Meet Valerie Lynn of The Mommy Plan in Sherman Oaks

Today we’d like to introduce you to Valerie Lynn.

Valerie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My name is Valerie Lynn, and I’m a Jersey girl, who fell in love with Asia. If you are my friend you know my love of all things Asian, especially Southeast Asia. My Asian journey started at university and continues to be a large part of my life today. I have been living overseas for 25 years – Japan, the U.K., Indonesia, Australia, and Malaysia. In Japan, I taught American business culture; through travel, I fell in love with Southeast Asia. I designed my life deliberately, to remain living and working abroad, while at the same time, deepening my knowledge, and experience of the world. I pursued graduate studies in the U.K., at the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), the oldest institution in the world to study Africa and Asia. In 2000 returned to live and work in Malaysia and have had opportunities to spend time in Australia and Indonesia. Now life takes me between New York, Los Angeles, and Malaysia, but I will always be a traveler as its in DNA.

I have been introducing the Eastern practices of after birth care, and recovery, since 2010. I like to say that my son was, “made in Malaysia and born in America.” I became pregnant, with my then Australian, husband, while living in Malaysia and gave birth to my son in New Jersey in May 2007. We returned to the U.S. in October 2006, and during my third trimester, and learned there are no specific postnatal recovery guidelines followed in America. There were no postnatal practitioners that came to your home to provide the caring postnatal services. There were no after birth recovery spas that I could go to have my battered body cared for and weakened, core massaged and wrapped while my body put itself together again. It was strange to me as I expected there to be a Westernized version of the amazing holistic, post-baby services that I was introduced to in Malaysia, but there was nothing.

I gave birth to my son in May 2007 and we returned to Malaysia that August, just three months later. I was offered a demanding position as Executive Director of the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce began in October, five months postnatal. Over the next nine months, I began having intrusive thoughts about my son. I didn’t understand why they were happening. In May 2008, a year after giving birth, while reading Mother’s Day articles out of the U.S., I had a life-changing paradigm shift. First, I realized that I had been experiencing symptoms of postpartum anxiety and OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder).

The anxiety I had been experiencing was focused on my son and his safety, not my job. As I had “a clean mental health history” I kept the intrusive thoughts that popped up into my mind to myself, even from my son’s father. I felt, somehow, I was going to accidentally hurt, or, kill my son. To offset the anxiety, I performed re-occurring actions to ensure “nothing bad would happen” such as holding him tightly to me or checking doors and windows were locked and driving different routes. It was a mentally, and physically, exhausting year. Second, I learned that postpartum mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) are very common in the U.S. with over one million new Mothers annually, or a rate of 25%, labeled with a postpartum mood disorder. Third, I also learned, that same day, that the rate of postpartum mood disorders in Malaysia is just 3%. I knew it had to be attributed to their specific postnatal recovery guidelines that are meant to protect a new Mother and newborn, so she could have a strong, healthy, balanced recovery and her baby could thrive from the Mother’s undivided focus. I turned to the Malaysian postnatal recovery practices to naturally recuperate and hormonally rebalance myself. My experience was nothing short of remarkable. I hormonally rebalanced my body in 2-3 months and the anxiety faded away. From that point in my life, I had to know the reasoning, or the science, behind why and how.

I went on to discover that Malaysia is the global benchmark in this field, as 3% is the lowest rate in the world for PMADs. Malaysian postnatal practices were not written down in-depth, or in English. Therefore, I delved into researching their philosophies, beliefs, practices, services and herbal products through the Malaysian Ministry of Health via the Traditional Complementary Medicine Department. I went into hospitals, government agencies, herbal manufacturers, spas, and interviewed postnatal specialists and generations of women and men. Malaysian postnatal heritage is a holistic trifecta of its three ethnic groups the Malay, Chinese and Indian cultures, all of which have unique influences. My research culminated in my book, The Mommy Plan, Restoring Your Post-Pregnancy Body Naturally Using Women’s Traditional Wisdom (2019, 2012). I put anatomy, medical and food science behind core tenants of the Malaysian postnatal protocol. I then adapted it for a Western diet and lifestyle so it could be understood and incorporated by new Mothers in the United States, and elsewhere, where there is no postnatal heritage to refer to. I’ve also created a private cookbook, Healing Meals: Simple Recipes for New Moms, that I use for clients that I may decide to publish in 2020.

