Babies Worldwide

In the first trimester of pregnancy as many as 15% of women may suffer mental and emotional problems, although only a third of these will have had any previous psychiatric history. During the second and third trimester the number drops to 5%. The risk of mental illness is known to increase again significantly during the post-natal period.

In the first weeks after the birth of a baby, most women experience sudden changes in their emotions. One minute you are on top of the world, the next upset or tearful for no apparent reason.

Up to four out of five women experience this type of mood change in the few weeks after their baby’s birth. This is often called ‘baby blues’. It doesn’t last long and usually goes away after a few days.

A small number of women, however, have feelings of depression which are more severe. This condition affects not only the mother, but also her relationships with her baby, her partner, other family members and friends. The effects of this disorder are so strong that they can be overwhelming. This is known as post natal depression.

To explain post-natal depression from a Chinese Medicine perspective involves an understanding of the importance of the Heart and Blood and how they relate to emotions. When it comes to any emotional disturbance the Heart is considered to be the most important of all the internal organs. In Chinese Medicine the Heart’s main functions are to govern Blood and blood vessels and to house the mind. As in Western medicine, the Heart is responsible for circulation of Blood. The Lungs, Spleen and Liver also play an important role in this function as together they all provide not only the energy to produce the blood but the Qi (pronounced chee) needed to move blood through the vessels.

According to Chinese medicine, mental activity and consciousness ‘reside’ in the Heart. This means that the state of the Heart (and Blood) will affect the mental activities including the emotional state. If the Heart is strong and Blood abundant, there will be normal mental activity, a balanced emotional life, a clear consciousness, a good memory, clear thinking and good sleep. If the Heart is weak and Blood deficient there may be depression, dull thinking and insomnia.

The exertion and loss of blood occurring at childbirth inevitably induce a state of Blood deficiency. Since the Heart governs the Blood, Heart-Blood becomes deficient, the mind has no residence and it becomes depressed and anxious. This causes a state of depression, mild anxiety, insomnia and fatigue. On a mental level the mother feels unable to cope, she is tearful, she loses libido, and she may feel angry or guilty.

The degree to which a woman suffers from ‘Baby blues’ and post-natal depression depends on her constitution as well as how adequately she rests and replenishes lost Qi and blood after childbirth.

In today’s society it is often difficult to find the support for new mothers to have adequate rest after childbirth. Where possible it is advised to rest when the baby is sleeping. This may involve the use of relaxation or meditation CD’s which can leave the mother feeling rejuvenated. Dietary therapy is important as the use of foods and herbs can provide nourishment needed to replenish lost blood and Qi.

Herbs are by far the quickest way to restore much needed sources of Qi and Blood. One of the common ways to use tonic herbs in China is cooking them in the form of a soup along with chicken. This is because chicken is thought to bring out and enhance the tonifying and nourishing aspects of the herbs. Chicken also promotes lactation.

Ingredients:
1 whole organic chicken (or 500g of Tofu for vegetarians)
2 cups short grain/ Japanese sushi style rice
1 bay leaf
Sea salt
2 slices of fresh ginger
2 cloves of garlic
Fresh vegetables (carrot, celery, zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms etc)
Soy sauce (or miso paste)
Sesame oil
White wine (or mild vinegar)
Chinese herbs- Dang Gui and Dang Shen (to replenish Qi and blood)
To make the soup, use a whole organic chicken (best with bones included) with the skin removed. Fill the entire chicken cavity with rice. Place the chicken in a medium sized pot and fill with water so that the waterline is approximately 10cm above the top of the chicken. Add a bay leaf and some sea salt. Bring to the boil then turn down to medium low so that the water is boiling gently. Remove any residue that floats to the top at that time. Add the herbs, 2 cloves of crushed or grated garlic and 2 thin slices of fresh ginger (the amount of garlic, ginger, and salt can be adjusted to your taste; these amounts are for a mild flavoring). Continue cooking for 2 hours or until the chicken and rice are well cooked.
Add sliced fresh vegetables, such as carrots and celery (for a more warming effect, use green onions), and various greens and squashes at this time and simmer again for an additional 5-10 minutes to soften them. Then add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon of wine (or mild vinegar). Remove from heat. All the herb materials are edible.
To serve an individual serving, cut a piece of chicken and place it in a bowl with some of the rice and some soup.

Vegetarian Alternative: Cook the herbs together as above but without chicken; when adding the vegetables, also add 500g of tofu as a protein source. If desired; just before removing from heat, blend in four tablespoons of miso paste (or more to taste) in place of the tablespoon of soy sauce.

Other Blood and Qi- rich foods include:

Black boned chicken (found at any butcher in China Town)
Beef
Lamb
Eggs
Offal (Liver, heart, kidney etc)
Plum
Black Grapes or Black Grape Juice
Tomato
Cherry
Yam
Chinese vege (All)
Beetroot
Kidney beans
Black beans
Ginger
Spinach
Black Soya Bean
Lotus seed

Tags: Postnatal Depression

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 8th, 2009 at 8:00 am and is filed under Womens Issues. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.