Postpartum gift for new mothers – private postnatal yoga sessions.
After reading ‘The first forty days’ book by Heng Ou, I’ve been thinking a lot about the Postpartum period and what new mothers really might need in this period.
So much of the focus and attention is directed to this brand new little being that has entered into the realm (I mean, obviously: cute babies!), but after reading this book it’s made me realise just how important and actually fundamental it is for the new mother to feel mothered, nurtured and taken care of herself. When the mother is feeling filled in her own tank – she has the emotional, mental and physical resources to be able to take care of her baby – come what may. In fact, I almost think that postpartum “mother-showers” should override prenatal “baby-showers!”.
It’s custom with so many more traditional mothering cultures – ranging from the East to Latin America to have a period of “sitting in” or confinement where the mothers are nurtured by ‘the village’ where other women come cook, clean and nurture the mother with practices such as closing the bones.
Everything that a baby would need in that precious fourth trimester is exactly what a mother needs too: warmth, food, swaddling and feeling safe. To this end, I’ve personally begun my own little savings pot (alongside my bigger ‘maternity-leave-savings’ pot), which I’ve titled “Mother Love”. I’m putting away some small pounds here and there to specifically use on gifts to myself in this time: a half hour post natal massage from someone who can come to my home, a Pedicure from a mobile manicurist, a private postnatal Yoga/Pilates session – things like that! It seems trite now, but I know that having money that I’ve specifically set aside for this won’t make me feel guilty about spending it (ie: I’m not stealing money from “the baby”) and also it commits me to spending it for this intention: yes – having your nails done is a superficial treat – but when you haven’t slept in 5 weeks (heaven help us) and you’re feeling like death-on-legs, perhaps having a bright pink pop of colour on your toes may just be the thing to brighten your spirits and make you feel a bit more like yourself! (If that’s your thing!)
One thing that I have thought which will be really lovely to offer a new mom as a postpartum or a baby-shower gift is a private postnatal yoga session. A friend of mine is due any day now and I created these vouchers to offer her in her postpartum journey.
If you are a yoga/pilates teacher specifically trained in pre and postnatal then I would so suggest offering this as a gift to new mothers if you can!
Postpartum movement sessions are very specific – your body has been through an INCREDIBLE thing! And it’s really important that you learn to reconnect and reintegrate the deeper layers of the core, before you start adding more load to a system that cannot handle it. So if you are a yoga teacher and you have not specifically trained in this way, I would steer clear of offering sessions to a new mother – as adding load to a system that cannot correctly manage it, can do more harm than good in the long run! I loved my training with Katy Appleton – which included a super fun baby-massage course and a lot of Pilates-type movements to really reintegrate and re-establish the deep core. (Katy is running an online version of this for those interested- so check her website for more info on dates)
I’ve created three vouchers for my friend which I’ve given to her: a “pelvic floor reconnection and deep core reintegration” session, a “diastasis recti management and rib cage realignment” session and a “neck and shoulder release with baby-massage” session as a way for her to do something for herself in this time.
If you’re a postnatal teacher and you’d like to offer this to your mama-to-be friends in their journey, you can grab a copy of my vouchers to print at home by popping your email address in below. The vouchers will be emailed to you!
If you’re a yoga teacher looking to get certified in pre/post natal training, do check out Katy’s course – linked above.