This blog is an expression of my masters study integrated with lived experience. It is the amalgamated form of pen to paper from three years of postgraduate study and my progression into motherhood.

I submitted my masters in late December 2018 and I took solace in knowing it was finished. I could breathe a little deeper and sleep a little longer once more, and that I did. After the exhaustion of thinking was doused with sleep, a new sort of exhaustion grew as I pondered the question where to from here? There was so much I had discovered and felt needed to be shared.

I considered writing a research paper presenting my findings (this I may still do, if relevant); I considered ridding myself of the hard drive with all my hours of effort on it and the word ‘however’ never to be seen again; I considered how I would take with me all the golden knowledge of these women and their experiences and what I would need to feel accomplished by it. It was at this point, when the exhaustion wouldn’t let up and I had started to feel warmer and a little queasy, that I realised I was pregnant.

Masters - ‘The reality and potential of Traditional Chinese medicine in postpartum period care in Sydney: A mixed method study'

This study investigated postpartum period through the lens of both TCM practitioners and postpartum women. In order to realise the reality and potential of Traditional Chinese medicine’s use within this time.

Masters Study: Historically the Chinese culture of close familial support and rest is advised by Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) during the postpartum period (PPP). It is unknown to what extent TCM practitioners are offering PPP care nor what postpartum women are experiencing. The aim of the study was to identify what TCM practitioners offer and what women experience in PPP care in Sydney, Australia. A Mixed methods study design was used. Online surveys of TCM practitioners and postpartum women and semistructured interviews of postpartum women who identified themselves in the survey were conducted. The Survey data was collected and analysed using descriptive statistics. Semistructured interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to generate codes and themes.
37 TCM practitioners responded to a survey. 90.2% offered PPP care and of these 8.6% treated more than five postpartum women per month. The most common presenting ailments were sadness/depression and low milk supply. 74 women responded to the postpartum survey, 46% were unaware of TCM as a means of support. Furthermore, women over 35 reported increased physical ailments (p<0.05;p=0.03) and first time mothers expected their PPP to be easier than subsequent mothers (p<0.05;p=0.04). The overarching theme from the interviews included ‘Postpartum is intense’. Sub-themes were identified as ‘it only takes one person’, ‘it’s a bit of a blur’, ‘luck plays a role’, and ‘hard to express how hard it is’. These interviews indicated that postpartum women were underprepared and their positive experiences were based on `luck’ rather than proactivity. It also presented that women were interested in being supported through this time.
The conclusions drawn here contribute to providing TCM practitioners information about physical and emotional issues women experienced during their PPP. It highlighted that practitioners only treat a small number of PPP women and that few women are aware of TCM PPP care. Further research is needed.

A Practitioners journey into motherhood

I don’t know why I was so lucky to enter motherhood the way I did, but it seems I became more lucky as I focused more on doing what was necessary, the work. The work is tedious and as a practitioner trained to catch, find and knead out the pieces that have been missed; to trail through the stuff of people’s day to day lives to find the perils of their current situation and what is the best way forward. This work on myself became increasingly heavy. Peeling back the layers of knowledge became an essential past time. Every day can be challenging in its own way, but nothing is more challenging then not believing that you already have what you really need in this moment. This journey has taught me continuously to let go and trust. Trust yourself and it’s innate knowledge that has been built within you in perfect synchronicity and balance. Trust what you need to let go of or change perspective towards. Trust the process, as all is coming.