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What is post-birth support and why is it so important?
"Giving birth is a wonderful gift but it hurts both the body and the heart. The job of the nannies (grandmothers/elders) is to help bring the mother back into 'consciousness' so that she can be a source of nourishment to her child." - Wai Mason, New Zealand Māori from Tauranga Moana, kuia (respected elder and spiritual/community leader).
In Māori tradition, a new mother is referred to as te whare tangata - 'the house of humanity' and 'the canoe that conveys one generation to the next'. She is sacred and treated with the utmost care. In many other traditional and indigenous cultures around the world, the mother is deeply cared for for at least 40 days post-birth.
According to Jenny Allison, author of Golden Month, - Caring for the World's Mothers after Childbirth, research shows that estimated rates of postpartum depression in western countries are at over 20% and "good postpartum support can have a protective effect against developing postpartum depression."
Not only is honouring Māmā influential on their mental health, it also supports the establishment of breastfeeding, lowers stress hormones in the body, encourages bonding with baby, stabilises adrenals, strengthens the nervous and immune systems and promotes healing, particularly after traumatic or arduous pregnancies and deliveries.
The short and long term benefits of caring for the mother are so strong and far reaching that Jenny says, "It is so obvious that the question can even be asked, why would you not do this after childbirth?"
Pregnancy and birth is a time for whānau (family), friends and communities to gather around the Māmā and provide her with the essentials for a holistic recovery and the wider whānau with ongoing support.
The services that I provide are about Mothering the Mother and holding the wider whānau through their fertility, pregnancy, postpartum and parenting journeys.
Give yourself and your whānau the best possible start by fulfilling the four essential needs for a nurtured postpartum and if you have older children, there's loads of tools to help prepare them for the arrival of their sibling, check out the online workshops to learn more.