The Fourth Trimester: A Postpartum Guide to Healing Your Body, Balancing Your Emotions, and Restoring Your Vitality

by Kimberly Ann Johnson

Overview

A guide to help support women through post-partum healing on the physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual levels.

This holistic guide offers practical advice to support women through postpartum healing on the physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual levels—and provides women with a roadmap to this very important transition that can last from a few months to a few years.

Kimberly Ann Johnson draws from her vast professional experience as a doula, postpartum consultant, yoga teacher, body worker, and women’s health care advocate, and from the healing traditions of Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, and herbalism—as well as her own personal experience—to cover

   • how you can prepare your body for birth;

   • how you can organize yourself and your household for the best possible transition to motherhood;

   • simple practices and home remedies to facilitate healing and restore energy;

   • how to strengthen relationships and aid the return to sex;

   • learning to exercise safely postpartum;

   • carrying your baby with comfort;

   • exploring the complex and often conflicting emotions that arise postpartum;

   • and much more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611804003
Publisher:	Shambhala
Publication date:	12/26/2017
Pages:	360
Sales rank:	61,232
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Kimberly Johnson is a birth doula, certified Sexological Bodyworker, Somatic Experiencing practitioner, postpartum care advocate, and single mom.
 
Kimberly graduated valedictorian in the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. A longtime yoga teacher, yoga teacher trainer, and Structural Integration practitioner, she was unexpectedly rearranged in body, mind, and spirit when she sustained an injury during childbirth. Determined not to get full pelvic floor reconstructive surgery, she traveled the world learning about postpartum practices, healed herself holistically, and now helps other women do the same. ​
​
She has private practices in Encinitas and Los Angeles, CA, specializing in helping women prepare for birth, recover from birth injuries and birth trauma, and access their full sexual expression. Her most outstanding accomplishment is being a single mom to her fiery ten-year-old half-​Brazilian daughter, Cecilia. You can find her online at http://www.MagaMama.com​.

Table of Contents

Foreword ix

Introduction 1

My Own Birth and Postpartum Experience 8

Part 1 Preparing for the Fourth Trimester

1 The Postpartum Revolution 23

2 Setting Yourself Up for a Smooth Transition to Motherhood 33

3 Creating a Postpartum Sanctuary Plan 49

4 Third Trimester: Preparing Your Body for Birth 65

Part 2 Savoring the Fourth Trimester

5 Balancing Your Emotions 101

6 Restoring Your Vitality 119

7 Rebuilding Your Body 145

8 Understanding Medical Realities 173

9 Owning Your Birth Experience 203

10 Deepening Intimacy 227

Part 3 Beyond the Fourth Trimester

11 Rediscovering Your Body 247

12 Reclaiming Your Sexuality 263

13 Discovering the Mother You Are 279

Conclusion: Continuing the Revolution 303

Acknowledgments 305

Appendix 1 Postpartum Sanctuary Plan 308

Appendix 2A Postpartum Relationship Plan 312

Appendix 2B Dividing Household Chores 313

Appendix 3 Letter for Meal Train Participants 314

Appendix 4 Sign for Your Front Door 315

Appendix 5 Essential Foods for Postpartum Healing 316

Appendix 6 Recipes 323

Bibliography 331

Index 334

About the Author 344

Editorial Reviews

Birth is our inbuilt experience of initiation to self, but we are in desperate need of sage guidance throughout this otherwise overwhelming and scary transformation. Kimberly Ann Johnson lights the path to our truest, most actualized, and empowered feminine selves...because it begins in the Fourth Trimester. Every mother-to-be and mother-lover needs these pages to learn how to truly honor this mystical transition.”—Kelly Brogan MD, author of the New York Times bestseller, A Mind of Your Own

“In all my years as an ob/gyn, I never once met a woman who was able to get by the initiation of labor and birth and focus on the critical postpartum time frame—a time which is largely ignored in our culture. After all, most “maternity leaves” end at mere 6 weeks—nowhere near enough time to truly honor and carry out the true work of the fourth trimester. No—we tend to focus only on the birth—and if mom and baby make it through in a reasonably healthy way, we figure we’re done. Not even close.  In this eye opening and vital book, all those who care about women, children, and families will find a treasure trove of information and practices that are vital for the health of society. I highly recommend this book.”—Christiane Northrup, M.D., ob/gyn physician and author of the New York Times bestsellers: Goddesses Never Age: The Secret Prescription for Radiance, Vitality, and Wellbeing, Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom, and The Wisdom of Menopause

"While there are a plethora of books about pregnancy and delivery, few discuss self-care after the baby is born. Johnson, cofounder of the STREAM School for Postpartum Care, aims to fill that gap with this comprehensive guide to a transitional time. Using a holistic perspective, Johnson addresses everything from preparing one’s body for birth to rebuilding and healing afterward."—Library Journal

"After giving birth, many women devote every ounce of energy in their tank to taking care of their newborn — which is more than understandable. But delivery puts a huge strain on your body, and healing is paramount. The Fourth Trimester encourages new moms to take time for themselves post-pregnancy, and tangibly shows you how to do so."—Woman's Day 

From the Publisher