Sacred Roots: Moroccan Postpartum Medicine & Healing.
Modern views on Birth and Postpartum in the west has long forgotten the traditional ancestral ways which have so much history, wisdom and benefits. Recovering and restoring this ancient knowledge is necessary in my opinion. With education and a collective yearning it is now coming back into the collective consciousness. Here is a look into the Moroccan Postpartum Traditions.
There are 6 steps to the traditional Moroccan Postpartum care.
Step 1: Welcome Her
Step 2: Honor Her
Step3: Nourish Her
Step 4: Nurture Her
Step 5: Close Her
Step 6: Celebrate Her
In the Moroccan Tradition they believe that the new mother is open for forty days. That is because she is vulnerable, and needs a lot of support to heal; emphasizing on her importance and healing as a priority.
So many new mothers are left alone with no support, suffering from postpartum depression, loneliness and with no community or family around them. In Moroccan this tradition is focused on welcoming, honoring, nourishing, nurturing, closing and celebrating the new mother for the first forty days!
How incredible is that! Can you imagine if you were surrounded by that kind of love and support when you were beginning this new stage in your life?
The Traditional Moroccan Hamam Bath
The hamam bath is a necessity for all new mothers to bring warmth to the body. The elders in Morocco make it clear that the new mother is vulnerable after birth and needs to be treated with a lot of love, care, support and warmth. The Hamam bath is a sacred ritual where the new mother is washed from head to toe, like a queen, using natural soaps, herbs and clay’s all arranged on a ceremonial tray. A beautiful womb steam with natural healing herbs is also offered during the hamam to provide ultimate healing and nurturing.
Celebrating the Mother.
Adorning her as if it was a wedding. Making her feel special is key to promote happiness and pride after such an incredible feat such as giving birth!
What is Closing Her? (or also known as closing the bones)
This is a sacred ceremony and ritual in Morocco. The healing ritual is performed with the use of a traditional cloth. The new mother is swaddled, pulled, and “closed” using the cloth from head to toe. All parts of the body are closed, aiming to aid the muscles, organs, and bones to slowly go back to pre-pregnancy state. A belly bind is used at the end with the same cloth. Apart from healing the new mother, this type of “closing” also helps to close the pregnancy and birth phase which has just ended. It is a physical, emotional and spiritual experience that helps usher the mother into her new path of motherhood.
This bone closing ritual is usually combined with other nourishing, nurturing and celebratory rituals.
This ancient and sacred Moroccan postpartum medicine is a beautiful way to support a new mother's healing journey. Surrounded by her sisters, honoring her and loving her as she crosses over from maiden to mother. It truly does take a village to raise a child, but it also takes a village to support mothers raising those children.
We can learn from these beautiful ancient traditions and reawaken the sacredness of birth.
I am a sacred birth keeper and it is my passion and honor to support woman through the birth process and postpartum. My dream one day is to own and run a birth center and in it I would love to incorporate and celebrate these types of traditions with my clients.
