Kristin Hauser

Every step you take towards your reborn self as mother in the first years postpartum is soul nourishment. Yesterday I did something that should have happened months and months ago. I bought myself new underwear for the first time since my daughter was born nearly 21 months ago. And as you may know pregnancy and early postpartum basically wreck all clothing but especially underwear! It’s a small thing, a simple pleasure to have clothes that fit and feel current to who I am n...ow. Yet, it’s in these small ways you show up for yourself and your desires postpartum that add up to a more seismic shift in your your capacity to center your well-being. In a culture that doesn’t. While caring for a baby and perhaps other young children. It’s through these micro adjustments and tiniest of reclamations of your body space that you stabilize your identity and emerge anew. It can feel painstakingly SLOW. But rest assured it is not. Differentiation of a motherbaby dyad happens over a long period of time. 7-8 years according to East Asian Medicine. Yet, time has a new meaning and trajectory now on the other side of birth. Things are changing in every moment. And all you need to do is take the next step. Do the next smallest action for your own nourishment and healing. Lean in to your new found desires. Be willing to find YOU again. You are so worth it. . . . #postpartum #postpartumjourney #postpartumlife #maternalhealth #postpartumhealing #wombwisdom #motherheart #honestmothering #somatichealing #postpartumcare

Why are postpartum periods so heavy at times? Do periods tend to get better or worse when they return after birth? What happens when fertility is an issue after a first birth? These are all questions I address in my most recent blog post about the return of fertility postpartum and period problems after birth. The wisdom of East Asian Medicine sees the birth and immediate postpartum time as an opportunity to heal womb and hormonal health issues at the root level.... Yet if postpartum care is not attended to or the birth was challenging or traumatic, underlying deficiencies or even new issues can rise to the surface. Link in bio to read more. . . . Image by @studio.marilyn #postpartumhealth #postpartumfertility #fertility #periodproblems #menstrualhealth #wombhealth #hormonalhealth #postpartumhormones #eastasianmedicine #tcm #chinesemedicine

BELONGING AND SAFETY Your belonging is in your aliveness. This past year I unearthed one of my core wounds of feeling that I don’t belong. And I’ve had to face all its faceted beauty and complexity in various situations.... Through that I’ve found freedom and power in my own enoughness, renewed and rooted vitality and a current of creativity. It hasn’t been without real challenge. There were many moments where I was scanning for safety and belonging externally. Which I’ve seen reflected back by what’s happening in the collective as 2020 shifted the ground beneath our feet. Scanning the external environment is useful and needed, as long as we don’t get stuck there. In East Asian Medicine, the Gall Bladder gives us the courage to do this while the Yang Wei extra vessel gives us capacity to make sense of external circumstances coming into the system and pivot accordingly. Under the surface, our core essence (related to the Chong vessel) can give us an unshakable sense of belonging that isn’t as easily affected by external circumstances. That is not to diminish our real need for human connection and lived experience of community. Yet, belonging is inherent to being alive. And interdependence is not in opposition to sovereignty. Yin and Yang. They only exist in relationship to one another. Wherever you find yourself this year, I hope you can root into your own belonging. Your own aliveness and joy. Your own enoughness. . . . by @naomi_read_photography #belonging #nervoussystemregulation #chinesemedicine #eastasianmedicine #wombwisdom #somatichealing #somaticintelligence #nervoussystemhealth #breastfeedingtoddler #coregulation

The depths of the Yin time of year are upon us and this important reminder is rising to the surface. The womb longs for you to express your truest nature. In East Asian Medicine, the womb is the origin place of the Chong vessel, also known as the Penetrating vessel, Sea of Blood or Sea of undifferentiated Yin and Yang.... It’s a prenatal vessel that holds your truest nature and contains all you need to fulfill your destiny in this life. It’s power and potential can be a wellspring for LIFE. To remember this root place and let it guide your life is a dance of honoring your own blood and your bloodlines, embodying your truth and trusting your deepest self. Be with your womb in the coming weeks to remember who you are and invite more of you forward. . . . #yinpower #eastasianmedicine #chinesemedicine #wombmedicine #wombwisdom #tcm #yinyang #wombwellness #wombhealing

Last week I got in touch with a colleague and friend that I hadn’t talked to in several months. She’s an exceptional practitioner and I know she cares deeply about the women who work with her. She has poured herself into her business for years. Through our conversation she shared with me that she has decided to close her practice. That as a mother of young children, nothing feels sustainable and she needs to reassess. I truly empathized with her. I also felt immediate relief ...in knowing that the intensity that I’m navigating myself is not a personal problem. We (mothers) are all facing an intensity that is unprecedented. Most of us are facing decisions that don’t have easy solutions, yet we need to find the best of the worst and make it work. I don’t have the answers but I do know that I’m simply trusting myself to take each next best step towards a future that feels generative and good. For my family and for all of us. And you can take the next best steps too. . . . #motherwisdom #motherdaughter #mothersinbusiness #wombwisdom #acupuncturist

