MY POSTPARTUM STORY + HORMONE SUPPORT
To the mama who just doesn’t feel quite like herself these days. I wrote this for you…
You most likely found this post because a friend who loves you sent you here + you are either about to have a baby (so GLAD you will have this info pre-baby!) or you already have a sweet lil love or 2 or 7 ;-)- if you are in the 2nd category, tell me- after your sweet baby was born, did the Dr. send you home with your tiny bundle and that was pretty much it? Good bye & good luck!? (maybe you got a pat on the back or a hug cuz a lot of nurses are amazing, maybe a lil lactation support… but maybe not) or maybe you had a wonderful midwifery or home birth or a crazy tough midwifery or home birth- one thing is for sure, birth trauma is real and even in the best of births, it can surface some stuff)
Maybe you had a check up at 6 weeks to make sure your who-ha or your c-section scar was healing up… but did the subject of hormones come up? + how to support them post baby?
Too often i hear that women have the baby blues, postpartum depression, fatigue (much more than the typical fatigue of lack of sleep because ummm well, newborn stage) .. and typically what i hear is that anti-depressants were prescribed.. which in most situations, is really not helpful in the long run.
The bottom line is that women are not adequately supported after giving birth on so many levels, one of which is hormone support.
I’ve been there and it was freakin hard! There are still hard days doing this motherhood gig, but having better tools has made all the difference. You are worth knowing about these tools sweet friend + while they are not a cure all, i wish i would have known about them before having my firstborn so i could have avoided so much struggle.
I’m so glad you’re here no matter what stage you are in, there is hope!
After my birth + post birth experiences w/ our first babe- Charlie Belle, i have such a heart to support mamas, especially in the postpartum time. <3
This post is a bit long cuz it is chock full of hormone supporting info,
This is my story and references of the books where i got most of my info from, i hope it is a blessing to you.
<3, Lisa
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Ok, here goes, let’s break it down shall we?
This gets a lil personal- but i’m a big believer in sharing our stories- bc if we don’t, we may not help those who need it most....Feel free to reach out anytime mama.
We’re in this together.
Becoming a mommy can be extra hard for some. I mean, i think every mama experiences some version of her hard, even if it is just the massive adjustment of now having a tiny person completely dependent on you, FOR oh @ least the next 18 years, NBD ;-) but some women experience some extra crazy sh*t and it is gnarly to say the least. Thanks hormones.
After I had Charleston, aka Charlie Belle (my now 4 1/2 year old), sure on the outside it may have all looked good but I was really struggling...
horrible thoughts, sad for no reason, feeling off, wanting to be loving motherhood, but having a tough time on the inside. I just stuffed it down- i’d gotten good at that.
40 weeks- feeling great because the end was near!
Charlie + i had a tough pregnancy too, so I was focused so much on nutrition that I completely neglected these silly hormones. I honestly don’t think i had even realized just how bad it had gotten, being in survival mode, learning all the new things, lack of sleep, for us- breastfeeding, recovering from a unexpected midwifery to hospital transfer c-section, i fell into a fog.
It wasn’t until we were on a trip to England for Tom’s work, where Charlie + i were alone on the top of a very high building- bc hello, we were in England and having tea with my 4 month old baby girl while seeing a great view of the city sounded all sorts of lovely - until we were up there + all that kept going through my head was me throwing her off of the building.
Now before you go and report me, this is all too common an experience for new moms and it’s not talked about enough, because most of us are mortified to share this side of postpartum.
I pictured it all friends + i was horrified.
4 month old Charlie Belle- i can so clearly see now behind these eyes that i was so not okay!
I immediately left my almost completely untouched full english tea and paid as fast as i could and made a bee line to the elevator and got the hell down from that building! and then i sobbed my heart out on some random street in Leeds w/ Charlie sitting so sweetly in her stroller. I was a terrible mother… there was no other way to put it, i was clearly not cut out for this and I started to spiral. Shame spiral anyone? Shout out to Brene Brown for putting words to this all too common phenomenon.
Thankfully these tears were a huge release that i had needed + the thoughts were a wake up call that i seriously needed help + couldn’t ignore these thoughts anymore. So began my search to find answers to why and how i could possibly feel this way.
(if you are reading this and your experience wasn’t this extreme - that’s amazing, but my guess is you still need some extra support)
Let’s break it down a lil further…
When we are pregnant, if it is a healthy pregnancy, our progesterone levels rise and stay higher throughout our pregnancy and start to drop around 36-38 weeks pregnant (some women are prescribed synthetic progesterone if they have had prior miscarriages to be able to carry a child to term… this synthetic form of progesterone does not come without side effects which can be avoided in most cases by choosing a bio-identical form of progesterone to support the bodies production of progesterone) - YES there are other options that our traditional Dr.’s just flat out don’t know about because it is not in their education (why not? is a GREAT question… more on that in another blog post ;-))
Then as a woman nears delivery and baby & placenta are born, our progesterone levels naturally drop, which can lead to all sorts of issues…
Even women who are not pregnant experience dips in their progesterone levels before ovulation (anyone been bitchy for seemingly no reason near the middle of your cycle?… yea me neither ;-)
WHY is this not talked about more!?… well i’m here to change that.
…we have lots of gorgeous rainbow baby stories, healthy pregnancies and great postpartum experiences in our Living Life Oily family just by using what i like to call my happy serum…
Progessence plus!
She seriously deserves a moment of silence.
Ok, we’re back.
So what is this Unicorn tear serum that is more affectionately called “Pro-Plus?”
