By Lee Sung-hun
Traditionally, Koreans have put great emphasis on postpartum care for mothers.
It is not uncommon to hear women who complain of illnesses they have developed during the postpartum months because of the lack of care even decades afterwards.
Customarily, postpartum mothers were given thick clothing and blankets to keep the body warm and they were even advised against washing with cold water or going out in cold weather.
Expats living in Korea may have heard of this practice and wondered about it.
It is intended to protect the new mother’s body and prevent cold-qi from entering it because delivering a baby is so taxing that it uses up a lot of qi and blood.
Improper postpartum care may result in what Traditional Korean Medicine refers to as “san-hu-pung” that can be translated to postpartum-wind (PPW).
PPW is a condition that does not exist in Western Medicine but is explained in Traditional Korean Medicine.
Most common symptoms of PPW include joint pain in the wrists, knees, shoulders and ankles. The pain tends to worsen with bad weather or cold surroundings.
Other minor PPW symptoms can include anxiety, depression, sleep disorder and digestive tract issues such as diarrhea, constipation, and nausea.
To prevent developing PPW symptoms, providing proper care during the four to six weeks immediately following delivery is crucial as it is this period when the new mother’s body physiologically “returns” to its pre-delivery state.
There are four major points of concern for postpartum care mentioned in Traditional Medicine and they are as follows.
First is taking Hanyak medication to aid discharging of the “iochia,” the contraction of the uterus and the recovery of the perineum.
The general aim of this treatment process is to remove “blood stasis” from the body. Hanyak medication is prescribed to commence once the mother starts eating solid meals after delivery, and usually lasts for two weeks.
Once this step of blood stasis removal is completed, it is time to replenish the spent qi and blood.
During delivery, the mother’s body naturally loses blood and the strain of it can test the mother’s stamina, spending her energy and qi.
Therefore, a different type of Hanyak medication is prescribed to replenish both qi and blood.
These first 2 steps are the most crucial part of postpartum care for the mother, but many hesitate to take Hanyak medications either because they do not recognize the importance at the time, or they are concerned about taking any kind of medication when they intend to breastfeed their babies.
To dispel any concerns from breastfeeding mothers, Hanyak medication is safe to take when breastfeeding.
The prescriptions for postpartum period is pre-determined with specific ingredients that have been used for centuries.
There have also been modern studies on the different types of Hanyak medications prescribed during the postpartum period.
Such studies showed that in most cases the active component from Hanyak ingredients were not detected in the breast milk from those mothers who took them, and even when detected the amounts were too miniscule to have any effects on the baby.
The third step of postpartum care aims to aid weight management for the new mother.
After the delivery, the body sheds the excess weight it gained during pregnancy over a certain period.
Although all mothers wish that their weight returns to pre-pregnancy level quickly and naturally, there are many who have problems with losing any significant weight at all.
Weight management program should only begin once the mother has regained her health, which in most cases is about nine to 12 weeks after delivery.
However, caring for a newborn is at times all-consuming and taking out time for exercises can be very difficult.
When feeling exhausted all the time, sticking to a weight loss diet plan is also difficult as well.
For the new mothers who find it hard to bring the weight back down, Traditional medicine can aid with Hanyak, acupuncture and pharmacopuncture treatments.
Forth step involves managing the physical shape of the body.
During pregnancy, the mother’s body undergoes several major changes such as the belly rounding up and lumbar spine accommodating the extra weight.
Nearing the delivery, the body naturally produces hormones called “relaxin” that relaxes our body and stretches the muscles and tendons.
Unless properly recovered, such physical changes can result in back and pelvic pains. Chuna-chiropractic, acupuncture and cupping treatments can be employed to aid the overall recovery of the mother’s body shape.
Through such four-pronged care, Traditional Korean medicine can provide a comprehensive postpartum care for the new mother so that she can recover her health and physique.
The writer practices Oriental medicine at the UN Oriental Medical Clinic in Hannam-dong, Seoul.