Recently, I was contacted by the lovely ladies at Kiwi Mummy Blogs to review ‘Golden Month’ a book about Caring for the World’s Mothers After Childbirth; I was intrigued and excited at the same time. Golden Month discusses and explores the changes a women’s body and mind goes through post baby. It looks at how recovery is not just physical but also mental and emotional.
Golden Month travels the world looking at how other cultures embrace the post partum period and the benefits this has to both Mum and Baby. A lot of cultures celebrate this period, not just the new life created but also the period afterwards and caring for Mum.
After all, having a baby is hard work and the toll it can take on your body is immense. So, naturally you would think it would be important to take good care really good care of yourself afterwards. Yet as women and mothers we expect so much of ourselves and more often than not find ourselves at the bottom of the list. We tend to our baby, family, husband and home first and somewhere in the big scheme of things… we forget about us.
I was extremely lucky after the birth of both Sebastian and Isabelle as my Mum whole heartedly believes / believed in the ‘Golden Month’. My mum was amazing, she practically moved in with us after Sebastian’s arrival driving back and forth half an hour at least two or three times a day to help me out all the while keeping her own household running. Then with Isabelle she stayed at the hospital with me and then split her time between looking after Sebastian or helping me out at home. Both times leaving me to rest, recoup, recover and enjoy, bond and snuggle the newest member of our family. And whilst yes I had a C-section for both and needed the extra help. This was not the sole reason she gave it. My mum and I have had subsequent conversations about how the help was not just in the physical support she provided but also in the deeper emotional support her presence provided.
Golden Month looks at how we (mothers) can take care of ourselves which in return takes care of our families too. It is filled with friendly advice, tips and recipes which can help make the post partum transition smoother. However, if like myself are already through the post partum period don’t worry; Golden Month is a friendly but timely reminder to take some time out for yourself. So why not grab your favourite cuppa, put your feet up and flick through a couple of pages of Golden Month – you wont be disappointed.
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