First, we must talk about what progesterone is…
Progesterone is a happy hormone… so low progesterone can be related to any of these issues:
PMS (average menopause is age 51)
Headaches, especially bad migraine headaches
Endometriosis - progesterone resistance
Hot flashes - low progesterone levels
Day & night sweats
TMJ disorders
Insomnia Demyelination which leads to neuropathies (covering of the nerves)
Lack of Libido
Hair Loss
Increased Acne
Progesterone production decreases over time & tends to drop more so after childbirth for many women.
When it drops too low our sex drive disappears too. not cool!
*Most physicians believe these symptoms are caused by a lack of estrogen. Most physicians are wrong. It’s low progesterone.
This is a problem, because this is a hormone that our body needs in adequate amounts for our Libido & overall wellness.
When i started reaching out to trusted friends after my wake up call, it had been about 8 months since i had gotten an account with Young Living Essential oils and i had loved how the oils had helped in my pregnancy and birth, so the first person i reached out to was one of my crazy oil lady friends in our network who just so happened to be a nurse w/ her own powerful progessence plus story and she asked if i had heard of Progessence Plus or Endoflex for postpartum support.
I immediately ordered them because I was so desperate.
They helped + the almost immediate transformation in my whole outlook on life shocked me.
I truly felt just how bad i had gotten. Putting Endoflex over my thyroid felt like drinking a cup of coffee, that’s how bad my thyroid was screaming for help! + putting on Pro Plus on my neck and forearms felt like a dear friend giving you a hug and telling you everything was gonna be okay and this fog i had been in began to lift in a big way.
I also used to be plagued by migraines + crazy painful periods- no longer.
Amazing how bringing balance to our body makes us happier people all around. Go figure .
I don't know any woman who has not been extremely blessed by this serum, from teens all the way to women in their 80’s. Oh and it helps with sleep too. SCORE! (if you can get that kiddo to sleep of course… more on helping kids sleep over here)
If you are like, i’ve heard enough, how do i get the goods, go here
The next part is my backstory of how i got started using Young Living oils and diving into understanding natural health & how the body works + getting my body back into balance.
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I was soooo sick throughout most of Charlie’s pregnancy.. calling it morning sickness is such a sick joke cuz it was allll day and i wasn’t able to stomach anything.
I lived off of toast and bone broth and that one.. or was it 7 ? times i ate a Mcdonald’s big mac + coke cuz it was the only thing that sounded good or that i could stomach. ;-P
Not once did i hear any mention of gut health or nutrition to support this time from my Dr… just the offer of nausea medication, these lollipops that didn’t help and old wives tale tricks (some of which totally helped a lil- thank you sis for the suggestion of cold water on my wrists!) but most didn’t touch it.
And on top of this, the fantastic hormonal migraine headaches that knocked me out flat for 3 days at a time and happened every other week for a few months.. that was fun. oh and did i mention that we had just gotten married and moved back to CA from England only a few months prior!? Talk about emotional roller coaster.
Enter Young Living’s Peppermint EO & my love affair w/ oils began, but it wasn’t until i had that horrifying experience i described above where terrible thoughts were plaguing my mind & i had thoughts of harming my own child (literally my mind was going cookoo bc my hormones were not in a good place) that i heard about Progessence Plus & Endoflex + i became even more grateful that i had learned about oils and found this community!
So you’re here because want more balance, right? We all do.
We balance home life & work life, proteins & carbs... it's all a balancing act...
Who doesn't want more balance?
These 2 have become my dream team, non-negotiable oils that i do not run out of!
Endoflex + Pro Plus - we’ve already talked a lil about pro plus, but the back story is pretty rad and these 2 together really make me feel as if I can handle this balancing act called life!
Endoflex- Thyroid/Endocrine support aka energy + adrenal support (the first organ that gets shot when we are stressed or lack sleep- hello mom life!) &
Progessence Plus- hormonal balancing goodness (designed by Dr. Dan Purser who specializes in women's hormonal issues)
*When Dr. Dan Purser tested thousands of women who @ the 2013 Young Living convention, almost all of them had low progesterone levels- 95%!!! That’s nuts! + means most women are in fact progesterone deficient.
Some of the best minds in medicine helped to formulate this product.
Progessence Plus® is what we call a highly micronized bio-identical (human) progesterone in that it has a natural Vitamin E base with a set of special essential oils like frankincense, copaiba, and sandalwood. The base of essential oils enhance the absorption through the skin and has wonderfully calming benefit as well. The response and enthusiasm for this product when it made it’s debut in 2010 has been phenomenal.
I hope my story brings you hope that better options are out there & you are not alone.
Our Living Life Oily tribe has been the best thing for me in motherhood… other mamas & community who want support and better options for themselves and their babies.
If you are looking for a tribe of empowered women, we would love to have you.
Here is even more info below from resources that i love + where i pulled a lot of my info on Progessence plus, endoflex & 3 books that i love.
If you’d like me to send you an email with photos of the info from my fav books, shoot me an email here: LivingLifeOily1@gmail.com
Cheers to happy hormones & less stressed mamas!
Notes & FAQ from Dr. Dan Purser:
7th Edition Essential Oils Desk Reference (the oily bible on crack! it has all the supplement information & covers all aspects of health)
https://www.discoverlsp.com/7th-edition-essential-oils-desk-reference.html
Lucy Libido- Libido/hormone + sexy time support
https://www.amazon.com/Lucy-Libido-Says-Theres-THAT/dp/153069079X
Taming the dragon within- ALLLL the hormone trouble shooting
https://www.discoverlsp.com/all-books/taming-the-dragon-within.html
My dear friend, Emerald Sparrow & I did a Hormones & Libido class which you can watch here:
