WELCOME TO THE VILLAGE FOR MAMA POSTPARTUM STORIES SERIES, WHERE WE CHAT WITH SOME OF OUR FAVOURITE MAMAS ON THEIR BIRTH, POSTPARTUM EXPERIENCE AND HOW THEY GATHERED THEIR VILLAGE. 

To celebrate multiple awareness week and the twins turning 1, this month for our postpartum stories series, we asked Leila, the founder of Village for Mama all the questions we have asked the other incredible mamas who have featured in our postpartum stories series about her postpartum experience with her twins, Noah and Joey.

We so often prepare for the birth and forget to prepare for postpartum. Something else we don’t tend to acknowledge is how much the birth can impact your postpartum experience. What type of birth did you have with the twins?

I had a beautiful hospital water birth with the twins. You can dive deeper into my twin birth story on these podcast episodes: Australian Birth Stories, Boob to Food, or The Road to Wisdom. The birth itself was amazing and I didn’t have any birth related complications (instrumental delivery, tearing etc) that impacted my postpartum recovery. I did however experience a postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) and lost approximately 1L of blood following the delivery of the placentas. This was something I kept in mind for my recovery as I was conscious about the added layer of blood loss and how it would impact my physical and emotional recovery. 

How was your recovery from birth and did it impact your postpartum experience?

My recovery was great but slow, I had haemorrhoids from birth that were pretty uncomfortable for the first few days. I decided to encapsulate my placenta and also turned into a calendula balm which seems to be the best way to manage haemorrhoids for me (it works like magic over night!). I also didn’t realise how off balance, open and vulnerable my abdomen would feel post birth. It had been stretched so far I felt panicky when it wasn’t wrapped or compressed tightly for the first few weeks. I did a combination of belly binding and the incredible Bare Mum recovery briefs for this. I found that my bleeding was heavier post twin birth and so I lived in mama nappies and that it lasted for the entire 6 weeks postpartum. 

Finally I just made sure I was prioritising blood building food and taking foraged for you and my placenta capsules to help replenish my stores following my PPH.

What are your non-negotiables for postpartum recovery?

I think horizontal rest, nourishing food and a supportive community are the foundation for postpartum recovery. Alongside these three principles I couldn’t have lived without my Bare Mum support briefs, mama nappies, peri bottle, heat pack and bonds feeding bralette.

We are often told to sleep when the baby sleeps which can feel impossible. Yet rest is so essential for postpartum recovery! Did you manage to have moments of rest during your postpartum and how did you achieve these?

I set an intention of 4 weeks postpartum rest and so my entire postpartum was spent in my bedroom and in the lounge resting, eating and breastfeeding. Unfortunately I had very few opportunities to sleep. I was forever feeding, sometimes in tandem and other times one at a time. I rarely had a window of opportunity to sleep while both twins were sleeping. Feeding always involved a pillow which hindered my ability to feed and sleep like I did with my daughter. Overall I was both deeply sleep deprived but perfectly rested. I made sure everything else was taken care of (caring for Billie, cooking, cleaning etc.) and so I could truly focus on rest. 

There are some things we never forget and I think the first meal you have after birth is one of them! What was the first thing you ate after having the twins?

I had a bowl of chicken congee, red date tea and crunchy buckwheat lactation cookies. To enjoy a bowl of nourishing congee while looking at the tray of cold sandwiches, bright orange jelly and juice that the hospital dropped in made me beyond grateful for that for-thought. I was so grateful in that moment that my mum brought me in some food. I was planning to leave 4 hours post birth but because of the PPH I had to stay a little longer. It is worth noting that hospitals have fridges and little kitchens so bringing your own nourishing food is an option.

What were your favourite meals during your postpartum?

My beautiful doula Loz from Mother Bloom makes the worlds best congee and fat bombs (ghee, nut butter and maple). I lived of these as well as black rice porridge, ayurvedic spiced rice pudding, pork, apple and fennel meat balls and golden soups and dahls. I’ve never been more nourished and felt so held. It was just incredible.

A village can be one person, it doesn’t have to be an entire tribe! Did you have a village of support for your postpartum? How did they impact your postpartum experience?

I’m still beyond moved by the people who gathered around to support and nourish my postpartum. I had my husband and mum, my postpartum doula Loz and midwife Andilla. Beyond them I had friends, family and neighbours dropping meals, notes, chocolates and love to my door. Postpartum can feel really lonely at times but knowing that every time I ate it was made with love by someone who cares about me and my family was just so special.

Having all of my food taken care of and having a doula who would hold a baby, run me baths, massage my feet, set up steams and caster oil packs was nourishing on so many levels. Having these people around me truly gave me the opportunity to surrender to my postpartum period. 

I gathered my village at my Mothers Blessing and used that opportunity to explain how I envisaged my postpartum and the help that I would love. I then had a 6 week closing circle with my village to thank them for all the love and support. These little rituals and ceremonies were such a beautiful way to gather and give gratitude.

What was the most helpful thing someone did for you during your postpartum?

I think it was my mum taking my daughter under her wing for the first month. She lives close by so it wasn’t a big change for my daughter. It just meant she was able to have undivided special attention and time while I was deep in those early days trenches of finding my feet with twins. I was so sleep deprived and overwhelmed that I had no space to think about the needs and demands of my daughter and it meant that my husband was able to fully devote himself to me and the twins. My daughter loved being around me and the babies but she also liked being able to check out and go and have fun in her world away from the fuss of new babies. 

Then it was my village and the meal train. Daily food drops were our only way of surviving the relentless demands of the early days with unsettled colicky twins.

Something that most mums are most surprised by is breastfeeding. It is biologically normal yet rarely comes naturally and often impacts our postpartum experience. It is also something we spend the most time doing/ worrying about during those early months! Would you like to share anything about your breastfeeding journey with the twins? Insights, tips or essential products?

Breastfeeding for me has always felt okay but my baby’s weight gain has been a little slow. I had same experience with my daughter and then with the twins. After working with a lactation consultant, all three were diagnosed with tongue and lip ties. With the twins I decided to just revise their tongue tie and worked with an osteopath to support their revision and development. I have now been exclusively breastfeeding the twins for 12 months and both are thriving. For me professional support, lots of hydrating and nourishing food and a really good tandem feeding pillow were essential for supporting my twin breastfeeding journey. 

I also used donor breast milk to supplement my twins while I was working on my supply and the twins oral function. I am really passionate about shining a light on using donor milk as an alternative to formula. For the twins, my friend was able to pump for me and I would collect the milk every few days for the first 4 months. I would top up the twins with a bottle and gradually reduce the amount down until I no longer needed to supplement. 

Using a really good hospital grade breast pump was another great tool for supporting my supply while I was addressing the factors that were impacting it.

This was your second postpartum experience, what did you decide to do differently this time round?

I hired a postpartum doula and experienced my first meal train and both were the best things I could have done. Village for Mama came to life following the birth of my daughter so I got to ‘practise what I preach’ and really embrace a well supported and well nourished postpartum with the twins. 

And lastly, what is your favourite recipe from the Village for Mama book?

It is so hard to pick to be honest, we live off so many of the recipes. But I think the midnight muffins or the turkey burger bites. They are the recipes that don’t last very long in my fridge. I’m also such a fan of nourishing, high protein, one handed snacks for motherhood.

Leila’s Top Postpartum Essentials below:

1. Bare Mum Briefs
2. Foraged for You
3. HQ Post Birth Vitality 
4. Frank Green Drink Bottle
5. Bonds Bralette
6. EMU Slippers
7. Pebble Light