The First Forty Days

The first 40-42 days of a mother's postpartum are known as 'Sutika' in the Ayurvedic tradition. 

During these first forty days, it is understood that the mother's physiology and nervous system are just as delicate as that of her newborn's. The mother is tender, vulnerable, and open during this time. Therefore, the nurturance and care that baby needs, the mother also needs. 

The mother is to be mothered, allowing her to bond deeply with her baby, whilst aiding in her healing post birth. 

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Ayurveda identifies four pillars of postpartum care as being an essential element of a mother's first forty days. These four pillars being rest, diet, herbs, and bodywork. 

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~Rest~

Ayurveda suggests that a mother should adhere to forty days of rest after the birth of their baby, allowing time for her delicate physiology to heal, to integrate her birth, and to soften into motherhood. 

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~Diet~

Post birth, mothers experience diminished agni (digestive fire). The postpartum diet consists of warm, soft homemade Ayurvedic meals, which gently rekindles a mother's agni, nourishing her bodily tissues. The Ayurvedic meals recommended for a mother's first three days postpartum in particular will support the coming of a mother's breastmilk. 

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~Herbs~

Gentle, warming herbs and spices are incorporated into a mother's postpartum meals and teas, supporting breastmilk production, the pacifying of excess vata, and softly rekindling digestive fire. 

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~Bodywork~

Postpartum bodywork works to pacify the imbalance of vata that a mother experiences post birth. Postpartum bodywork may include Abhyanga oil massage, Womb Basti, marma therapy, and traditional bengkung belly binding. 

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Receiving the support of a postpartum doula is a beautiful way to ensure that each of these pillars are adhered to within a mother's postpartum, allowing for the mother to be nourished and nurtured with the same tenderness and care with which she tends to her baby.