The Hormonal Crash Nobody Talks About After Birth

Mama Placenta Remedies founder Staci Stewart says postpartum recovery deserves far more understanding and support as women navigate one of the biggest hormonal shifts the body can experience.

We spend nine months preparing for birth.

The hospital bag. The baby clothes. The pram. The nursery.

But very few women are truly prepared for what happens after the baby arrives.

One minute you are pregnant, carrying the highest hormone levels your body has ever experienced. Then within hours after birth, those hormones dramatically drop. It is one of the biggest hormonal shifts a human body can go through, yet so many women are left wondering why they suddenly feel overwhelmed, emotional, anxious, depleted or unlike themselves.

As a placenta specialist working closely with mothers across Ireland, this is something I hear time and time again.

Women often say to me: “Why did nobody warn me?” “I love my baby so much, but I don’t feel like myself.” “I thought I was supposed to bounce back.”

The reality is that postpartum recovery deserves just as much care and attention as pregnancy itself.

Research around postpartum recovery continues to grow, yet many mothers still feel unsupported once the baby arrives. Nutrient depletion, sleep deprivation, hormonal shifts and emotional overwhelm can all happen simultaneously, which is why proper rest, nourishment and support during postpartum are so important for a mother’s wellbeing.

Recent UK statistics suggest that almost half of women experience maternal mental health challenges during pregnancy or in the years following birth. That alone shows how urgently we need to support mothers more deeply, emotionally and physically.

This is one of the reasons I started Mama Placenta, and why more women are turning towards natural postpartum recovery methods, including placenta remedies.

The placenta is an incredible multifunctioning organ. It has supported, nourished and sustained your baby throughout pregnancy while also taking over your hormonal system and regulating the hormones needed to maintain a healthy pregnancy.

It contains nutrients including iron, B vitamins, protein and stem cells, alongside naturally occurring hormones created during pregnancy.

Many mothers choose placenta encapsulation and remedies as a way to gently support the body during that intense hormonal transition after birth. While every woman’s experience is different, many of the mothers I work with report feeling more emotionally balanced and supported with energy levels, replenishment, milk supply and overall recovery during those early postpartum weeks.

What I always explain to mums is that postpartum recovery is not about “bouncing back.” It is about rebuilding.

Your body has gone through pregnancy, birth, blood loss, hormonal shifts and complete life change all at once. Recovery deserves nourishment, patience and support.

For generations, postpartum women were deeply nurtured by their communities. Birth was honoured. Rest, healing, warm foods and recovery were prioritised. Somewhere along the way, many women began feeling pressure to return to normal almost immediately after giving birth.

But mothers were never meant to pour from an empty cup.

For me, this work has never simply been about business.

It is about honouring women during one of the biggest transitions of their lives. It is about helping mothers feel seen, heard and cared for too.

I have now worked with hundreds of women across Ireland, and one thing I know for certain is this: mothers need nurturing just as much as babies do.

We cannot continue expecting women to heal in survival mode.

Postpartum is not six weeks.

Needing support is not failure.

And slowing down after birth is not laziness.

It is biology. It is healing. It is motherhood.

I once read the phrase, “The first 40 days will impact the next 40 years,” and I have never forgotten it.

My hope is that conversations around postpartum recovery and natural modalities like placenta remedies continue becoming more open, honest and supported.

Because when a mother is nourished and cared for, it impacts the entire family.

It is time to start changing the narrative, and I am here for every bit of it.

Mama Placenta Remedies

Email: mamaplacentaremedies@gmail.com
Website: www.mamaplacentaremedies.co.uk