Lay the fuck down.
rest and why you need it.
we live in a world dominated by expectation and productivity. it doesn’t matter that you busy making a baby, growing a baby or feeding a baby, they still want you to go, go and go.
this has not always been the case, but this is the reality of a patriarchal system.
what I’m here to say is that rest is needed, it is not a luxury, it is necessary. it is fundamental in our ability to be, to create, to exist.
as a woman we move through an ever flowing cycle, following the moon in her orbit,
we change and shift, we expand and contract,
we are born and we die, over and over again, following a very magical and very specific cycle of hormonal change.
With this cycle as is the natural cycle of all seasons, rest is fundamental.
So lets take a look into the post-birth bubble, a potent space of otherworldly energies, a space where love is comlpletly tangible and the oxytocin is flowing through the room. Birth cracks us wide open, physically and energetically, we as woman experience something profound and really impossibly amazing.
The physiology of birth takes so much energy from our systems, it changes and rewires us, and as with any major transformation requires time to reset, to land and gather ourselves. Rest allows us a quiet space to settle the energies after birth, it gives a window of time to recalibrate, to debrief and to capture the full potency of the experience. Postpartum rest allows us to bond with our babies, establish breastfeeding and get to know the unique blueprint of the child we now hold. With proper rest in postpartum comes a flood of beneficial outcomes.
Why is rest important?
Supports the nervous system
Enables healthy milk production
Reduces risk of haemorrhage and infection
Reduces incidence of prolapse
Reduces pain and inflammation
Improve energy and mood
Increase bonding with baby
What does rest look like?
Traditionally cultures have created a sacred window of time around the birth to hold and anchor a woman in the beautiful healing energies and support of her community. This time may be 40 days, 30 days or 28 days (a lunar cycle). This time specifically gives a woman space to prioritise rest.
Rest is sleep, rest is laying down, rest is reading or meditating or watching a movie. Rest is intentional to time stop. To breathe, to stretch, to be massage. Rest is vital.
An additional layer to rest, is the 5:5:5 method, which begins immediately after birth and encourages a woman to spend:
five days IN bed
five days ON bed
five days AROUND bed
This practise ensures adequate rest is achieved. Think about other ways that you may provide deeper rest for yourself, how minimising phone use and/or reducing visitors in this time will support your nervous system to be more regulated.
The more we allow ourselves the rest we need, the more we can show up when we need to.
Allow yourself this special time, surrender and encourage your friends to do the same.
