The First 40 Days: A Cultural And Historical Picture Of New Motherhood

The first 40 days post-birth are treated as a time of care, rest, and healing in many places around the world. It's treated as a time of community, of people coming together to help a recently postpartum mother with feeding, cleaning, and care. It’s a time for physical healing from birth—which can be a traumatic experience—and a time for buoying the mental health of a new mother, which can be fragile in the massive transformative experience of birth and caring for a baby.

While there has been an increase in concern for birth trauma in the United States, further acknowledgement is needed regarding the harm caused by the way post-birth mothers are treated in a pervasive corporatized hustle culture. Beyond that, Western assumptions suggest that childbearing is a luxury or individual responsibility alone, instead of a human process that calls on a community for support. Still, there is progress. Traumatic birth experiences and birth PTSD are being discussed more openly, instead of being written off as the “baby blues”. But could it be better? 

Before you begin, remember that our professionals are always here to help

New Motherhood Practices Around The World

Let’s take a world tour of different customs established to help with preventing and healing traumatic birth experiences. Each of these customs are built on a long history of maternal care, but often incorporate practices over time to adapt to modern times.

Indigenous Doula Support 

With an increasing understanding of birth trauma and PTSD, comes an increasing attempt for different cultures to reach back to traditional birth support methods, to find things that have worked before and can work again today. In some indigenous cultures, doula support with connection to traditional medicines, rituals, and community practices is becoming more and more accessible. 

Indigenous birth workers, such as Aspen Mirabal of New Mexico, try to close the time gap between previous attempts to erase cultural practices, and today, bringing community, tradition, and birth support into a time with access to modern medical care. This reaching back to new mothers in the past, to let new mothers thrive today, is a practice that heals trauma in both new mothers, and in their community.

La Cuarantena

La cuarantena is a Latin tradition for 40 days after birth, and is a time of enforced rest for a new mother. It involves no housework, no cooking, and lots of help from family and friends, particularly the women of the family. The mom and baby are left in solitude to allow for bonding and breastfeeding, and the dad is asked to sleep elsewhere so the couple wait to have sex. Bland but nutritious foods are offered to help with healing and to boost breastmilk production, and it’s not uncommon to use a post-birth belly wrap called a faja to help support the abdomen as the body heals from birth. 
It was found that during COVID-19 lockdowns in some countries, women who had to go without la cuarantena suffered mentally, in ways that were additional to the stressors of the lockdowns themselves. 

Midwife Home Visits and Pelvic Floor Therapy

It is common in many countries, worldwide, to have daily or weekly midwife visits after giving birth. These visits can be paid for by the parents of the new baby but also are often state sponsored and provided by national healthcare systems. These daily visits mean the new mother knows someone actually cares about her healing, which can help detect birth trauma or PTSD early.

Birth traumas aren’t solely mental health concerns, but physical traumas can persist due to the birthing process. In Belgium and France, pre- and post-birth pelvic floor physical therapy sessions are provided to any mother, which can both prevent and heal dysfunction that might come from being pregnant and giving birth. 

Sitting The Month

Sitting the month is a Chinese tradition that is around 2000 years old, at least. The first month after a woman gives birth is considered a time of hazard to her health, where healing and rest must be prioritized. Replenishing a mother’s chi after blood loss during childbirth, and rebalancing yin and yang for a new mother through ensuring enough warmth is the goal. Special heat-centric foods, and lots of rest, accomplish this.

Hiring help, having family come live with you, or moving into a special hotel/medical facility for post-birth mothers are all ways that sitting the month can be done. While some women still adhere closely to traditional observances like not washing hair while sitting the month, it’s not uncommon for new mothers to tailor their month post-birth to best fit their modern lives.

Nifaas in Islam

Nifaas is a resting period for up to 40 days, observed in Islam, that coincides with postpartum bleeding. For new muslim mothers, there is an exemption from observing daily prayer requirements, and exemption from resuming sexual relations while post-birth bleeding is happening. Once the post-birth bleeding stops, the new mother takes a ritual bath for cleansing, and can resume regular life as she sees fit.

Nifaas is a time of rest and breastfeeding support, particularly in line with modesty observances of Islam, including immediate family and extended family involvement in helping around the household and helping with healing. Other rules around Nifaas are very flexible and allow for regional observances, such as some East Indian muslim women moving in with their mothers for a short time after giving birth. The time of rest and support can mold itself to where a mother needs support. 

Omugwo

Omugwo is the Igbo name for traditional postpartum care, where a grandmother moves in with the woman who has recently given birth. It’s common to use sitz baths and hot water massage as part of recovery from birth. Spicy food is prepared to help expel postpartum blood and improve milk flow, and the grandmother helps with childcare and supporting the mother in breastfeeding. It has been noted by doctors that it is often harder on mothers when they can’t access omugwo care, and that omugwo supports the mental health of mothers just after birth. 

What Can These Cultural Practices Mean For You?

This brief tour of just a few of the many worldwide post-birth support practices is intended to give you some ideas on things you can ask for or seek out in your own postpartum care. Consider seeking out these types of healing care, including trying to find support through birth trauma therapy. 

This can be an exciting time, a traumatic time, a complicated time, but it’s definitely a time for reaching out to others. Luna Joy can help, we provide birth trauma therapy to assist mothers in processing how their experiences have impacted their mental health. Get in touch with us today to see what support we can offer.