Q It's been two months since I had my first baby, but my whole body still aches and I have no energy at all. Why does the body break down so much after childbirth?
A Childbirth is a major change in which estrogen and progesterone drop sharply as the placenta detaches, while significant blood loss and physical depletion happen at the same time. As the uterus shrinks back to its pre-pregnancy size over about six weeks, the mother's entire body needs to recover.
Detailed Answer
Right after delivery, the estrogen and progesterone that sustained the pregnancy drop sharply along with the expulsion of the placenta, and the body loses a considerable amount of blood and stamina during the birth process. The uterus goes through an involution process, returning to its pre-pregnancy size over about six weeks, and during this period the mother's muscles, joints, and endocrine system all bear the burden of recovery at once. So aching all over and feeling drained is not laziness but a recovery signal your body is sending.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
In Korean medicine, the period right after childbirth is viewed as an extreme state of dual deficiency of qi and blood (gihyeol-yangheo), in which qi and blood have drained out all at once, leaving the body hollow like an empty shell. At the same time, blood stasis (eohyeol) that has not yet been expelled remains in the uterus, causing pain and delaying recovery. At Dongjedang, rather than looking only at where it hurts, we take as our starting point the goal of refilling the body's depleted foundation (qi and blood) and resolving blood stasis to build a base for recovery.
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