HEALING PERIOD PROBLEMS Part 3 Regulate Inner Earth (AKA your blood sugar) Not only is healing the physical gut lining and assimilation process important for menstrual health but regulating Inner Earth (which is the Spleen + Stomach in Chinese Medicine) is also essential.... The Earth element (and therefore digestion) loves rhythms and rituals that support stable blood sugar (the amount of energy available in circulation!). And your ovaries are very sensitive to blood sugar instability (too high or too low), as is the liver but we’ll save that for later. So here are 3 simple steps to start ensuring your blood sugar remains more stable over time Refined sugar is really not your friend here. We all have it occasionally so when you do pair it with fat and protein to slow uptake. . Don’t skip breakfast. In fact, if possible eat a protein and fat rich meal within an hour of waking. This really helps you for the rest of the day. . Eat consistently and eat enough. Just because you can go long periods of time without eating doesn’t mean you should. Feeling hungry and noticing that at a sensation level is good! But waiting or skipping meals (not listening to your gut impulses) can cause problems long term. Regulating your blood sugar can go a long way in creating hormonal resilience AND also regulating mental emotional health! Inner Earth is also responsible for digesting and assimilating emotions and life experiences. So when our physiology isn’t going off the rails between high and low blood sugar, we have more capacity in tending to our emotional life. There’s a lot here. Save it, share it, re-read it when you need to. I’ll share more about the Liver and it’s tendency towards STAGNATION next! Drop any questions below and take that one next step for your womb cycle vitality. . . . Art by @artistic_flaws_ #periodproblems #menstrualhealth #digestivehealth #guthealing #pcos #bloodsugarbalance #hormonalhealth #wombhealth #wombmedicine #digestivereset

HEALING PERIOD PROBLEMS Part 2 Tend Inner Earth by healing your gut + feeding your primal body It’s not just about what you eat, although I think that’s important (see below!), but more importantly about what your body is able to assimilate from the food you eat. ... The menstrual cycle requires a lot of macro and micro-nutrients! And if you’re digestive system is inflamed or lacks overall integrity the body will lack substance to generate hormones and blood. In other words, it will reflect in your cycle! Many of these nutrients are most bioavailable in animal foods like Pastured eggs and chicken Grass fed beef and butter (*maybe* raw milk if digested well) Organ meats, especially liver Wild caught fish like salmon, mackerel, cod, sardines Oysters, mussels, clams Pasture raised pork Ok, I think you get it, animal protein is where it’s at IMO and according to research and ancestral wisdom . Ample (saturated!) fats, protein and some carbs too are all essential for keeping your body (especially those ovaries!) well nourished. Summary: Be sure you’re eating enough nutrient dense food! Fresh veggies and fruit included here. And...get the gut healing support you need. The Fall Digestive Reset is underway but you can start it for yourself anytime (link in bio). More on Inner Earth soon. It’s ESSENTIAL for healing period problems. . . . Artist unknown #periodart #periodproblems #periodhealth #menstrualhealth #womenshealth #guthealing #ancestraldiet #guthealth #nutrition #chinesemedicine #wombhealing #digestivereset

HEALING PERIOD PROBLEMS Part 1 Whether you’re looking for solutions to End menstrual pain... Heal your hormones and find resilience Get regular cycles again Stop the heavy flow or endless spotting End the PMS cycle Prepare for a healthy pregnancy Get regular periods again postpartum Find ease in cycles after 40 What will get you closer to your own womb cycle vitality and expression is similar! Yes, there is room for nuance and bio-individual approaches YET the essentials to root level healing remain the same. I’m listing these in linear fashion but really there’s a lot of overlap happening and it truly is a cyclical or spiraling journey! 1Heal your gut (Inner Earth ) + feed your primal body 2Regulate Inner Earth (aka regulate your blood sugar and more!) 3Liberate your Liver from stagnation!4Connect to your pleasure and unwind sexual shame 5Orient towards the womb heart connection and integrate emotions I’m going to break these down in 5 upcoming posts, so if you have a specific question comment below! I’ll be sure you’re able to find a place to enter the healing menstrual matrix and begin. Save it, share it and be sure to follow along for details about each of these threads are woven to create hormonal resilience. . . . Image by @bertaartigal #periodproblems #periodart #healyourhormones #hormonalhealth #wombhealth #periodpain #menstrualhealth #chinesemedicine #fertility #carlsbadca #vistacalifornia #encinitasca

