Postpartum Pathways - Hana Cumming

Gather & Grow 💛🌿
Wednesday 24 June, 10am-12pm
with Hana from
at Flourish Taranaki, 12 Omata Road, Westown, New Plymouth

Join us at Gather & Grow this week with Hana from . We will be exploring the topic of postpartum depletion, what it is, why so many mothers experience it, and how we can better support recovery in the months and years after birth.

Together we’ll discuss the signs of depletion that are often normalised, and simple ways we can begin to replenish and nourish ourselves in a season that asks so much of women.

This will be a supportive and informative conversation for mothers in all stages of postpartum, whether you are newly postpartum or years into motherhood

If you’ve breastfed before, you probably know the thirst I’m talking about… the kind where you feel like you might actually perish if you don’t get water RIGHT NOW 😅

No matter how much you drink, you still somehow feel dry, depleted and like a shrivelled little prune.

Our postpartum bodies aren’t only asking for more fluid, they’re asking for replenishment.

Birth, bleeding, breastfeeding, interrupted sleep and recovery are incredibly demanding on the body. Minerals play a huge role in helping us actually absorb and utilise the fluids we’re drinking, support milk production, and restore balance postpartum. 

Watching a māmā this postpartum who is being deeply nourished with mineral-rich fluids has been such a reminder that hydration is about so much more than water alone.

Our postpartum bodies are wise.
That thirst is often trying to tell us something 🧡

➡️Swipe for ideas to truly hydrate your body in postpartum.

Herbal baths & foot soaks are more than just a lovely ritual in postpartum, they’re a simple way to support one of the five pillars of physiological postpartum care: warmth.

🔥 Warmth promotes vasodilation (the widening of blood vessels), increasing circulation to healing tissues and supporting oxygen delivery, muscle relaxation, and recovery.

🔥 Heat also helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system (“rest and digest”), lowers stress hormones and supports oxytocin release - all essential for postpartum healing, regulation and bonding.

And sometimes, beyond all the science, a warm herbal foot soak or bath is simply an invitation to pause, slow down and be cared for
something every new mother deserves 🧡

✨ My postpartum herbal baths/foot soak recipe:
Epsom salts
Dried lavender
Dried camomile
Dried calendula
Dried rose petals

This is my version but there are so many beautiful variations 💕

I’ve spent time in small Indigenous communities before — I lived in a small village in Vanuatu for six months and travelled parts of South East Asia for seven months. I’ve also been to Fiji before. But this time, in light of the work I do now, it hit differently.

The way many Fijians live
in small, interconnected communities with open doors and open hearts — feels so deeply human.
Everyone is family. No one has more than others. Food, resources, childcare, time… it’s all shared.

The idea that someone would live alone on their own isolated piece of land, disconnected from the rest of the community, feels completely foreign there.

Of course, this way of living isn’t all sunshine and roses. But it reminded me again that this is how humans have lived for 99% of our evolutionary history.
We are wired for connection, for interdependence, for community. It’s how our nervous systems feel safe, supported, and secure.

And when it comes to having a baby, I can only imagine the care and love that would surround a mother in communities like this.
Mothers cared for by the village around them.

There is so much wisdom in remembering how humans were designed to live.

It also reminded me why support is one of the key pillars of physiological postpartum care, and why building a village around you matters so much.
Humans were never meant to mother in isolation 🧡

This last week I’ve been busy preparing two weeks worth of freezer meals for a postpartum doula client, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks and drinks. ✨

The meals I created were specifically designed for the postpartum period, when digestion is weakened, the body is in a depleted state and energy needs are high. These foods are warming, nutrient-dense and easy to digest. Helping to gently support digestion while providing the nourishment needed for recovery and breastfeeding.

It has been such a joy and privilege to support her in this way, knowing she will be well nourished and fed during those early postpartum weeks.

It has also been so wonderful to see her and her partner intentionally prioritising her healing and recovery in this way.

And this isn’t just about food.
For me, this is about intention, love and care.
This commitment to her recovery sets the tone for the rest of their parenting journey. And the food itself? It helps support healing, replenishment, breastfeeding, nervous system regulation, and helps a mother feel cared for, supported and deeply loved — which is quite honestly one of the most under-utilised superpowers for postpartum recovery.

A message from my client:
“this is the best investment I have ever made and it makes my heart so, so happy to see all that food and to know how much love and care you put into that” 🧡

These three things aren’t luxuries in postpartum, they’re the foundations of recovery.

✨Eating nourishing warming food fuels healing, hormones, milk production, and energy.
✨Sleeping and rest supports recovery, mood, and nervous system regulation.
✨Pooping is a key sign digestion, hydration, and the body are functioning well after birth.

The absolute basics… yet often the very things that become hardest to prioritise after having a baby.

These simple things also begin to create rhythm in the early days, a gentle, grounding routine in a time that can otherwise feel unpredictable and all consuming. Coming back to these basics each day helps anchor the body, support recovery, and bring a sense of steadiness to postpartum life 🧡

The more I learned about postpartum, the more I realised my personal "challenging" postpartum experience wasn’t the exception... it was the pattern.

And that says something about how far we’ve drifted from what mothers truly need.

We don’t need stronger mothers.
We need better support.

Because when a mother is well, everything around her benefits.

I can't change the system or society we live in, but I can can educate and support those in my local community.

Please reach out to see how I can support you 💕