What is Traditional Moroccan Postpartum Care and What Are The Benefits Of It?

Jul 14

Kaely Harrod 00:04
Welcome to doula Tips and Tits. This podcast is a place where we answer one question about doula work, both to support you and to help you support your clients. I'm Kaely Harrod. I've been supporting families in this perinatal space since my oldest was born 12 nearly 13 years ago. I am a birth and postpartum doula childbirth educator, La Leche League Leader and a doula coach. I love guiding and supporting doulas as they work out their doula business. It is a tremendous joy to be trusted in this way. Thank you for joining us on this journey.
Kaely Harrod 00:42
Hello, and welcome back to the podcast. I have another lovely guest on with me today that I'm very, very happy about in part because I'm sharing some of my favorite people with you this month on the podcast, but also because they are a wealth of knowledge in the things that they do. And I love sharing other resources with folks. So Fatima is here with us today. She is a birth and postpartum doula serving the families here in the DC area. But her focus in postpartum care is traditional care, traditional postpartum care, and she's trained in Moroccan postpartum care. And so I want to really highlight that because I think when we think about postpartum traditions, and postpartum customes, postpartum healing, for us kind of stinks in how we do it, just to be frank, and I think we have lost the cultural aspects of things that our families used to do long ago, right. And, of course, part of that is gentrification. And part of that is, you know, the fact that we took over this land and unjustly and we could go into all of those layers. But one of the reasons I wanted him to come is to talk through some of the beautiful, traditional, postpartum things that actually are critical to healing and such a better way to start life in this new phase of being a parent. So Fatima, I would love for you to tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into this work and what you love about what you do.
Fatima 02:20
Hi, Kaely. It's really, really nice to connect with you always. And I love listening to your podcast, by the way, I actually do listen to it on my car. So So I became a birth doula first, about seven years ago, officially, I think I started a year before that, but like my, like, kind of my launching pad was like about seven years ago. And very quickly after I had my first client, you know, and I went to my postpartum visit. And I was saying goodbye, I felt like there was like an emptiness kind of in just leaving her and walking away. And I felt like I wanted to kind of have like a more full circle experience with with my the families that I served. So I started, I read actually, I think one of the things that really kind of touched me in those early years was a postpartum book called The first 40 days. Yeah, I love that book. Yeah, it's really amazing. And like the food recipes that she had in it, but like everything, everything about it. So I think it started initially by by making recipes out of that book and taking like, you know, a dish with me to the families that I that I was saying goodbye to. And then I started bringing on more and more traditional postpartum trainings and services, and just kind of collecting additional postpartum care practices around the world because I have clients from every background and every heritage. So people, when I would do like, when I started doing my sessions, and I would do a session with them, I'd have like a mother in law or a mother in the room like the grandmother, and she would remember something that she had experienced from her childhood, and she would share her story. And it was really amazing just how all over the world these postpartum care practices were so similar, no matter like, which part of the world people came from, and I just kind of slowly, like really like to kind of collect and share those experiences, but it helped build my experiences, along with of course, the trainings that I did, and like the clients that you know, really were looking for that kind of
Kaely Harrod 04:35
service. Yeah, I love that. I think it is. I think the first 40 days is one of the things that I recommend to clients and I, I do I find it kind of I this is maybe a strong word but shameful. That like most cultures have this beautiful healing wonderful postpartum time where a person is just kind of wrapped with care, and we're just like, yeah, roughly, you know, 16 weeks ish, maybe less, you know, like, we're just like, get back to your old body like we we just completely desert parents in this time. And I think that I mean, when I hear about your services, I'm sometimes like, is it too late? I'm nine, nine years postpartum? Can I do this? You know? Cuz I'm like, gosh, that sounds lovely. And so necessary anyway.
