In the 33 years I’ve been in private practice hundreds of women have expressed to me that their current problems with their health began after the birth of the child. She may be dealing with her first child or her fifth. They could even be teenagers or adults. But the mother can recall the onset of symptoms postpartum like it’s yesterday.

The symptoms that start between the first 12 months of pregnancy vary among mothers. The most common symptoms include depression and despair, insomnia, anxiety and lack of confidence. Other symptoms include muscle and joint pains as well as deteriorated skin, hair or nails. It can be frustrating, or even embarrassing, for a woman to reveal symptoms that she has suffered from for many years. It is possible that she has shared her self observations with her doctors, only to discover that they are not worthy of a comforting comment or acknowledgement. Her attempts to connect symptoms and the birth of her child may have met with skepticism. But she can’t get rid of the feeling that that particular birth was what started her health decline.

Her observations have some validity. What mainstream medicine does not fully consider is that a child’s body is completely made of nutrients given by the mother. The mother’s placenta takes nutrients from her bloodstream to make the child’s skin, eye, muscle, bone, glands. nerves, tissue, and fluids.

Mother Nature will prioritize the health of the mother over her baby’s development if vital nutrients are lacking. In the immediate postpartum period, all mothers should replenish their lost energy and nutrition reserves. It is vital that they do this, or they will spend the rest of the life wondering why “they just don’t feel like themselves since the baby was delivered.”

Even if the mother is not getting enough sleep and is nursing, caring for her baby can drain her of nutrients. When a mother has lost large amounts of blood in the birthing process, it is more important than ever to replenish the nutritional elements of her blood. Women who are undergoing Cesarean sections also need nutrient replenishment. Not only have they become moms, but they’ve had major surgery. Women who experience a significant loss of blood during birth and don’t replenish important nutrients can suffer from headaches or lightheadedness. They may also feel anxious, depressed, and sleepless.

A new mother must also balance the demanding needs of a newborn baby with her other responsibilities, such as caring for her mate or children. She may even have to return to work. Women, and those that they care about, have assumed these responsibilities since the dawn of time. But this requires high-quality nutrition. The depletion in nutrients in our soil is the reason why today’s food contains only half of what it did back in 1940. The fact that a mother cannot replenish her nutrient reserves, which she donated to her child’s body, solely with the food she consumes, is a very frustrating and difficult situation. Eating highly processed, refined “junk food” further depletes vital nutrition. This makes it more difficult to replenish postnatal nutritional reserves.

The human body relies on nutrients for every physiological process. The best time to replenish your postpartum nutrient reserve is between 24 months and immediately after delivery. In many cases, chronic health problems can develop if you do not replenish your postpartum nutrient reserves.