Miranda Lu: Postpartum Love & Womb Health

MIRANDA LU: POSTPARTUM LOVE & WOMB HEALTH
by Liz Martin

Did you know I share my office with a kind and nurturing postpartum doula named Miranda Sherman? I asked her more about her business, Miranda Lu, so you can learn how amazing she is and why she should be your postpartum doula!

Hi there! My name is Miranda and I am a postpartum doula who focuses on Ayurvedic care & womb health. I work with mamas in the time after birth to help her connect, heal & restore her mind, body (including womb space) & spirit. I specialize in Cesarean postpartum & birth trauma.

What kind of support do you offer as a postpartum doula?

My support is focused around the mama and her whole well-being. My intention is to drop into her specific needs physically, mentally, emotionally & spiritually during each visit. For me, postpartum recovery isn’t about healing quickly but rather fully. Through my own experience with birth trauma and postpartum anxiety, I have created a postpartum care plan that supports the emotional and physical transition that occurs as a mama transitions into the 4^th trimester.

This support looks like:

• Emotional support (processing birth, transition into motherhood, birth trauma)
• Nourishing meals
• Herbal tea blends
• Belly binding
• Womb recognition, connection & healing
• Pelvic floor recognition, connection & healing
• Check for Diastasis Recti
• Yoga-based movement// appropriate for each week of healing
• Guided mediations
• Restorative yoga postures// appropriate for each week of healing
• Lucy Steaming
• Sitz baths
• Abhyanga (self-massage)
• Breast massage
• Cesarean support

Additional support includes:

• Sibling support
• Partner support
• Light house work
• Errands
• Network of maternal & family support referrals

Ayurvedic postpartum care is 42 days for 42 years. Meaning, when we take care of the mama for 42 days after birth, it will have lasting effects for the next 42 years of her life. When we view this time as a valuable opportunity to support mama, she becomes less susceptible to postpartum anxiety, depression and depletion. Postpartum care is not a luxury, it is a necessity.

What inspired you to become a postpartum doula?

I have always been a firm believer that we are delivered experiences (positive, challenging, easy, tricky) for a reason. My challenging postpartum experience drove me to my work as a postpartum doula. Although my birth trauma was subtle, it was deep. I landed in the postpartum period weak, anxious, exhausted & anemic. It wasn’t until around day 5 that I finally was able to talk about my birth. I had (amazing!) nurses come by to support my breastfeeding, but not once did anyone inquire on how I was doing. Not once. And then I didn’t have an appointment for my “check-up” until 6 weeks. I knew that it was then that I would have to make a decision about birth control, which brought me much more anxiety. I KNEW that I didn’t want to get pregnant, but I sure as poo was not ready to add synthetic hormones to my imbalanced state. Although my husband was a saint during that time, I remember constantly telling him that I need someone to take care of me in a different sort of way. A professional who specialized in postpartum. And even more someone I could talk to in my own spiritual language. My baby was doing well, but I was not.

I fully realized during this time how little support the mama has and I wanted to change that. Around 5 months postpartum I started my training with a program called Birth Arts International. And here we are today! For over a year, I have taken many courses to better understand the postpartum, womb space, pelvic floor, our monthly cycle, vaginal steaming, herbal blends and I am currently in a training to become an AyuDoula. YAY!

I believe that every mother deserves postpartum support and a more thorough check-up at 6-weeks, including a pelvic floor assessment by a physical therapist.  I have heard from so many mamas that those 6 weeks after birth was when she needed the most support. Support where she can ask questions like “Is this normal”, “how long does bleeding last?”, “my pelvic floor is feeling heavy, what can I do” and without the fear of judgment.

What are Lucy Steams, and why should people come to you for one?

Lucy steaming is commonly known as vaginal or yoni steaming. Alongside my passion for working with mamas in the postpartum period, I have a huge passion for teaching women how to connect with her womb space. One way that I do that is through Lucy Steaming. “Lucy” is what my mama and her mama called her vagina and it just, well, passed down to me. J I have four herbal blends that focus on a woman’s journey into motherhood: pre-conception, infertility, miscarriage, and postpartum. Each herbal blend will support a mama and her womb space.

Also, what I love the VERY most about this practice (other than seeing the response on a person’s face when they hear about it), is that Lucy steaming is a gateway for a woman to connect to her sacred pelvic bowl. She becomes curious, more aware and more connected. Alongside the heart, I believe the womb space is a woman’s temple.

What makes your business unique?

My whole-body connection is at the heart of my work. Our mind, body & spirit are deeply interconnected and all need to be supported in this vulnerable transition. I bring a genuine interest and connection to each and every visit with my mama through foods, herbs, ritual, recognition, touch & love. I teach the mama about the shifts that are occurring in her body and guide her to connect with herself. Teach her how to breathe deeply, calm her nerves, connect to her womb space and support her physical shift (core, pelvic floor, posture). I hold space for the mama to fully show up in her truest self & experience without judgment.

When this type of care is provided, we are birthing healthy mamas into the world.