Yoga | Birth | Babies

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the first 40 days after birth is honored by “sitting the month.” It’s a time of confinement and healing believed to be crucial to the future health of the new parent and newborn. I first heard about this tradition from one of my students and was immediately intrigued. As a person who barely waited 10 days to resume life, the idea of hunkering down, resting, being cared for by family or other support people sounded foreign and inviting. I wanted to learn more about this ancient custom.  In this episode of Yoga| Birth|Babies, I speak with Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, licensed and board-certified acupuncturist and clinical herbalist, Dr. Lily Yu Gillespie. Lily shares her own hesitation to “sit the month” after her first birth and how some of the methods like binding helped repair her pelvic organ prolapse. Lily also explains the value of warmth, steam, and herbal food or medicinal food can play in healing from the ordeal of birth. This conversation offers a differ