How I did Postpartum

Now, in an effort to keep this brief and general, I will share my thought process and general steps. If you would like to discuss any topics more in depth, feel free to set up a call with me https://www.newparentbestie.com/experience

As a 1st generation Caribbean American, there is certain information, quotes, ways of life that are inherent and easily accessible and ingrained into me. I grew up interested in the stories of birth from my grandmother and mother. Witnessing my aunts and some cousins postpartum, I had lots of questions. I spoke to my grandmother often about what it was like to birth and care for 5 children at a young age and in a then “lesser resourced” country, by American standards. She of course found it very odd that her teen grandchild was so interested in that “ancient history” as she used to put it. However, a decade plus later when it was my turn I relied heavily on that information, and recited the little that she had shared with me back to her. She was very surprised that I even remembered it all. Granny saw hw serious I was, and she gave me more information.

I anticipated some hesitation from her for the simple fact that I was asking my grandmother to recall and tell me everything she knew from giving birth 60+ years ago lol. I knew I had to do some of my own research. There was an episode of Fresh off the Boat where the Asian mom insisted on helping her Caucasian neighbor after she gave birth/postpartum. She went into overdrive pushing the practices of zuo yue zi which her American neighbor tried but ultimately refused. That made me think, I need to look into other culture’s practices of birth and postpartum as well!

Now, I always had an interest in social and cultural anthropology, I just didn’t know how I would support myself if I studied it lol. So to begin this journey with a new spark I began looking into documentaries. Admittedly this was difficult at the time, it was as if the internet blocked all alternative ways of accessing this information. I went down a rabbit hole of emails and encyclopedia-ish documents. Long story short, I found few materials but engaged in much discussion with the professionals I found. Balancing the information they provided with what my grandmother recalled, I had a solid plan. I am to this day, very grateful.

Cultures and resources I referenced for my postpartum journey were:

• Chinese zuo yue zi

• Heeding the Moroccan’s saying of “the new mothers grave is open for 40 days”

• I re-watched Ricki Lake’s The Business of Being Born

• Read more about the practices of/on Ina Mae’s birth farm

• Looked for a postpartum doula

• Visited my local apothecary for herbs and information they had about birth and postpartum care

• How to tie the bengkung belly band to help the uterus heal back in place - no it is not to ‘snatch your waist’.

From these core pieces of information it led me down a deeper path of knowledge, and most importantly to trust myself and listen to my body.

If you are interested in more in depth information, set up a call with me and we can get you going. Otherwise, I highly recommend you refer to your community and team of professionals to discuss what could work for you. Happy to help!