Philosophy & Overview
“Nourish the Mother postpartum for 42 days … for a healthy Mother for (at least!) 42 more years.”
This is the traditional saying that is one of the basic philosophies behind postpartum abhyanga. Paraphrased.
“Abhyanga” is Āyurvedic therapeutic oil massage. Here is a link to a Chopra Center article about abhyanga. And here is a link to Wikipedia’s page about Ayurveda. Our local (Albuquerque, NM) excellent resource regarding Āyurveda and this technique as well is the Āyurvedic Institute.
“There is rarely, if ever, a time in a woman’s life for a deeper and more complete detoxification and rejuvenation than the time period after the baby leaves the womb.”
Another aspect of the postpartum abhyanga philosophy. Paraphrased.
Abhyanga is one of the therapies in Ayurvedic detoxification and rejuvenation. In a typical treatment, warm oil is liberally applied to the recipient’s body including the scalp, face and ears. Of course, here in ABQ, the application is guided by state massage therapy license statutes and professional best practices. Imho, it’s an excellent therapy.
We use high quality fresh organic oils suitable for eating. The body absorbs the oil quite directly through the skin.
Often, a series of treatments is planned, like weekly. Or bi-weekly, or as desired. It’s not necessary though. If you have someone staying with you at home providing this, maybe even daily for a little while!
Especially in postpartum, we use traditional sesame oil, unless otherwise indicated. If an alternate oil is needed, coconut (cooling), sunflower (fairly balanced), or a blend is used.
The oil does the work, soaking into the tissues. The application and massage is a quick, light treatment. Though, in reality in postpartum, there are usually areas that can benefit from extra work, more like a regular massage, so it lengthens out the treatment a bit.
If you have not experienced abhyanga, it is one of those things where sometimes, the simple experience is worth more than description. Nonetheless, a few more bits of the philosophy are here:
Ayurveda, among other things, seeks to detoxify and nourish at all levels of being: the body, the psyche, the emotions and spirit. The oil application addresses all levels.
In the early postpartum period, the idea is that the Mother’s body is uniquely engaged in a deep detoxification as the process of emptying the body’s reproductive tissues continues through the postpartum bleeding and expulsions. Especially within the first 2 weeks or so after birth, the detoxification process is assisted by the oil massage.
In the later postpartum period, say the latter 4 weeks of the 6-week period, the oil massage assists the rejuvenation process, helping the body to rebuild healthy and pure tissues, especially deep within the reproductive system. In Ayurveda, the reproductive tissues are, in a sense, buried deep within several layers of the body’s tissues and processes, so it takes a long time and a special level of purity for their rejuvenation and replenishment.
Of course, Ayurveda, and in general any holistic wellness program, should include diet, movement, and environment, among other factors, as keys to healthy replenishment. There are traditional herbal teas, including Dashamula (“10 Roots”) tea, and foods and practices that ideally are a part of this postpartum period.
Through main stream medical standard of care, we are familiar with the 6-week postpartum recovery period for Mother, and for the Mother-Baby bonding time. So, perhaps at the least it is not surprising that Ayurveda sees this time in the same way. Perhaps the enhancement to be emphasized is that Ayurveda values strongly the detoxification, nourishment, and replenishment aspects of this time period.
There is quite a bit to share about this practice, so please get in touch with any questions or for additional information.
Healthy Mothers, healthy families, healthy communities. And yes, abhyanga is suitable for Fathers too. Anyone birthing or mid-wifing anything. And anyone. It can be part of daily or weekly self-care practice, in varying amounts, and it is often part of seasonal transition (Spring/Fall) detoxification and renewal self-care routines. Here, we address it as a particular traditional practice for postpartum support, an area where it can be a key therapeutic support and where it shines in maximum benefit.
What to Expect & How to Plan
First, in a friendly tone:
Stay Relaxed and Don’t Worry About the Details
Here, in this section, written below, are some planning “seeds”, to let you know how this typically works, and to share some options. If it seems like a lot of information, don’t worry about the details. It always works out well. We can also speak, to go over anything at all, and address any questions or ideas.
Location
This is usually an at-your-home treatment because it is usually within the postpartum 6-week period.
The ideal location is some place that is quiet, dark or dim, secluded or private enough for your comfort and relaxation. Near an entrance doorway, or in a sunroom or on a deck or patio, if private enough, is a helpful to ease the logistics of setting up and cleaning up.
For the novel coronavirus pandemic time period, the more fresh air the better, outdoor or nearly so, is ideal. Of course, adjusting for weather. Anything to minimize each of our exposure risks seems sensible. We’ll be using our masks.
Room to move around for the therapist is good, though I’ve worked in some pretty tight spaces and it’s fine too.
Oil can spill on the floor – it’s just easier to plan that it will. So, you’ll want a location where that is ok. Usually, a plastic drop cloth, or shower curtain, and extra towels are placed to make clean up easy.
An electrical outlet nearby is good for the oil warmers.
How Much Oil Are We Talking About?
A lot. More than a regular massage for sure. In a traditional setting, the massage table could have a hard surface, with channels running along the edges to collect and drain all of the oil. In our case, not quite so much, but getting close to it. Since we follow proper draping guidelines, the sheets end up soaking up most of that extra oil – but they also act like a sponge keeping the oil next to the skin for a longer time. The more oil the better. Again, the oil really does the work, and we want it to soak in. We’ll try to saturate the hair and scalp too.
