My Integrative Postpartum Care
I’ve just embarked on a course of proactive healthcare for the first time in my life with a pelvic floor physio, chiropractor, naturopath and therapist.
I have been using nutrition, supplementation and essential oils to support myself for 6 years and have made strides in my overall physical and emotional well being. But since having Charlie, things just feel off. I don’t have a ton of super specific symptoms but I know myself well enough to know I am not at my best. For the first year or so after having Charlie, I just wrote things off as “normal” postpartum stuff - weight gain, low energy/fatigue, aches and pains. Now that we’re approaching the 18 month mark, it is evident things are not as the should be.
It can be hard as a new mom to really open up and share your experiences with motherhood and postpartum recovery because it can open the door to unsolicited advice, judgement, shame and so much more if you are not in the right company. Thankfully, I have met some amazing women in Singapore who have listened to me, shared their experiences and gently nudged me into my own research.
Nick and I sat down about a month ago and talked about our plans to grow our family. We discussed what I could be doing now to feel my best before taking on another pregnancy. Getting pregnant again is still a ways off and I am still breastfeeding Charlie but I can see this little window approaching where I will not be growing or feeding a baby. I can actually focus on myself and making myself feel my best.
First, I had to get clear on the things I want to focus on:
Physical Health and Fitness:
It became evident in the past 3 months that I may have sustained more birth injuries than I originally thought. I have also realized my upper back pain is a consistent tingle that just isn’t normal. I want to feel strong again but also want to make sure I regain my strength in a careful and cautious way.
I also want to prepare my body physically to carry another pregnancy.
Hormones:
I had to take progesterone for the first 10 weeks of my pregnancy with Charlie. I am convinced it is what made me so sick. I threw up daily until 14 weeks and then every other day until 22 weeks. I want to avoid artificial hormones in a my second pregnancy.
I am going through the weaning process with Charlie, slowly but surely, and I know my hormones are still a bit wonky from pregnancy and breastfeeding. I am hoping to address this shift back to “normal” and get it as close to “normal” as possible.
Emotional Health:
I have shared in the past that I have struggled with anxiety and depression. I also struggled with postpartum depression. Between 2009 and 2012, I tried 6 different medications before landing on one that was only okay for me. I had horrible side effects and did not like being on them. I whole-heartedly believe in medications and they have helped me at times in my life when I really, really needed them but I don’t like myself on them. I weaned off of them in 2015 with the help of my doctor and I would love to find a way to support my emotional health naturally beyond what I already do.
All of these things existed when Charlie was born 18 months ago and, honestly, cost was a big factor in not diving into all this back in 2019. We paid out of pocket for Charlie’s birth and also had all the new baby expenses. The idea of taking on a financial burden for my own care just wasn’t a priority. Being a mom is all about sacrificing yourself, right … ?
I hit a really low low at the end of October 2019. That’s when we decided to hire Jenny to help with Charlie. When she started in December it was like a veil was lifted. I was in so deep and hadn’t even realized it. Emotionally, sharing the burden of caring for Charlie and the household made a huge difference. We settled into our new routine and then two and half months later, Covid shut down our lives.
My emotional health, thankfully, stayed ok. It was my physical health that really started to wear on me. It was obvious I was not in a good place. The reality that Charlie was now over a year old and I was still feeling like I was a brand new mom didn’t feel right. I felt (and still feel) foreign in my body.
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
The first type of care I landed on was pelvic floor physical therapy at Physio Down Under. This was something that was talked about in my antenatal class, among my mom friends and in almost postpartum support group I followed on Instagram and Facebook.
I had a major financial block here and just assumed it would be out of pocket and could not justify the cost. I also had such an “easy” delivery, minimal internal tearing, I don’t pee when I laugh, sneeze or jump so I assumed all was ok. About three months ago, I realized that everything wasn’t as ok as I had thought. I’ll spare you the details here but I had a moment when I knew I needed to dig into this and figure out how to make pelvic floor physio a reality.
I’m embarrassed to say that putting this off was me being in my own way. All it took was a simple call to my insurance for them to clarify that I could get up to $3500 in physio covered as long as I had a referral letter from my GP. I could have done this 18 months ago and only be on the line for a $30 co-pay for a GP visit. But better late than never - I have my first appointment on Friday.
Chiropractic Care
In that same phone call, I learned that chiropractic care was also covered up to $3500 with a GP referral. I started seeing a chiropractor for the first time when I was about 32 weeks pregnant and I am convinced it is what helped me have a drug-free, water brith so I was already a big believer in the benefits. Fun fact - Charlie had his first adjustment at just 4 days old!
I kept seeing a chiropractor after Charlie was born and had been paying out of pocket the entire time. I wasn’t on any sort of care plan, just going once every 4-6 weeks to one of the three chiropractors I knew and worked with in Singapore.
Then Nick started working with our friends, Erin and Ryan, from Lion City Chiropractic in July and had x-rays done. It was eye opening seeing what was going on with his spine and they landed on doing corrective care for him. Once I knew I could get this covered as well, I wanted to get x-rays done. I had them done yesterday and will also be starting a course of corrective care (two visits a week for four months) this weekend. Fixing the subluxation in my neck will have a full body effect on my well being. Stay tuned for more on this!
Naturopathic Care and Therapy
The two final pieces of my wellness puzzle (for now) are balancing my hormones and getting on top of my emotional health. After a lot of discussions with my friend, Kristen, and some of my own research, I landed on seeing a highly recommended naturopath who also has a degree in psychotherapy.
Dr. Sigrid Grobys works from a few locations in Singapore but I am seeing her at Como Shambhala in Orchard. A naturopath is a doctor who helps people with health goals through dietary interventions, herbs and supplements. Add in the degree in psychotherapy and I knew she was the one who could help me get a handle on my hormonal health and, hopefully, my emotional wellbeing.
We had our first consultation last week, which included a 75-minute discussion on why I was seeking her help, a dive into my medical history, questions about my diet, stress levels and more. I have never had a doctor ask such thorough questions, type notes so ferociously and pay that much attention to every single thing I was saying. At the end of our discussion and after many, many tears on my end, she decided to treat me for burn out with special attention to adrenal fatigue. Her “prescriptions” were to start three new supplements to address my adrenals, anxiety and sleep and to start seeing a therapist again. We are also going to do the IgG Food Sensitivity test so I can get to the bottom of some food sensitivities I have suspected for years.
Thankfully, the final practitioner I needed was an easy one. I got connected to an amazing therapist in December 2018 to help me work through the grief of losing my father and the unknowns of having a baby in a brand new place. We created a great rapport but I stopped seeing her just before Charlie was born because my package ran out and, again, finances. We start up with sessions next week.
This will likely be a painful process where things get messier before they get better but I am so grateful I have Nick’s full support and it feels empowering to finally make my well-being a priority. I promise to share this journey openly and share the things I learn along the way and, as always, I will answer any questions you may have.
