Healing Your Body Naturally After Childbirth: The New Mom’s Guide To Navigating The Fourth Trimester wasn’t a straight up ‘thyroid book’, but did touch on the importance of thyroid health as well as the many other related facets of having thyroid disease, when you’re recovering from childbirth.
After all, many women develop a thyroid condition or are diagnosed with one, following pregnancy, as it can cause it to trigger or ‘ramp up’.
As a naturopathic doctor, Dr. Brighten looks are ‘natural treatments’ such as diet, herbal remedies, herbal creams and products you can make at home, as well as signposting you to further support (as often, complimentary medicine is best paired with mainstream medicine). Those looking for a holistic guide about supporting their mind and body after childbirth would find this book interesting. The aim is get your body recovering smoothly and without delay.
I may reference back to this book and what I’ve learnt from it throughout my blog posts.
I read this book whilst in my second trimester, in order to prepare myself as much as possible following the birth of my first child, especially since I have the health conditions Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and hypothyroidism. In the past, I have also suffered with adrenal dysfunction, gut issues and sex hormone imbalances (which have all been part of that big thyroid jigsaw puzzle), and I knew that these could resurface following pregnancy and birth. I picked this book to learn about how I could support my endocrine health following birth.
Related Article: 9 Ways I Supported My Thyroid Health Postpartum
Dr. Brighten is a naturopathic doctor who experienced going quite sometime undiagnosed of a thyroid condition following the birth of her son. Because of this, she’s clearly very passionate about making sure other women don’t go undiagnosed either, which can really leave them feeling more unwell than they need to, in the first few months of parenthood.
She calls these first few months of your new life as a parent ‘The Fourth Trimester’. She feels they are just as important as the nine months we carry the child for. There is a chapter on supporting your body through breastfeeding, especially as women with underlying hormonal issues such as thyroid disease can struggle with milk supply and feeding, as well as with infections. Another chapter looks at supporting the healing of your vagina and sexual organs following delivery, though the focus really is on vaginal birth and caesareans aren’t really touched on.
Some good information on how to correctly perform kegel exercises and why they are important is included. I find that information online can be really contradictory but this was clear.
Sex, libido and intimacy with your partner are also covered, though I was surprised it was such a short chapter. Nether the less, sharing this information with your partner could really help when you’re navigating the changes in your relationship and sex life, following a new baby.
An important chapter on mood and mental health discussed the different between ‘the baby blues’ and depression, as well as recommending that any women struggling with their mental health following a birth check their thyroid function, which is something I also advocate for. Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism are triggered by pregnancy and birth in a lot of cases, after all. This chapter was halfway through the book and it was at this point that I started to get in to the book much more.
Throughout the book, case studies and personal stories from Dr. Brighten’s patients are dotted throughout, providing reassurance for many new mothers.
I liked the list of recommend postpartum tests that were included, as Dr. Brighten recommends that all women have thorough testing following birth. She included information on thyroid testing, adrenal testing, vitamin and mineral levels and more.
Information regarding what to have tested for thyroid and adrenal issues following childbirth is provided, as well as thyroid medication options and supplements to support your thyroid health. Guidance on how to support your adrenal health and overcome adrenal dysfunction is also given.
I liked one of the final chapters ‘Mama Self Care’, which honed in on how we also have to look after ourselves and how we can make time for this each and every day. Natural remedies to increase your energy levels as a tired new mother were detailed, including exercises, supplements, self-care suggestions and more. Dr. Brighten thoughtfully included recipes for homemade teas, meals and snacks, body scrubs, body washes to support healing and more. Most use pretty simple ingredients that you shouldn’t find difficult to get a hold of. It might be easier to make these up ahead of time though, perhaps before your baby is here.
I appreciated that Dr. Brighten agrees with my thoughts on new mothers prioritising fuelling their bodies and looking after themselves over dieting and focusing on weight loss straight away. As she explains, focusing on weight loss by restricting calories for example or forcing yourself back in to heavy exercise, can compromise your bodies ability to heal and recovery following pregnancy and birth, as well breastmilk supply, response to stress, and can even encourage adrenal dysfunction and poor mental health.
Overall, I found the first half of this book to feel a little slow and not offer me anything new, but the second half felt more touching and sincere. Chapters could have been more detailed and I felt there was probably a lot more that could have been addressed, including supporting yourself through sleepless nights or lack of sleep, recovering from caesarean births, getting back in to gentle exercise following birth etc. It is a quick and easy read however, and a convenient size for slipping in to your bag or reading whilst feeding your baby. It’s a good place to start and is written in a very warm tone. It’s not a heavy read if you’re a sleep deprived new parent either!
You can get a copy of this book from Amazon on the link below.
See also:
The book: Thyroid Superhero: A Kid’s Guide To Understanding Their Grown-up’s Hypothyroidism, which helps children to understand their caregiver’s thyroid medication, flare days, symptoms and much more. Add it to their bookshelf today.
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