03/08/2026
This is the story of my first postpartum experience.
I became pregnant while studying Health Science (Western Herbal Medicine), so I understood the hormonal changes that happen during pregnancy and postpartum. I thought that knowledge had prepared me.
It hadn’t.
I underestimated just how profound postpartum would be.
The endless feeding. The sleepless nights. The afterpains. The identity crisis. The homesickness. The overwhelming love and grief that somehow existed at the same time.
I wasn’t expecting postpartum to be this challenging.
I gave birth in a country far from my family, with only my husband beside me. Looking back, I now understand why so many cultures—including Japan’s—place such importance on caring for mothers after birth and surrounding them with community.
Birth asks so much of a woman’s body. We lose a significant amount of blood during delivery, continue bleeding afterward, and many mothers then begin breastfeeding, which further increases nutritional demands. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, sleep is also considered essential for restoring and nourishing Blood, making those sleep-deprived early months especially demanding on a mother’s recovery.
Recovery isn’t just about healing physically. It’s about being nourished with good food, supported by the people around you, and given the time and space to become yourself again.
If you’re in the postpartum season, I want you to know this:
• It’s okay to take as much time as you need to recover.
• Be gentle with yourself.
• Ask for help whenever you can.
• It’s normal to feel confused, overwhelmed, or like you’ve lost yourself for a while.
• You don’t have to feel happy all the time.
As a herbalist, I truly believe herbs and nutrition can make a meaningful difference. But they’re only part of the picture.
No herb can replace feeling held, supported, and cared for.
Healing after birth takes nourishment, community, and time. And slowly, in your own way and at your own pace, you’ll begin to feel like yourself again.
