Why is Postpartum Care a Necessity?
And not a Luxury…
Many people, men and women, (even mothers and grandmothers), may look at Postpartum Care as a luxury.
However, this is a distortion from our collective consciousness that we have been conditioned to believe for generations, simply because it has been unavailable to the majority of Mothers for so long.
I’m walking the path of remembrance and reclamation with Women and Mothers around the world to rewrite this narrative.
The health and wellness of a Mother dictates the health and wellness of her family. This impacts the health and wellness of the community, with the ripple effect flowing to the collective.
If a Mother is supported by community, is well nourished with proper nutrient dense food, is cared for and feels safe, is seen in the duality of the beauty and challenges of being a Mother, and supports her body in overall health and wellness during Postpartum (which is for life, not just the first 40 days), her family and community will be positively impacted - for generations to come. This will also energetically support and heal the women in her lineage who didn’t receive this care, simply because she is the cycle breaker of this pattern of lack of Postpartum Care for generations.
If a Mother doesn’t feel supported or safe, if she is left alone to fend for herself, is eating cold, processed foods on the go, doesn’t have time or space to rest, to tend to her own physical, mental, emotional or spiritual needs, and doesn’t have the resources or knowledge on how to support a healthy Postpartum (which unfortunately is the experience most Mothers have had for generations), this may have a negative impact on the family and community, and ultimately the collective, possibly for generations to come.
This was likely her Mother and Grandmother’s Postpartum experience, leaving an intergenerational imprint of depletion in the lineage of women. This imprint is still running unconsciously in many women today, which is why many see Postpartum Care as a luxury, something only available to the wealthy and privileged, rather than a necessity and birth rite for every Mother and growing family.
As a result of a lack of intergenerational Postpartum Care, we live with outrageously high rates of mental illness (especially Postpartum Depression and Anxiety), autoimmune diseases and chronic illnesses (with upwards of 80% of diagnosis being in women), ADHD and learning disabilities, food sensitives and allergies, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s, just to name a few. There are many contributing factors to this, however a common theme stands out…
Mothers and Grandmothers have been under-nourished, under-resourced and under-supported for generations, having a direct impact on the health and wellness of current generations.
When we look at how we have been caring for and supporting Women and Mothers (or lack thereof) for the last 3-4 generations (although, this goes way farther back than that), a pattern becomes illuminated. During pregnancy, a woman is doted on and watched over at every step of the way from care providers, family, friends and generally respected by overall society. Once a woman gives birth to her baby, all the focus, attention, gifts, gadgets and care is directed to the baby. Yes, the baby also needs a lot of care and attention, but ultimately if the Mother is well cared for and supported, the baby will also be well cared for and supported.
Women are no longer tended to in the Postpartum time, rather they are expected to “bounce back” by getting back to work, getting their pre-pregnancy body back, maintain a household, keep their partner happy and fulfilled, and do all the things they were doing before having a baby, only now with a tiny human(s) who is solely dependent on her 24/7 synched to her hip, with rising rates of single Mothers and absent fathers, with fast and processed food consumption through the roof because of inaccessibility to whole, nutrient dense foods, while navigating the projections and judgments of the world in how she chooses to Mother and care for her family, all with a smile on her face…
(I’m exhausted just writing out a very short list of what Mothers go through on a daily basis, for years…)
It’s easier to see why as a collective we’re so sick, anxious, depressed, disconnected from the Womb and the Mother, and can feel so hopeless at the possible trajectory for future generations if we don’t break, repair and heal this pattern.
The village and traditional, physiological care have been removed in our modern way of life, creating separation from one another, all while bypassing the necessary care required for Mothers and thriving life.
Healing this collective imprint of depletion and disconnection begins with healing Mothers through honoring and supporting them in their Postpartum time in 5 foundational ways:
Rest - dedicated time in bed while having someone else tend to the baby, space to meditate or have a shower, meal prep and take care of household duties, even if only for a couple hours at a time, so her body can heal from the massive changes of pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding;
Warmth - bringing heat back into the body/Womb to replenish depletion from pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, promoting long-term health and wellness well into menopause and the elder years;
Nourishment - warming, well cooked, healing, easily digestible, nutrient dense foods high in protein and fats to replenish nutrient depletion;
Body Care - such as closing of the bones, lymphatic massage, yoni steaming, castor oil packs, pelvic care, reconnecting to the body and nervous system regulation after all the changes of pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding; and
Community Support - women who understand the necessity of Postpartum Care and how to support all of this, sisters, friends, family and shifting the narrative in workplaces/collective consciousness.
Ideally, every woman would prepare in pregnancy to receive this care over the course of the first 6 weeks Postpartum to lay the foundation for long-term health and wellness. However, if you’re out of this time frame (in your first year or 30th year Postpartum, have had a pregnancy loss or an abortion), this care and support still applies to you, since once you have been pregnant and are no longer, Postpartum is lifelong.
This care is intended to support long-term health and wellness, not just the immediate or more obvious early Postpartum time.
It is never too late to break the intergenerational cycle of depletion, to repair and heal the body and Womb through receiving Postpartum Care.
These five Postpartum Care foundations are found in cultural practices around the world, still practiced in many countries and traditions today.
However, in the hustle and grind culture of the West that shames rest and “alternative” care, we have forgotten the connection to the Mother and Womb, and the necessity of Postpartum Care. This sacred time and wisdom has been taken and hidden from us as a result of the patriarchy, capitalism, colonialism and the oppressive systems of which most of the collective operates under.
To heal the collective imprint, we need to begin at home, individually, and through coming together in community once again. This begins with centering the Mother and coming into alignment with the resonance that Postpartum Care isn’t a luxury only for the wealthy and privileged, it’s a necessity and a birth rite for every Woman and Mother who has ever carried a pregnancy.
When we can individually remember and hold space for this, it ignites a flame and remembrance within Women and Mothers everywhere. The intergenerational deficiencies can begin to repair and heal, not only for yourself but for your ancestors and future generations to come.
This time is asking us to remember we came here to thrive, not just survive, to remember the traditional ways of all cultures around the world rooted in our physiology as humans, and to begin merging these traditional practices with new ways in our modern, ever evolving era.
We all come from a Mother. When one Mother begins to heal and is honored, the ripple effect to her family, community and ultimately into the collective, is endless. It’s an honor to hold space and support this remembrance and reclamation.
May the care and healing of your Womb also heal your Mother, Sisters, Grandmothers, and Ancestors. May the healing we do today flow forward to future generations.
Curious about In-Home and Virtual Postpartum Care?
Thank you to my teacher, Rachelle Garcia Seliga of Innate Traditions. Years ago she began to research, remember and reclaim cross-cultural traditional, matriarchal ways of Postpartum Care to repair the intergenerational deficiencies caused by the systems and consciousness we’ve been programmed with, to heal ourselves and future generations to come. Although many practices and traditions are still intact cross-culturally in other parts of the world, she was at the very beginning of this remembrance and teachings now flowing into the collective consciousness.
I am grateful every day for her work, wisdom and knowledge that has been shared with me and women around the world. To be able to walk alongside countless Women and Mothers as we remember, reclaim, repair and heal together is a gift I am grateful for every day.
Thank you to all the Women, in my lineage and beyond, who have laid the path for which this offering can flow through, from ancestors to future generations.
With love, bliss and gratitude,
- Brittany