Before you keep scrolling by thinking I’m promoting some industrial medical model crap, hear me out... I despise the term geriatric pregnancy and don’t believe there is such a thing. Pregnancy after 35 and even after 40 is normal and healthy. While the medical model will argue day and night about increased risk, I won’t. We’re all adults and can assess the very abstract concept of risk for ourselves.... Ok, so with that said why is it that I’m still talking about how period health and fertility tend to shift around 35? It’s because women move through life in 7 year cycles of JING. Jing is the Chinese Medicine term for our Essence, or otherwise known as our genetic material. It’s what we come into life with and it is finite! It’s related to our constitution and you could also say our ovarian reserve (yet another misogynistic medical term IMO). So, 35, give or take a few years based on many other factors (constitution, lifestyle, diet, trauma history etc), is when there is a shift in how JING is utilized and may reflect in fertility ever so slowly declining. This often means some subtle (or not to subtle!) shifts in period health, like Shorter or lighter periods Shorter cycles (indicating earlier ovulation or shorter luteal phase or both) Occasional irregularity or anovulatory cycles Increased PMS symptoms (fatigue, headaches, bloating, mood changes, night sweating or feelings of heat etc) Heavy bleeding or spotting This is often rooted in the decline of PROGESTERONE and possibly more fluctuations in estrogen levels. The good news is that with the right support you can have normal, healthy cycles well into your 40’s and even conceive if you so desire. More on how to heal period problems at the root level and create long term hormonal resilience in upcoming posts! Post inspired by my newsletter: Womb Tending Weekly. Link in bio to join! . . . #periodhealth #menstrualhealth #fertilityafter35 #fertility #womenshealth #fertilityacupuncture #periodproblems #chinesemedicine #progesterone #wombhealth #hormonalhealth

Monday message for mamas What you’re asking of yourself day in and day out is not normal for humans. You are not diseased. You live in a diseased environment.... You’re not failing. I’m sure like so many other mamas out there, you’re finding a million workarounds to create more community and possibilities for thriving. Your needs may go unmet far more often than you would like to examine. There is absolutely no need to add guilt on top of that and push yourself into some form of self-care that feels like another project. Your well-being Your pleasure Your desire Your hormonal resilience Your vitality Your rest Are not projects! They are an essential part of the solution and we also need systemic change that honors mothers and families and allows all babies to have a good start to life. Some days I’m tapped into the oxytocin current and some days I just want to be alone. And of course there’s a wide range of experience between those! For me, motherhood has been about embracing the full range of existence. I see you and honor wherever it is you are today. . . . #motherhood #motherson #motherhealth #postpartum #postpartumhealing #wombwisdom #motherwisdom #sandiegomoms

DIGESTIVE RESET RESISTANCE I know some of you are interested in the Digestive Reset (hi for those already in!) but experience a lot of resistance around committing to the dietary changes which require saying bye to the following for 4 weeks Dairy (butter or ghee can be an exception)... Gluten grains Corn Industrialized meat and animal products Soy Processed foods Refined sugar Coffee and caffeine (green tea can be an exception) Yeah, it’s a big change if you’re not used to this kind of anti-inflammatory diet that focuses on pasture raised meat, veggies, fats and some carbs. And for what it’s worth, I’m typically not recommending this long term unless there is a clear food sensitivity or issue. Although, personally I stay pretty close to this all the time. 80/20. However, what if your resistance is happening at the gut level and it’s not just about mind or will power? Even if you know you need this or want to improve your gut and hormonal health, guess what?!? Your microbiome and all the microbes living there are pretty content with the way things are. Changing your diet means that some of those not-so-helpful microbes will die off and they don’t want that. That’s right, your microbiome to some extent influences cravings and preferences. Change this aspect of Inner Earth, the soil, and your relationship to food and nourishment also changes. Resistance may be coming from your gut and showing you where you need change the most. Only you can discern that. Fall Reset group starts making changes and setting boundaries tomorrow. But the reality is you can start this process anytime! Link in bio for more! . . . by @naomi_read_photography #digestivehealth #guthealing #chinesemedicine #guthealth #digestivereset #wombmedicine #hormonalhealth #microbiomehealth #womenshealth

HORMONAL RESILIENCE Very intentionally, you won’t hear me speak of hormonal balance very often. I do use it when I’m responding to questions with that wording; however, I think it represents a limited understanding of how hormones actually function in the body. There is never a true balance point. Like Yin and Yang, there may be moments of some form of dynamic equilibrium but the reality is that our body is responding to its environment (internal and external) in every moment.... This environment includes The food we eat and what we assimilate from that food Endocrine disrupting chemicals in food, water, air and all kinds of products Stress states, nervous system patterns and ideally ample access to embodied pleasure All the various layers of the microbiome And emotional processing, relationship patterns, thoughts and ancestral information Hormonal resilience is about learning how to navigate your internal and external environment, lean into your own body signals and make small course corrections as needed. This is not about achieving an ultimate balance or continuing to dig around looking for potential problems. There will always be something! Hormonal resilience is about feeling good throughout the womb cycle continuum, knowing when something seems off and being able to address it. It’s about trusting your body, listening to the physiological undercurrent of your hormonal matrix and maintaining agency in the process. Our primal body needs often go unmet in the modern world. You can reclaim nourishment and healing for yourself and shift long-standing patterns. Still time to jump into the Fall Digestive Reset if you want more hormonal healing and resilience now. . . . #hormonalhealth #healyourhormones #healyourwomb #menstrualhealth #periodproblems #hormonalimbalance #hormonalresilience #digestivereset #guthealth

