Postpartum Traditions Around the World
Rest, Body Care, and Healing Foods are three main threads that unite all the postpartum traditions from around the world. Though there are differences based on where you give birth, the goal during the weeks of recovery after birth is generally the same: keep mama stationary, warm, and nourished. If done well, mothers have a better chance of exiting their fourth trimester with replenished bodies and minds that are at their best for the journey ahead. Let’s take a look at how some cultures approach these postpartum needs for new mothers.
Rest.
If you give birth in Mexico, for example, you’d enter a period known as La Cuarentena, a 40-day “quarantine” of sorts. The house would be tended to by relatives or your community, helping to prevent you from getting sick with exhaustion. In Ayurveda, an ancient system of holistic medicine from India, you would enter The Sacred Window, which is at least 42 days long, or up to three months, and often spent at your parents’ home where family and community care for you (so that you can focus on your newborn). In Korea, they call this Samchilli, a period of up to 30 days of rest. Over in China, this is called zuo yuezi, and as with other traditions, the idea is the same: new mothers need to rest, and their community does everything in their power to ensure that happens. Across all cultures, there is near unanimous understanding that the postpartum period is around six weeks long, and a mother should be doing as little as possible while her body shifts into its new role.
Body care.
While rest is crucial, postpartum traditions around the world place an enormous emphasis on taking care of the mother’s body and keeping her warm. In some Native American cultures, there are special baths and even sweat lodges that help strengthen circulation after the blood loss from birth. In the Ivory Coast, mothers are bathed in shea butter with healing oils. Similarly, in India, the mother receives daily Ayurvedic oil massages to calm and soothe the excess vata in her system. Had a baby in Malaysia? Expect hot stone massages, exfoliation, and warm baths. If you have the means and give birth in Hong Kong, you can get access to postpartum hotel-spas that specialize in pampering new moms like the heroes they are. In Mexico, you might experience a temazcal (a sweat lodge for warming the body) as part of “La Cerrada,” the closing of the bones ceremony, which includes the wrapping a long cloth (rebozo) around the abdomen and hips to help encourage the return of internal organs to their rightful places after being nudged aside by your little bun.
Food.
The best part of the postpartum traditions around the world is how much food your relatives and community will literally cook and feed you as you rest with your newborn. Expect chicken soup in China and Mexico; blue corn piki bread for Native Americans; nourishing herbal chai and soupy kitchari in India; a seaweed soup in Korea called miyeokguk with beef, chicken, or anchovies; and herbal jamu drink in Indonesia. What ties all these foods together is their warmth, their goal of replenishing nutrients and building strength, their ease-of-digestion, their ability to boost breastmilk production, and their significance in marking a rite of passage. The mother is fed, the baby receives that love through its mother, and after the postpartum period ends, both mother and newborn will be well-nourished and ready for what comes next.
Regardless of the geographical location, postpartum traditions from around the world share a common focus on Rest, Body Care, and Healing Foods to support new mothers during their recovery period. These traditions emphasize the importance of providing ample time for rest and recuperation, with communities and loved ones coming together to ensure the mother's well-being. Body care is also a central aspect, with various cultural practices such as special baths, massages, and herbal treatments aimed at nourishing and warming the mother's body. The preparation and consumption of specific nourishing foods hold a significant place in these traditions, not only to replenish nutrients and boost breastmilk production but also as a symbolic act of love and care for the new mother. Through these shared practices, the postpartum period becomes a time of profound healing and bonding, setting the stage for a healthy and fulfilling journey into motherhood.