What I found most interesting is that Malaysian postnatal philosophies and practices focus-on, and harness, the “active, process of the revision of pregnancy.” i.e. when the body is releasing the retained elements of water, fat, and air, re-balancing hormones, toning the uterus and replenishing energy and blood loss. It is truly fascinating.

Has it been a smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road and continues to be challenging due to the lack of importance placed on the recovery, rehabilitation, and restoration, of a new Mother. This is in light of the identified #1 complication from pregnancy and childbirth being postpartum mood disorders such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, psychosis and so forth. It is a false, cultural belief in the U.S. that the process of the revision of pregnancy, albeit being a natural process, does not need to be actively managed. I cannot understand why organizations, companies, and professionals in the birthing industry, or not, are not interested to examine the preventative measures of the Malaysian postnatal protocol when it has the identified, global lowest rate of PMADs. I have approached many organizations and they simply are not interested. We identify pre-postpartum mood disorders to a confirmed diagnosis of postpartum mood disorders but there are no preventative measures promoted to reduce theses very real risks for new Mothers. Therefore, as a culture, we must look to other cultures that have clearly identified, evidence-based practices. We have no choice.

Indeed, the process of revision of not only pregnancy that is managed but also of miscarriage, stillborn birth and abortion, which are considered much more serious due to the abrupt discontinuation of the of pregnancy. These situations are closely managed and monitored in other cultures where specific foods, strengthening herbs and body care are provided to ensure a holistic recuperation takes place to heal the womb. New Mothers in America experience a weakened, prolonged recovery lasting years. This can be attributed to having no postnatal recovery guidelines that result in a random vs. a planned recovery. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Being ahead of the trend has put me in a ‘pioneering position,’ which means no one is looking for my services and products because they do not know they exist, which still remains accurate today.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
I founded the Post-Pregnancy Wellness Company in 2010, to provide western women with specific postnatal, natural, herbal products, services and knowledge that gives women direction to help her post-baby body heal from the inside-out. I am the first foreigner to earn a certificate in Malaysian Postnatal Healing and Massage from a Malaysian University in 2011. I developed a workshop, Traditional Postpartum Recovery Practices, that is held at the Malaysian Permanent Mission to the United Nations, NYC. I developed a corporate lunch and learn talk, The Mommy Plan Workshop, that I’ve held at organizations such as Johnson & Johnson.

I am on the board of a Malaysian NGO, YASNITA, supporting women entrepreneurs. I provide bone broth to new Moms and birthing centers, through my community project Broth for Moms and Babes. I have a registrar of Malaysian postnatal practitioners on overseas assignments for 2 – 6 weeks to provide live-in postnatal care services. Currently, this is gaining popularity in the United Arab Emirates and I am expanding this service to the United States. In July 2019, I opened the Post-Pregnancy Wellness Boutique of Los Angeles in Sherman Oaks, California. I import all-natural, herbal Malaysian postnatal recovery products, books and postnatal abdominal garments.

I call myself a Postnatal Care Specialist / Postpartum Doula. I specialize in assisting, coaching and caring for new Mothers through postnatal re-education and preparation for recovery during the most challenging and important times of their lives. Pregnancy does not always end up in childbirth, which is also a topic we do not address in the U.S. In these situations, the body and womb, need special attention to heal and recover as the pregnancy was abruptly released. Hormonally, the body was put in motion and is reversing the same manner as in a full-term pregnancy. In my opinion, new Mothers, and women having gone through pregnancy loss are placed in the most misunderstood and difficult situations of their lives. I provide women with the most effective, evidence-based knowledge and tools so they can recover better, faster and stronger than what is currently offered in the U.S. I do not believe it’s in the best interest of a new Mother to have a random recovery from pregnancy and childbirth.

