The 5 Universal Postpartum Needs
I attended a traumatic birth recently and I was concerned about how the mother would heal after such a violation of her bodily autonomy. But after our first postpartum session, I was reminded that the postpartum is yet another opportunity for deep healing if the mother’s essential needs are honored.
When I went to her bedside a few days after the birth, I didn't know which medicine she would need most urgently but she asked for touch. I read her chakras, touched her gently with my reiki hands, and rubbed her body with my homemade salt scrub. I sang specific healing women's songs that came to me and she told me what she was seeing and feeling. She cried, moaned and sang with me. She shared with me that she felt the need to be mothered (this is very common in the postpartum period) and the emotional release was intense but so necessary.
Through my experience as a birth worker and the work of Kimberly Ann Johnson, I know that women need specific support in the postpartum period. It is shocking that most of us go through birth and early motherhood without this knowledge. I had three babies before I really understood what my body and soul needed in the postpartum. I hope you will read Johnson’s book and learn about the 5 universal postpartum needs so you can be prepared for your own experience, but also so you can provide this type of support to others. You don't need training or certifications to show up for a mama.
Our culture does not honor motherhood and this is why every mother I work with says to me some version of , "I never thought it would be this hard." or "You think you can prepare by reading books and watching videos, but it's not enough." or "My husband is doing so much, but having you here is really what I need."
The 5 universal postpartum needs:
1. Extended Rest Period (longer than most of us can ever get)
2. Nourishing Food
3. Presence of wise women and spiritual companionship
4. Contact with Nature
5. Loving Touch
There is a primal, spiritual, non-verbal need to be witnessed and touched with feminine presence and love after giving birth. I show up for mamas postpartum with reiki, chakra clearing, songs, salt scrubs, ear and foot rubs, and gentle guided visualizations that address inherent grief in the body and release lingering birth energy. Our ancestors showed up for their sisters, friends and neighbors in this way but that lineage of wisdom and knowledge on how to honor a new mama has been interrupted. We need to return to it.
Book a postpartum bodywork session with me (for yourself or someone expecting a baby soon). It is a gift so much more lasting than baby clothes and meal trains.