Finding our way back

Baby’s here now. Job’s done. Right?

Well, after your baby’s had all their checks and you’ve been asked about contraception, what more needs to be done?

Pelvic floor issues, leaky guts, sore joints, infections, mastitis, diastasis recti, back pain (the list goes on…)

The NHS (like many services) is underfunded, and robust support networks are few and far between. This leaves a vulnerable new mother and their infant alone to navigate what is a huge transitional period. Alongside processing birth, a woman is also experiencing a complete change of identity, from maiden to mother or a mother of one to a mother of two and so on... Each birth is transitional and requires an enormous amount of mental and physical energy.

The culture in the West does not facilitate rest and recovery. After all, we don’t see these two things as productive. Unfortunately, through time, we have lost our ‘village’, our community and our support systems and unless people are able to receive support within their (extended) family unit or from others who see the value of postpartum care, they are often left alone during this time.

This may be the case in the western world, but many other cultures still observe traditional postpartum rituals and practices to avoid ill health in later years. The idea of this is to essentially ‘mother the mother’ through her own metamorphosis into motherhood.

There is no arguing that modern medical knowledge of pregnancy and birth has led to a reduction in maternal and infant mortality rates, but there is total neglect of the postpartum period. When conducting my own research into this, I came across the word ‘care’ being used in this context but medicalising a natural and instinctive process like birth is not what I would consider ‘care’ and unfortunately, in doing so, we have become detached from our natural ability to birth and the multisensory process of infant feeding.

This blog space is going to explore different cultural and traditional postpartum practices and rituals and how they promote recovery and the long-term health of the mother.

Hopefully, together we can find our way back to a place that honours the postpartum.