Mother Centered Communities
5 Tips for Caring for a New Mother

This week we welcome Rachelle Garcia Seliga, the founder of Innate Traditions. She is a Mother, a Wife and a Traditional Midwife. She aligns with and abides by the Laws of Nature; the cyclical Nature of our bodies and the eternal Nature of our Souls.

She  trains and certifies  healthcare providers in a framework of postpartum WELLNESS, that is rooted in somatic integrity; so that Mothers, families and Planet may flourish.

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Her work is centered around families as the microcosms of the Universe. She mentor young women, so that they may step up into their roles as community leaders; as living examples of right-relationship to Life.

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She believes it is our birthright to live in Beauty, and my inner and outer work is dedicated to exactly this.
 

Resources​

​www.innatetraditions.com

Instagram @innatetraditions

Mother's Circle. Birth story from Emmalee

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Sponsors & Gifts

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Nature's Brands

Wildly Organic

Energy Healing Course (10% discount code: Motherhood22)

50% Discount Prenatal Programme

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Reflections​

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I recently attended her motherfoods masterclass which shifted my perception on nutrition entirely and made me rethink the way I connected with food. We actually talk a lot about all of this in episode 30 with Sally Fallon.

 

It wasn't until I became a mother that I started to truly understand myself, I didn't have a choice. I was no longer the woman I once was, I was a mother. I had space for the first time to listen to my heart and my head. I wasn’t able to distract with work, projects and adventures. 

 

In this episode Rachelle talks about getting to know what we don’t like, to know what we desire so we can drop into a place where we can create a world we believe in. She shares her story to what inspired her to pour her life force into the work she is doing, and how it came from realising things needed to change and she was the only one who could envision a different future for mothers and families. 

 

Postpartum healing is supported by an educated network around the mother, so she can rest, heal, be nourished and feel safe and loved. This is not a step by step process, this is an awakening of a community to see past what we have been fed by a society that encourages mothers to ‘bounce back’ and disregard their needs.
 

Rachelle talks about the collective history of postpartum care or lack of and how we are all indigenous to the earth, although our history books love to share information about only the last 500 years, leaving us absent of the grand picture.

 

In this dysfunctional modern day life, there is a forgetting that postpartum is for life and the way we care for our mothers will have a huge affect in the evolution of the generations to come and the health of our planet.

 

So what do we do?

 

Rachelle states there no simple solution,  we have to reeducate ourselves and take dive deep into our hearts to create a new way of life. See that we thrive when we are in healthy communities.

 

Towards the end of this episode I ask about how our relationship with our monthly bleed can show us how we will care for ourselves in the postpartum phrase. She also goes on to share the importance of educating and honouring our young women beyond the ceremony of their first bleed, so they know how to rest and nourish themselves.

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I hope you enjoy this powerful conversation!

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Caring and Supporting a New Mother​

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Marticentric Communities are centered on the mother, it's far from what most of us experiences today. There are many reasons why mothers get neglected by communities and it's becoming all too normal. Who is caring for the mother as she cars for her newborn, who is there to hold space for her during this sacred Rite of Passage? For some mothers the support is just not available, for some their community is not educated in postpartum cared and for for some they may reject all help an warrior on alone. 

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This time of healing is essential to the health of the mother, the baby and the community.

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5 Ways to support a new mother

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1. Extended Rest Period. The mother needs time to rest and to heal. Her body needs time to relax and be nourished. Staying around the home for the first 6 weeks allows the mother time to heal and bond with her baby. No additional or unnecessary stress is needed. Offer to clean, cook, take care of other family matters.

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2. Nourishing foods. This is a time for warm and nutrient dense meals. Check out The First Forty Days  and Nourishing Tradition for lots of simple meal ideas. Prepare meals and store them in the freezer, make a big pan of bone broth and have teas ready to go.

 

3. Warmth. Promotes blood flow, healing and relaxation. Offer warm drink, socks, blankets, foot soaks, cosy jumpers.

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4. Bodywork. Carried out by an intuitive and gentle healer is essential to the mothers postpartum journey. A way to help soothe her nervous system, release tension, promote blood flow, support lymphatic drainage and process her labor. If your are not trained in appropriate bodyworks practices for postpartum, you could offer a gentle head massage or foot rub.

 

5. Presence a loving tribe. A mother needs a space to be seen and held as journeys through this Rite of Passage. Not to be fixed, but to be listened to or to be sat with. A tribe that see's the mother and knows her truth. A tribe that will not expect anything from the mother. Ask the mother what you can do to support her best.

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I would love to hear your experiences and insights.

 

Send me a message at depthsofmotherhood@protonmail.com.​

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Blessings to you,