Welcome and thank you for finding yourself here. Could Postpartum care be the next revolution for Mothers? I believe so. By revitalising ancient wisdom traditions in a modern context to ensure the Mothers in our communities are treated with utmost care and respect. No longer do we need to hold onto the old yet modern image of the "Super Mum" who does everything on her own, strong, independent, but really deep down, tired, depleted, sometimes lonely and in need of soul nourishment. The common saying goes "It takes a village to raise a child" but I believe it takes a village to support a Mother. Support the Mother and the child will thrive.
Many cultures believe in a special window of time in the month after birth where the Mother requires special care from her community. Some various names for this time are; The Golden Month, The Confinement or Seclusion, The Sacred Window. I will explore this more in depth in future blog posts, however most of these cultures hold/held similar beliefs being:
- A Mother must REST and do as little as possible in the 4-6 weeks after birth, sometimes longer
- WARMTH and often massage is necessary to ensure the Mother and baby thrive in a safe and nurturing environment
- Nurturing FOODS and DRINKS to promote great wellbeing, always warm, often with particular herbs in food and tea assisting with healing, easy to digest and extremely nourishing and enjoyable
- SUPPORT from close family and community members. Seclusion was common with limited guests. in fact tone could say there were no guests, only assistance.
- RITUAL celebrating the emergence of a new Mother for every birth not just first time Mum's
Does this sound blissful? All of the above creates a safe warm loving space for Mother and Baby to recover from birth and begin the important and sole job of bonding. While it may need adaptations in the tradition, we can create this in a modern context. With Postpartum depression, anxiety, depletion and other health issues on the rise, I believe we may look back on this short time in history and wonder how we survived before we revived. There are many tools and services available now to ensure Mothers and Babies have the fulfilling Fourth Trimester they deserve.
Are you ready to create or help someone close to you create the Postpartum dream plan? As a Postpartum Doula - some of the many services that I can offer to make this a reality are:
- Warm Nurturing Meal and Drinks, made with organic home grown and local produce and herbs
- Organise a Meal Train with Friends and Family
- Massage and relaxing touch
- Non-judgemental support and referrals if needed in in all areas postpartum
- Belly binding
- Household assistance with chores and children
- Photography in-house and informal to capture the beautiful realness of this time
You, your baby and whole family will benefit immensely by honouring and practising what our Ancestors have done for many generations before us.
Love Shelley