Duration
Generally about 75-minutes of treatment time is about the right ballpark. Probably 20 to 45 minutes of setup/breakdown time, depending, on average. You might have requests for specific work areas that need extra attention. The baby might need more attention at intervals. You might need a bathroom or positioning break. There could be a lot of family activity or interruptions (ideally, not). So, the timing really varies. If you have a specific scheduling need, just let me know.
When possible, clients like to set up their own massage table and sheets/towels/plastic in advance to facilitate the process (and lower the cost), so the setup and clean up are much faster.
Cost for the Outcall
It’s based on a standard pricing matrix: (A) treatment time standard price (just call it a 75-minute nominal) + (B) base outcall fee + (C) mileage – (D) discounts for stuff you have ready to go on your end + (E) NM gross receipts tax. I’ll text you the details. This includes the oil that I’ll bring. This is priced to allow me to keep doing the work and pay the bills, but to keep it accessible for everyone. Feel free to propose anything else if you want to work on the cost with me.
Discounts (Helping Out and Resource Reduction)
(1) If you have a massage table and face cradle set up, and optionally a rolling chair or stool – that’s a $10 discount per session. No need to go out and buy one or anything – it’s just an option.
(2) If you have your own sheets (massage table or twin mattress), towels (bath + hand), and a plastic drop cloth/shower curtain liner – that’s a $10 discount per session too. It helps me out a lot, and facilitates your setup too.
In these treatments, sheets and towels get very oily, so you may want to dedicate some for this purpose, knowing they’ll get oily (or really the faint smell of old oil) over time. It’s always great to have a set of sheets and towels around that you know are for oil treatments or similar anyway.
These items (#1 and #2 above) are however optional. I can bring everything too. Just let me know what you’d like.
Cleanup
Yourself: Generally, the idea is that after the treatment, you allow the oil to soak into your skin for at least 15 minutes, if you can. A little bit of a wipe down can be good then before moving around. Then a warm bath is good. Try not to remove all the oil though. For your hair: generally a good lather of shampoo is fine. Again, leaving some oil there is nice. All to your taste and at your discretion.
Sheets and Towels: If we’re using your own sheets and towels, a heavy wash with a soak cycle added, in the washing machine is good, using plenty of soap. You might use extra laundry degreaser: some people use a little bit of dish soap (be careful not to add too much); a little “Citrasolv”; or a little of “Basic H2” (that’s what I learned in training, so that’s what I use). Again, it’s nice to just dedicate some sheets and towels to oil treatment – they seem always to come in handy. Over time, the sheets and towels, might get sticky/stinky like old oil – it’s a natural process. Good prompt laundering helps. Not too big a deal. Just maybe avoid using those extra-special fine sheets and towels you received as a gift.
The Massage Itself
Ideally, it’s short in duration, rhythmically paced, mostly focused on oil application and then lightly massaging it in. This sort of pressure is appropriate postpartum for much of the body anyway…. some extra pressure (“tissue work”) in areas where that sort of pressure is not contraindicated and where needed, if opted. Ideally, you can relax and space out with warm oil application in a quiet setting.
If we have arranged it as such- that is if you don’t have a table for example – I’ll arrive, set up the table, drapes, sheets, etc. and then we can begin when you, baby, and family are situated. If we’re using a massage table that I’ve brought, you’ll want to find a quiet place to relax when we’re finished so that I can pack up the used sheets and towels and the table, etc. In some circumstances, it works out for me to leave the table there.
During the treatment, if the baby needs your attention, we’ll take breaks during the treatment as needed (another benefit to me working fairly quickly, though not in a rushed way – more like efficiently). Sometimes, toward the end, the baby can rest with you on the table, if that comes up as something nice and useful.
While there are many approaches to postpartum massage, this approach has turned out to be a good one, from my experience and perspective so far. As the recovery and rejuvenation continues, more typical massage and body work can take the place of the abhyanga style approach.
Positioning: Generally, full prone (face-down) or supine (face-up) positioning works well and is nice. We can adjust to other positions if/as needed. Sometimes, we might use a rolled towel to support the upper chest in prone positioning if you are engorged at the time. Maybe elsewhere to support the hips, or ankles, depending.
Quirks: Part of the standard protocol as I learned it includes ear-oiling, if not contraindicated. It might sound odd, filling the ear canal with warm oil, yet, it turns out to be awesome. It naturally drains quickly as you turn your head.
Checklists
I’ll Bring:
- Oil(s) [fresh, organic]
- Warmers for the oil
- Power strip for the warmers
- Additional essential oils or sprays/goodies
- Couple of wash cloth type small towels
- Probably extra towels/sheets in the car
- Maybe some dashamula herbal tea freshly made for you to transfer into a mug or bottle of your choosing, if you like
- Covid: my mask(s), clean hands, hand sanitizer
You or I Will Provide (Whatever Works):
- Massage table + face cradle + maybe a rolling chair/stool
- 1 – 2 shower curtain liners or plastic drop cloths (1 for the table, 1 for the floor maybe)
- Sheets: 1 fitted or bottom sheet + 1 top sheet
- Pillow case for the face cradle
- Towels:
- at least 2 bath towels (prop, drape, etc.) and maybe more for the floor and contingencies
- hand towels and wash cloth-sized towels
Will need access to:
- Water (for the oil warmers)
- Electrical outlet (for the oil warmers)
Friendly Reminder: Yep, Stay Relaxed – Don’t Worry About the Details Here
If this sounds like a lot – don’t worry. It always works out. It’s just helpful to plan a touch beforehand.