A mom named Chantal Wijbrandi recently shared her 11 rules for postpartum care that might seem unconventional (or, as she put it, “crazy”) to folks in the U.S., but are actually deeply rooted in ancient Ayurvedic and Chinese traditions. It highlighted just how differently various cultures around the world approach this chapter of a mother’s life. 

The common theme among these practices is rest and rejuvenation. Cultures that continue to rely on more ancient practices sometimes refer to this type of postpartum care as “mothering the mother.”

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Conversely, Western practices often take a more clinical approach and prioritize the newborn, as well as getting back to independence and the normal flow of things as quickly as possible. 

Wijbrandi’s list included:

Staying in bed for the first two weeks, and not leaving the house for 40 days except for short walks

Many, many cultures around the world recommend at least 40 days postpartum recovery. It goes by many different names—“Zuo Yue Zi” in Traditional Chinese medicine, “Sutika Paricharya” in Ayurveda, and even certain Christian traditions called it “churching.” In addition, new moms are often expected to be absent from chores and cooking for six weeks to two months. 

This looks starkly different than some of the stories we see in the........

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