Should you try Kourtney Kardashian’s postpartum routine? Doula weighs
Just in time for Mother’s Day on Sunday, Kourtney Kardashian shared her postpartum recovery plan.
In a new post for her lifestyle site, Kardashian, 45, revealed that after welcoming son Rocky with Travis Barker in November, she has focused on self-care with fresh air, jazz music, warm food, dry hair and bodywork. And hot baths.
Kardashian has three other children — Mason, 14, Penelope, 11, and Reign, 9 — with ex-husband Scott Disick.
The mother-of-four was candid about her recent postpartum experience, as she reflected on the “pressure” women put on themselves to “bounce back”, saying she is trying to “be kind” to herself as her body “finds a new normal”.
Certified doula, holistic nurse, trained midwife, womb therapist, and mother of two, Nicole Love, compared Kardashian’s postpartum journey to “reconsidering who a woman is now.” She has just gone through such a big beginning and life process.
“Your body completely changes and the deep postpartum window varies from person to person depending on how they were born,” Love explained to The Post. “There’s a lot to be motivated for different people and there’s certainly no one-size-fits-all approach to recovery but I love the suggestions Courtney gives.”
Love explores Kardashian’s postpartum plan, offering practical (and affordable) ways to make it work.
Warm foods and dry hair
“In the beginning, it was all about eating warm, nutritious foods and keeping the hair dry and not going out,” Kardashian shared — a recipe that Love wholeheartedly backs up.
“Your body is in deep healing and repair mode and you want to keep it warm, and wet hair cools the body,” she explains to The Post. You want fresh foods, anything that has been frozen is no longer fresh. An innate part of postpartum care is that all foods should be warm and nourishing, but what nourishes varies from person to person.
Love points out that while the Kardashians can afford a chef to prepare postpartum meals, new mothers without those means can create a support train of friends to bring them fresh food as they adjust to their changing bodies and schedules.
Jazz
“I kept things very warm and nurturing at home like drinking different hot teas throughout the day and playing relaxing jazz,” Kardashian recalled as the soundtrack to her postpartum recovery.
Love encourages new mothers to listen to whatever sound calms them the most, “Different music has different hertz frequencies and different hertz frequencies have different healing frequencies. For me, it’s personal, whatever the music is is healing for you.”
Weekly Abhyanga ma*sage
Part of Kardashian’s postpartum recovery included weekly ma*sage sessions. “It’s nice for the mother to have an hour for herself, and the father can take some extra time to connect with the child,” she explained in “Bush.”
Love couldn’t agree more, “After birth, our bodies have been through a lot, so being touched and loved is very healing and also helps us re-enter our bodies. In the birth process, we go from virgin to mother, which is a profound integration. Even if This is your third or fourth child, it is still another beginning to bring life through your body.
Kardashian also sought out a type of ma*sage called abhyanga, which involves “custom oils made from herbs designed specifically” for her.
Love a*serts that ma*sage “is a practice of self-love. It will help the mother nourish her body and feel loved and supported. When the mother is loved and supported, the entire family is loved and supported.
Six weeks of isolation
Kardashian followed the advice of professionals and limited her socializing for the first 40 days after Rocky’s birth, a practice of privacy that Love supports.
“After giving birth, especially in the first six weeks after giving birth, you’re still firmly in the uterus,” Love said. “You need that time for everything to come back together. You’re still really open, and you need to shut down physically and energetically to feel that way.” [right] To go out in public.”
Limits of physical effort
Kardashian said she “did not run, jump, or do any jumping jacks or sit-ups for the first six months” after giving birth — a regimen of rest that Love supports.
“The body has just gone through a huge transformation and it’s good to be gentle with it when it starts to come back together,” Love advises. “Doing gentle exercises that remind your body how to get back together again is great,” Love advises.
While Kardashian was committed to taking it easy, she took a daily walk outdoors, a free and rejuvenating option for her postpartum body.
“Nature nurtures us, so being outside in the fresh air will help us heal,” Love explains.
Sitz bath soak
Kardashian’s nutritionist Leona West PKB recommends a soothing bath for postpartum discomfort that contains plant oils like lavender, coconut, and sweet almond, as well as herbaceous plants like calendula, comfrey, and yarrow.
This is a nice combination for healing, Love admits, noting that calendula and arnica are excellent options for treating wounds. She also recommends soaking in a black tea bath, because it’s affordable and the tannins it contains promote vaginal healing.
Ultimately, Love recommends creating a community prenatal support system for those who don’t have the means for a private chef or a weekly session with a ma*seuse.
“People can do beautiful rituals to honor the mother and celebrate who they are now,” she suggested. “Before birth, or at baby shower time, set up a care train, maybe bring food, maybe bring a foot bath, maybe donate some money to postpartum ma*sages.”
Ultimately, Love sees motherhood as a lifelong practice of self-care: “When you have children, you begin to heal your childhood through them in a way, by loving them the way you weren’t loved.”