SeasonsSeasons of a Woman's Life
Postpartum
The fourth trimester: rest, warmth and the birth of a mother.
The body
What science and medicine say
Your body after birth
Bleeding after birth (lochia) usually lasts up to about six weeks, slowly turning lighter. Your womb takes around six weeks to return to its usual size. Most women have a postnatal check at around six to eight weeks.
Your body and your hormones move through a great change after birth. Your midwife, health visitor and doctor are there for you. Reach out whenever something feels unlike yourself.
Gentle care
- Rest, warm food and help at home are real medicine.
- Pelvic floor exercises can begin gently in the first days if your midwife agrees.
- No yoni steaming until your bleeding has fully stopped and your midwife or doctor agrees, usually after six weeks.
The soul
The spiritual and traditional view
The sacred 40 days
Across many cultures, a new mother is protected for about 40 days: kept warm, fed, and freed from all other duties so she can rest and bond.
Closing the Bones is a traditional ritual in which the mother's hips are wrapped and held with a rebozo shawl, a way of gathering her back together after birth.
Matrescence
Just as adolescence transforms a girl, matrescence transforms a woman into a mother. It is a rebirth, and you deserve the same tenderness you give your baby.
Seek care straight away if
- Your bleeding suddenly changes, or anything about it concerns you.
- You have a fever, or anything in your body feels sudden or severe.
- You have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby: call your doctor or emergency services straight away. You deserve help right now.
Nourish this season
Open your supplement & herbal guideSacred She offers spiritual and wellness practices, not medical advice or treatment.