“Sitting the Month”, Honoring the First 40 Days of Postpartum with Dr. Lily Yu Gillespie

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the first 40 days after birth is honored by “sitting the month.” It’s a time of confinement and healing believed to be crucial to the future health of the new parent and newborn. I first heard about this tradition from one of my students and was immediately intrigued. As a person who barely waited 10 days to resume life, the idea of hunkering down, resting, being cared for by family or other support people sounded foreign and inviting. I wanted to learn more about this ancient custom.  In this episode of Yoga| Birth|Babies, I speak with Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, licensed and board-certified acupuncturist and clinical herbalist, Dr. Lily Yu Gillespie. Lily shares her own hesitation to “sit the month” after her first birth and how some of the methods like binding helped repair her pelvic organ prolapse. Lily also explains the value of warmth, steam, and herbal food or medicinal food can play in healing from the ordeal of birth. This conversation offers a different perspective from the “get up and go” mentality of American postpartum. Support Our Sponsors: Take the guesswork out of your child’s play! www.lovevery.com/YBB and get FREE shipping when you sign up to receive your Play Kits! Get the most out of each episode by checking out the show notes with links, resources and other related podcasts at: prenatalyogacenter.com  If you love what you’ve been listening to, please leave a rating and review! Yoga| Birth|Babies To connect with Deb and the PYC Community:  Instagram & Facebook: @prenatalyogacenter Youtube: Prenatal Yoga Center Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices