Mother Roasting Ritual

So some say all my silly mothering rituals are weird.  To them I say don't  nock it until you have tried it.  Mother roasting is a must for women that respect their precious bodies and want to praise it for what it has accomplished.  If you want to walk away from your birth a week or two later feeling whole and well this is the path for you.

What is mother roasting?

Mother roasting refers to the almost universal practice of keeping mothers warm immediately after the birth and in the weeks that follow. It is believed to seal the gateways, which have been opened by the birth, and to keep wind and cold from entering a vulnerable new mother’s body.

In cultures all over the world, mothers have been kept warm through various means. In Malaysia rocks are heated and placed over the new mother’s shrinking abdomen.  In other parts of the world, sand, oil, and herbs are heated and applied to the mother in various fashions.  This in my opinion is the reason that women in developing countries are right back into the swing of things a couple weeks after baby is born.  They are strong and nourished.  Meanwhile here in America, women rarely find themselves near warmth after they have their babies, and, more often than not, are offered a cup of ice water and a cold pack for their bottom!  Which can be soothing don't get me wrong.  But it does not have the healing properties that warmth does and that is why I feel in our culture we struggle more post natal.

Worldwide, women in all cultures are encouraged to lie-in during the weeks following birth, allowing other women in their community to take care of them, nourishing, massaging, binding, bathing, and loving on them. They treat the mother with reverence and respect, giving her a safe space to focus solely on her own bodies needs and her babies needs.

This will help a woman to 'come back to' society quicker, by giving her grace and understanding to take a moment to claim and process the recent events and new life she is entrusted with.

How do you do it?

Well you can hire someone certified in the ritual of mother roasting.  Or you can do it yourself with your families help.  Taking these steps are all mother roasting techniques that will render same outcome.

Belly Binding:

fancy version bellybandit

Wrapping the belly, or uterus, is a universal postpartum practice. Besides warming the abdomen and uterus, wrapping the belly also decreases bleeding, speeds weight loss, and reorients a mother with her core muscles. All it takes is a strip of fabric 8 to 12 inches wide and about 5 feet long along with a few pins to secure.  When not binding heating up a rice sock and having it on abdomen.

Drink only warm liquids or room temperature for first two weeks.  Tea, water, my favorite is chai because it has those delicious warm spices (my husband became a chai tea master after my second was born).

Perfect tea:

1/3 part fenugreek seeds

1/3 part fennel seeds

1/3 part anise seeds

Steep for 5 minutes and drink Luke warm with sweetener of choice.  Boosts milk supply as well as has antibacterial healing properties and nutrient replenishment properties.

Massage using warm oil.  

Nice warm bath, very low water with these herbs included...

2 ounces comfrey leaf

1 ounce calendula flowers

1 ounce lavender flowers

1 ounce rosemary

1 ounce sage leaves

Add all items into stock pot with 6 cups  water bring to boil let steep 30 min to 1 hour.  Strain through and add to bath as well as 

½ cup sea salt (add at the time of bath)

Making sure water is low and doesn't cover your legs.  Just for your bottom.

Using peri wash for tears.

Take Placenta capsules

Only eat warm foods that are easy digested and chewed, soups and stews even in summer are best.

Lay down and take the help, don't be a hero!

 Head can be elevated but on your side is best.  Standing very minimal  for the first two weeks post natal.  

If you take these few very easy things seriously and properly care for your body, you will wake up two weeks later and not even feel like you birthed a baby in the last year.  It is truly the best way to go.  Your uterus will have shrunk, your nutrients replaced, your hips will have settled back in place nicely as well as your heart and mind will feel fabulous.  That will be the only time you will ever have after those babies come is those 2 weeks to bond, heal and reflect.  Then it's all hands on deck new baby reality, other children needing just as much and the world starts again.  Take that time you so

Deserve even the strongest of us women need to be taken care of once in awhile.  Let your loved ones do it for you.  

Tread lightly....

❤️ Mel