invisible work

[Guest guest]

" Giving birth to supermom "

Despite this article's rather silly title, some interesting info. regarding

brain rewiring & cortisol levels in postpartum women.

http://tinyurl.com/avv6h

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Thanks for sharing, Ade - re brain rewiring & cortisol levels in

postpartum women. http://tinyurl.com/avv6h

 

Hmmm... it is not just about brain rewiring, it is about so much more!

This study opens doors to some beautiful discussions!

 

" Cortisol is known to many neurologists as a stress hormone -- in most

people, male or female, it accompanies depression. "

 

As I understood it, EXCESS cortisol levels burn the body's resources

out, leaving, among other things, a state of depletion of vitallity

and easily depressed.

 

" But during the first postpartum week, cortisol seems to correlate

with " attuned " (sympathetic) motherhood... "

 

I am given to understand that cortisol is both the fight or flight

hormone, and the balance hormone to excess HGH, kicking in routinely

between about 2 and 6 am (vata time of night in Ayurveda, liver time

of night in Chinese medicines). Raises some curiosity and

confirmations to the interpretation here, given this is often lighter

sleep, often easier to wake, and a natural vata dominant time of day.

 

In any case, a state of hopefully restful efficiency which creates

easy alertness after the early night's digestion and body cleansing.

Creating more efficient use of resources after the growth and

immune/hormonal transformations of the day supported by HGH levels

which peak around 1am (By the way, note Babies tend to wake for a very

long full feed around midnight or 1, then usually their longest sleep

stretch, resting from all that growing?).

 

" It's as if cortisol has a variety of roles -- a conclusion perfectly

consistent with the rest of human neurochemistry, whose molecules

constantly " moonlight " in wildly different jobs. Insulin, for example,

acts as both a hormone and an enzyme to metabolize blood sugar. "

 

Can anyone explain the " hormonal " function of insulin, for my education?

 

I love this moonlighting term! Certainly, this is a repeated theme in

both my studies of ayurvedic principles and what little I know about

hormones in western sense. The principle transfers also, by the way,

to the effect of many whole herbs and pure essential oils, which with

their many bioconstituents designed for protecting and enhancing the

health of the source plant itself, act similarly by moonlighting. Not

only In service to other life forms like human and animal, but also in

different roles in terms of function as well.

 

There is reported by Dr. Gary Young an apparent ability of these

molecules to intelligently help sort the functional need in the organism!

 

For instance, in most of pregnancy, (again, my caveat is organic

quality) clary sage oil serves to protect/support pregnant hormones,

yet close to term it enhances the delivery process in the mother's

body whan the baby is ready and is known by midwives as a uterine

contractant. For the rest of us also, it is known to be not only

generally estrogenic, but hormone balancing.

 

" Dr. Fleming asked new mothers, most so recently delivered that they

were still in hospital, to inhale a variety of odours. The women were

not told what they were being exposed to; the samples they smelled

were in containers that held no clue to the odours' source. . .

Besides a variety of control substances, she says, " we put in garments

from each mom's baby. We then recorded the 'hedonic rating' of the

smells -- the pleasure they gave to those inhaling them. Women with

higher cortisol levels were most attracted to the infant body odours.

Also, women who had the best ability to detect their own children by

smell also had the highest levels of cortisol in their blood. " "

 

This is fascinating, isn't it? But is the interpretation hedonic

correct? I wonder. In any case, cortisol has a mostly bad rap in my

studies so far, and this is great information.

 

" Dr. Fleming suggests that the cortisol found in new mothers may arise

from the physical stress of delivery. Then, by improving maternal

care, it solidifies the fledgling bond between mother and child.

Cortisol " tunes up the female brain's responses to the baby's cues, "

she concludes. "

 

What comes to my mind's logic is a less mental process. Maybe the

fight or flight stress hormonal response of the mother is transferred

as surrogate (well, of course, maternal protective) safety mechanisms

due to the intimately bonded awareness of her infant still as a part

of her own being.

 

This is a piece of the postpartum kayakalpa " window " discussion, when

the changes in the body, all tissues and systems, are guided by the

heart. All tissues and systems are wide open, in a state of

transition, and programmed for total reset from the most intimate

ability to be alert, aware, and in service to our newborn. So the

heart naturally has the opportunity to grow in both service to another

human being, and spiritual connectedness by virtue of the deeply

enhanced awareness at such intimate/all levels more available of one's

mind/body/emotions with our babies.

 

This intimacy transforms from physically together during pregnancy to

physically separate and naturally stressed/exhausted. Yet the heart

still vibrates (can, wants to, is habituated to serve!) in unison,

which is demonstrated powerfully by the experience midwife Robin Lim

shared with me, of a lotus birth when the still connected placenta

pulsed with life as the baby nursed (until the baby herself was the

one that kicked " free " " when ready " ).

 

This unison is felt by most mothers in the deep bonding discussed by

many resources, which transcends personal bodily postpartum extreme

stressors and serves from very deeply committed, automatic and

attentive purpose. Mothers are guided without effort by the

subtleties of awareness, natural commitment of the body, and bliss of

sharing in the innocence and purity at this time. This is in such

contrast to the hardness of both physiology and emotions in the usual

conditions of elevated cortisol.

 

This is why the Ayurvedic protocols for care of the postpartum mother

are so nourishing and intimately protective of maternal rejuvenation!

This INVISIBLE WORK, as Adrienne has wisely pointed out after reading

this article and studying AyurDoula care, has to help reverse cortisol

in early postpartum because the woman is so EXHAUSTED from the natural

stressor of tremendous bodily transformation, but needs and is driven

to continue to protect her baby's LIFE until other resources are more

comfortablly available.

 

Mother the Mothers! explained? Perhaps manifesting worse in

" modernized " culture around the world, where the only time-tested

traditions have been forgotten, mothers will continue to override our

own life needs. Overshadowed as we become in the natural desire and

need to serve, depression then is part of the very common results.

 

The dynamics of transformation is fascinating, and with ayurveda, a

very well explained process. The variations on a woman's condition

and factors ifluencing effectiveness of her invisible work can also

very intimately be understood in the ayurvedic model. This offers the

health practitioner training tremendous ability to support your client

with even very simple ways, and great results.

 

Depression can dissappear VERY quickly; this is my experience with

many clients, even while restful alertness, loving behavious and

growth of maternal skills in general manifests.

 

These results occur if the client is willing to follow and recieve the

protocols of care. Please note I do not gain anything financial from

listing the AyurDoulas on my website. Even without an " AyurDoula "

closeby, so much benefit can come from Ayurvedic guidance. Readers

might like at this point to continue the train of thought and see many

ways how a woman can gain " care from a distance " at

www.sacredwindow.com/Care.html.

 

Ysha