Bringing a new life in to this world is a sacred time in a woman’s life involving many changes which when understood and supported can lead to a more easeful transition for mother, baby, partner, extended family and community. Traditionally, this time in a person’s life is honored with rites of passages and acts of preparation prior to conception to prepare for pregnancy, during pregnancy and after birth care. In more traditional ways of living, communal and familial care was a necessity to ensure a harmonious transition for parents and baby to settle into the new energy that has come through.  While there is a lot of information today about how to prepare for birth, prenatal nutrition and care, there is still very little information on the importance of post partum care, in particular the importance of specific nutritional and dietary needs of a birther the first 42 days after giving birth.

In order to re-establish balance after childbirth, proper routines, foods and body treatments lead to a full recovery.  The first 42 days postpartum is a time where a woman’s body and mind are even more sensitive to what it is being ingested both in outer and inner worlds. The postpartum window is said to be a time that will impact the next 42 years of a woman’s life. If this window is filled with nourishment and care, then this will follow for the next 42 years of her life and if met with depletion and exhaustion, this too can follow into the next 42 years of life and for this reason, postpartum care is vital to the health and well being of mother, baby, family and community.

Many traditional cultures around the world are attuned to the importance of deeply caring for the mother for the first month postpartum and know that it is imperative to the family unit, new baby and community that our mothers are nurtured in this sacred time of their life.  These practices are still widely used in many parts of the world and in recent years are making their way back into the western world.