Are you ready to improve your digestive and hormonal health while also increasing your capacity to assimilate and ENJOY life? Here’s some of what people have experienced from participating in the Digestive Reset for Hormonal Resilience **Better, easier periods and improved cycle health... **Increased capacity for emotional regulation **Easier digestion and increased energy (less bloating, constipation and the like!) ** Better sleep and mental clarity **More PLEASURE with eating and embodied wisdom around what your body truly needs to THRIVE This is a 4 week process of following a simple anti-inflammatory, nutrient dense diet and incorporating other healing practices to revitalize your gut health and create lasting hormonal resilience. It doesn’t require a lot of additional time or for food prep. And although it can be challenging to make dietary changes, it’s only 28 days and you’ll have so much support along the way! If I can do it and so many others have done it already, I know you can too. We start this Thursday 10/22 with a live call to help you prepare for the process! If you’re feeling called to claim this for your own agency, nourishment and healing, check out the link below. Gut health is your Inner Earth, the soil from which your vitality is sustained and nourished. Come home to your body as the rich ecosystem that it is, ready to heal from the inside out. Link below to join! Comment if you have questions. Exchange: $97 - lifetime course access, reset offered Spring and Fall. https://www.wombmedicine.com/digestive-reset/

What are the roots of womb cycle vitality and lasting hormonal resilience? Ok, let’s be real there are many but here are my top 3. 1Gut health! Yes the physiology of digestion and assimilation are essential. And what you eat truly does matter for how your physiology + hormones work (or reflects symptoms!). However here you also fortify your capacity to digest emotions and life experiences, as well as discern what’s needed for YOUR unique healing.... 2Sexual Identity Integration. Here you unearth and transform shame - body shame, menstrual shame, sexual shame. You also unlearn harmful cultural narratives around sex and (re)claim body literacy, embodied pleasure, consent and sexual power. 3Healing your relationship to YIN (aka the Feminine or the Mother wound). This is a deep inner journey of bringing the shadow to the surface and integrating it for your wholeness. YIN is dark, wet, rich with substance, heavy and full of creative potential. Here you learn to slow down, trust your body and find lasting nourishment. The root network that connects these three main roots is one of somatic healing and embodiment. The soil is the food you eat and what nutrition you can assimilate from that food. All other roots can somehow be traced back to these three. The Digestive Reset is all about 1. Link in bio to join! First live call Thursday. Start where you are. Trust whatever the next step is for you. . . . Art by @ximen.art #guthealth #guthealing #digestivehealth #wombmedicine #hormonehealing #hormonalhealth #sexualhealth #femininesexuality #embodiment

A message for mothers. One of my dearest Chinese Medicine teachers, also a very wise woman and mother, was once discussing the extraordinary meridian most commonly associated with mothering (the Ren Mai). She explained that one of the lessons of this meridian and archetype is that Yes, you can have it all. You just can’t have it all right now.... This has always stuck with me. I wasn’t a mother when I heard this but I’ve leaned into this truth through the years. Now as a physical mother, it’s orienting, grounding and permission giving. It’s ok to long for more. I would say it’s required to really change the culture around birth and mothering. Mothers are master creators, life givers and life sustainers. Certain seasons require more of us than we could have ever conceived of, and yet we can also tap into the great web of life with ferocity and resourcefulness. We must, after all, gather energy from somewhere. Whether it’s the great mystery. Or our children’s laughter. Their smell. An hour alone. A night with a beloved. Or a simple walk in nature. You deserve to feel supported, nourished and held. Your dreams and ambition is important. Your body’s needs are part of the web of our essential human needs. Your longings and heartbreaks and breakthroughs are valuable beyond measure. 2020 has reminded us of how mothers are valued in the cultural narrative and it’s not pretty. No one is coming to save us or make it all better. Feelings of connection, support and nourishment will wax and wane. It’s up to us to say enough. I will take more than what is being offered. I will slow down enough to truly enjoy and receive in and through mothering. I will remain rooted in joy and pleasure, even through the longest, toughest days. I will have it all, in right timing and in right relationship. And ALL is unique to me and not defined by what culture expects of me. Loving you mamas. . . . by @naomi_read_photography #motherhood #postpartum #postpartumhealing #motherhoodrising #yin #wombwisdom #motherhoodunplugged #motherdaughter #pleasure