I created an, in-person and on-line, Postnatal Recovery Coaching Program for expecting Mothers, that provides post-pregnancy re-education and preparation, taking advantage of what I call, the “Healing Window of Opportunity.” The puerperium period, or the first six weeks after birth, is a unique time when a new Mother’s metabolism can surge up to seven times the normal rate, as the body releases the retained elements of water, fat and flatulence. This surge is understood in Eastern cultures and is referred to as one of the three “golden periods in a woman’s life when she can dramatically improve her long-term health and reshape her body.

The program is guided by the science and evidence-based proof that supports the success of the Malaysian practices resulting in the low rate of PMADs of 3% but adapted for a western diet and lifestyle. It combines postnatal nutrition and meals, abdomen, womb and body care, personal care products, gentle exercises, mental health checks, mantras, affirmations, including postnatal pre-cautions – that we aren’t aware of here in the U.S. that may set back a new Mother’s recovery. The surge period culminates in what the Malaysian’s call a sacred closing bath, that identifies the completion of the intense healing period.

The postnatal meal planning and/or service is customized by each client’s preferences with a combination of renowned postnatal meals from around the world, herbal teas, drinks, broths, snacks and desserts. The combination of meal suggestions and recipes are those that contain ingredients that have a purpose beyond flavor and sustenance. They are ingredients that stimulate, facilitates and support the body’s innate healing capabilities. This is truly a situation when the body is depleted of nutrients, energy and blood, and needs food to be its medicine to restore itself. These types of recipes are chosen, as well as recipes from my upcoming cookbook – Healing Meals: Simple Recipes for New Moms (2020); that are inspired by the food science behind the traditional postnatal diet do’s and don’ts and have been applied to a western diet. I describe the postnatal-inspired recipes by the following evolution; you have a basic meatloaf recipe, then make it a “healthy” meatloaf recipe, and finally a “postnatal” meatloaf recipe.

I opened the Post-Pregnancy Wellness Boutique of Los Angeles in Sherman Oaks, California, where I provide services for new Moms, imported postnatal products from Malaysia and training for birth professionals. Postnatal ala cart services such as abdominal care, preparation and wrapping and yoni steaming services. I represent a Malaysian manufacturer and import a Postnatal Care Set consisting of a carefully selected collection of products and a postpartum abdominal wrap as a Do-It-Yourself kit. It comes with printable product usage charts for daily usage and product usage videos.

I’m proud that The Wing, a co-working space for women, with 500K followers on Instagram posted a picture of me and referred to me as “a brilliant thought leader of postnatal care.” 😊 I’m proud, and humble, that the Malaysian people and its establishments of government, corporates, media and educational organizations believe, endorses and supports me. I have been invited to represent Malaysia at the Malaysian Embassy, Washington D.C. and the Malaysian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, as well as within Malaysia. I am proud that my workshop was awarded 8.5 CEUs (continuing education units) by DONA International (Doulas of North America). I am proud to be the International Country Co-Ordinator of Malaysia for Postpartum Support International (PSI) since 2011. I am very lucky that we have a family home in Malaysia, and I get to be part of and call this wonderful country home for the rest of my life.

Is our city a good place to do what do you do?
A big, shout out goes to my son, Jordan, for the obvious reason of changing the trajectory of my life. He is my heart that walks on this earth. Another shout out to the Malaysian people and its government that endorses and supports me to this day. Thank you, Malaysia, and its many kinds and gracious people that schooled me believed in me, and sent me off with many blessings, to share your deep, cultural knowledge with the rest of the world. Malaysia has truly captured my heart. I share, with permission, and confidence, of my many Malaysian mentors and friends including Puan Aini, Faridah and Shams, Fazil, Fauziah, Puan Diana, Nurul Shams, Syhadeehah, and Anil Pillay. My American crew – family of Donna, Edward and Matthew Szkodny and Beth VanPelt, and friends Michy Maldanado, Sarita Prado, Jill Magoffin, Sara Diamond, Michelle DeCarlo, Renee Ingle and Doug ‘Awesome’ Dawson. Thank you for always being there. And just so many more…

Contact Info:

• Address: 13743 Riverside Drive
  Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
• Website: The Mommy Plan, www.themommyplan.com
• Email: [email protected]

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