to reduce stress and calm the mind and body.
- Boost energy.
- Support overall quality of life.
Following mother warming; Acupuncture, moxibustion, and dietary therapy can be utilised on a follow-up visit, to facilitate the body in building good quality qi and blood. There are extensive benefits to using Traditional Chinese Medicine during pregnancy as well as the postnatal period to prevent any disharmonies from developing.
The beauty of moxibustion therapy and motherwarming is that it can be done in the comfort of your own home! If performing this treatment at home is something you and/ or your partner would be interested in, please chat with your Chinese Medicine practitioner here at The Dao Health. We will be able to provide all the information and tools to get you started.
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By Georgia Payten