Traditional Chinese Medicine Postpartum Care (TCM PPC) is a special way for women who have just given birth to nourish their bodies back to health.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), also known as Eastern Medicine, is a centuries-old tradition that offers special postpartum care to new mothers. This service is based on the concept of “Sitting The Month” / Zuo Yue Zi, which simply means to rest for a month after delivery.

Historically, “sitting the month” was reserved for queens, empresses, or very wealthy women who were able to focus on rest and recovery post-delivery. During this “golden period,” mothers are encouraged to keep abdominal binding on and rest in bed. Abdominal binding in combination with bed rest limits the amount of physical strain, prevents pelvic floor organ prolapse, and most importantly helps a new mother’s internal organs return to their pre-pregnancy positions as soon as possible. As part of the TCM practice, postnatal mothers are encouraged to avoid coldness, wetness, and dampness. In order to achieve this optimal healing goal, bath water is cooked with herbs to expel cold. Special confinement soups and herbal decoctions are prepared to change the viscosity of the breast milk, and to promote healing for the postnatal mothers. For example, Ba Zhen Tang / Eight Treasure Decoction functions to strongly tonify the Qi. In other words, it boosts energy and nourishes the blood. Not only does it augment Qi and harmonize the digestive system, but it also assists patients who are easily fatigued or have symptoms of lightheadedness and / or vertigo due to blood deficiency.

Photo of Melissa L. courtesy of Dr. Lily Yu Gillespie

Photo of Arielle W. courtesy of Dr. Lily Yu Gillespie

Photo courtesy of Dr. Lily Yu Gillespie

Photo courtesy of Dr. Lisa Sumption

Traditional Chinese Medicine explains that the female body goes through significant changes every seven years. Many modern women become mothers between the ages of thirty-five and forty-two, which falls between the fifth cycle and the sixth cycle. Menopausal changes come up when women are transitioning into the seventh cycle. More and more modern mothers are experiencing menopausal signs and symptoms when their children are under seven years old.

Historically, this practice is used to not only preserve a woman’s health and strength, but also to change her body constitution. If the postnatal mothers can practice the TCM PPC guidelines, they will enjoy many long lasting health benefits.

Hear Lily’s podcast on PPC here.

For more information on TCM PPC, contact Dr. Lily Yu Gillespie by emailing lily@healingartscenter.info

Bio

Lily is a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, a licensed and board-certified acupuncturist and clinical herbalist. She was born and raised in Taiwan until she immigrated to the United States when she was fifteen.

Lily received a BA in Dance Education from East Carolina University and an MFA in Dance Choreography from the University of North Carolina. She performed with Kun Yang Lin and Dancers and taught at Scilla Dance Studio in New York for over 15 years. Through dance, Lily gained an intimate perspective of movement and biomechanics and pivoted her focus to study the human body through a scientific lens.

When Lily returned to school for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, she returned to her roots. Growing up with her family, consuming herbal dishes were part of everyday life. Studying Traditional Chinese Medicine helped her gain a deeper understanding of how the human body functions biomechanically, emotionally, and spiritually as a whole. Lily specializes in women's health, fertility, and postpartum care. She and her husband have a private practice in New York City and are raising three beautiful children in Princeton, New Jersey.

Photo of Dr. Lily Yu Gillespie courtesy of Diana Lee