Postpartum Books

Mothering the Mother: African American Postpartum Traditions, Recipes and Healing Paperback 
by Shafia Monroe

As a mother, grandmother, and traditional midwife, Shafia M. Monroe intimately knows about childbirth and the fourth trimester. For over forty years, she’s helped thousands give birth, and has taught thousands more how to support birthing parents, all integrating the deep wisdom of African American healing traditions. Long suppressed by the white medical establishment, these practices—such as belly binding, heat, herbs, the lying‑in period, and the “taking‑out‑of‑bed ritual”—are powerful healing tools. Using them, we mother the mother through a healthy postpartum period.

While this framework will be powerful healing for all mothers, the information in this book can save Black mothers' lives; with African American women disproportionately suffering from maternal mortality and morbidity, there is an urgent need for an embrace of African American postpartum care that surrounds the new mother and her baby with community, love, and protection. Mothering the Mother is a resource for Black women and communities to reclaim their cultural traditions for a healthy postpartum recuperation.

Thriving Postpartum: Embracing the Indigenous Wisdom of La Cuarentena

In this 40-day journey, ancestral healing expert Pānquetzani shares traditional Indigenous wisdom for helping women thrive in, rather than survive, the postpartum experience—featuring traditional stories and tools such as ancestral recipes for lactation and replenishing, prayers, and somatic practices for physical, emotional, and sexual recovery.

Not Your Mother’s Postpartum Book: Normalizing Post-Baby Mental Health Struggles, Navigating #MOMLife, and Finding Strength Amid the Chaos
by Caitlin Slavens

So many new moms find themselves saying this phrase in the first hours, days, and weeks postpartum―sometimes even for years! That’s where Instagram’s wildly popular @mamapsychologists come in. In Not Your Mother’s Postpartum Book, Chelsea and Caitlin share what to really expect postpartum―and it’s not just the baby blues.

This refreshingly candid resource fills a notable void by providing real, honest, and raw insights into motherhood. With their nonjudgmental yet humorous tone, Caitlin and Chelsea provide a deep dive into all things #momlife, including:

Birth trauma & perinatal mood disorders
Baby feeding & sleep
The mental load of motherhood
Body image struggles
Mom guilt & burnout
NICU life
Intimacy & romance postpartum
Pregnancy complications & loss
The balancing act of returning to work
And more…

Transitions 4th Trimester Journal: Transforming by Janet A. Williams DNP MSM CNM

This self-guided journal was designed by Dr. "J" a midwife for new mothers to explore their experiences, self-acceptance in their new roles, and to give themselves the gift of self care during this crucial time. There are joys, as well as some struggles that new mothers often experience, once discharged home with their babies. The weeks that follow the birth of your baby are filled with so many emotions and are memorable. This journal will give you a place to write your story and begin your Once upon a time.....