postpartum recovery

Farida Azizova-Such inside the nursery rocking her son to sleep. "He was 5 weeks when we started coming. It's just my husband and I taking care of him, so I was alone at home. I wanted to find new moms to connect with and a safe space to be able to come and learn about how to take care of a baby, and also my identity shifted when you become a mother."

Health & Safety

A look at what could be the future for postpartum care in America

6:30am May 19, 2024

by Ali Lapetina

Postpartum care in America leaves most facing a critical and often overlooked "fourth trimester" in isolation. Metro Detroit-based Fourth Tri Sanctuary offers support.

Placenta purveyors often dehydrate and grind a new mother's placenta to a powder, then add it to a pill capsule. Generally, the goal is to increase her milk production, energy and mood, but scientists dispute such benefits.

Health & Safety

Opinion: Placenta-Eating Went Mainstream When Many Doctors Stopped Listening

5:00am December 27, 2019

by Daniela Blei

Preparers of pills made from placental tissue have gained online momentum, claiming to support each new mom in her slog to recovery. A historian traces the trend to a mother's need to be heard.

Lisa Abramson holds her firstborn child, Lucy, in 2014. A few weeks after Lucy's birth, Abramson began feeling confused and then started developing delusions — symptoms of postpartum psychosis.

She Wanted To Be The Perfect Mom, Then Landed In A Psychiatric Unit

6:49pm January 19, 2019

by April Dembosky

Postpartum psychosis is rare but very real, doctors say. And, unlike in some countries, U.S. moms who need inpatient psychiatric care can't bring along their babies, adding to the trauma.

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The maternal mortality rate in the U.S. is the highest among affluent nations. Researchers believe that with better education, postpartum nurses could help mothers identify life-threatening complications.

Many Nurses Lack Knowledge Of Health Risks To Mothers After Childbirth

7:57am August 17, 2017

A nationwide survey shows that postpartum nurses often fail to warn mothers about potentially life-threatening complications following childbirth, mainly because they need more education themselves.

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Khanh-Hoa Nguyen cooks caramelized pork belly with ginger, a Cambodian dish served to women who have just given birth.

For Centuries, These Asian Recipes Have Helped New Moms Recover From Childbirth

7:00am April 02, 2017

by Grace Hwang Lynch

Postpartum soups and stews have traditionally been prepared for new moms by Asian grandmothers and aunts, the recipes passed down orally. A new cookbook seeks to preserve them before they're lost.