Fatima 05:34
No, I totally agree. I think there's just also something with modern, like, there's something with modern life. And a lot of people put expectations on themselves, and they feel like they have to bounce back, right, like that whole term about like, jumping back into their past life immediately. And then like, sometimes with their second child, they, they recognize that, hey, I should have given myself a little bit more time to heal. And yeah, so people, it's a journey people go through,
Kaely Harrod 06:01
for sure. Yeah, yeah. And we glorify that like quick, postpartum healing without really recognizing all the layers there that like, if outwardly you feel fine, it doesn't mean that your systems have all healed from the process, you know. So even just honoring the fact that there's more than just how you physically feel at play here in terms of the post early postpartum time. And that, I think, is a really important thing to highlight as well.
Kaely Harrod 06:30
Yeah, totally. So I would love
Kaely Harrod 06:33
for you to explain what kind of is unique to more traditional postpartum care, like what's incorporated and some of what you do with your clients. Sure.
Fatima 06:45
So. So I always tell people, the work that I do centers, more on postpartum kind of bodywork, for you know, the person that gave birth. And more than like, when I use the word, like the kind of the postpartum care that we see, in most postpartum care circles, looks like a postpartum doula coming in for like a three or four hour shift and doing whatever needs to be done, whether it's holding the baby holding, you know, giving space for the, you know, the birth of the parents to rust, etc. And all of that is really necessary. And I think my work complements that stuff, I don't think you can, can have one without the other. But the work that I do really centers on kind of like postpartum self care that you that you give to yourself. And a lot of times, it helps when you're thinking about it before the birth, and you kind of set yourself up for like, let's say, four sessions, or three sessions of different types of body work, plus nourishing foods, that will really help heal your body. So I'm trying to remember the sorry, the question was like, how does it look different than other postpartum? Yeah,
Kaely Harrod 08:01
yeah, no, you're doing great.
Fatima 08:05
So So for example, I have a session where it's called like a postpartum recovery session. And this one is not specifically centered on Moroccan postpartum care, but it brings in some of the, the main principles of postpartum care. So I'll go in and boil water and I'll start out by having a womb steam or a vaginal steam for the you know, for the new parent for the new mother. And then after that, we'll do a warm oil rub of the body because we're trying to infuse a postpartum care principle of warmth into the new body because there's a lot of healing that comes with bringing warmth into the body including like just oxytocin going up, you know blood, oxygenated blood flow circulating through the body. People feel good like when they have you know, warmth brought into their body. So we'll do that and then we'll do like a castor oil pack on their on their lower belly and she'll rust and then I'll have like a, an herbal tea that I serve afterwards. So that's like kind of one of my, my shorter sessions, but it focuses purely on like bodywork for the for the new parent. There's also like the healing nourishing foods. So a lot of times, like I'll ask the parent, like, what are some food restrictions you have things that you like to eat, things that you eat on a normal basis, because a lot of times I tell people the food that you eat on a day to day basis, especially like when you're feeling sick or under the weather, that food is usually really great, ideal food for the postpartum. So we'll explore like, you know, what are the things that you know, I have on my menu that I can prepare for you that would be in line with what your what you like to eat, but also what would be healing for your body post birth so we're looking at soft cooked foods, warm foods, warming ingredient ans things that really help nourish the body, post birth, and a lot of times people will tell me like, you know, sometimes I'll make that food for my family. And they'll be like, well, that food is a little bit too healthy, even though but but but my clients will be like, Oh my God, that felt like a warm hug. Like, there's something about the food that you eat after a birth that was like, brought by a friend or, you know, doula or whatever that like really just hits the spot and warms up your belly. And, and there's so much healing in that. And I tell people, a lot of times the healing that you get from this kind of postpartum bodywork or postpartum care, it's not. It's not like, you know, really complicated, it's actually super simple. And there's an it brings you into a state of deep relaxation. And, and that's where the healing happens, where you let your body go into a state of deep relaxation, in and of that self that is a form of amazing healing for for a body and a person after the How to baby. Yes,
Kaely Harrod 10:58
I love that so much. I still every time I'm like, When can I schedule a session with you? Like it's not too late.
Fatima 11:08
I do tell people, it's never too late.
Kaely Harrod 11:13
That's silly. But like, I think there's something about the neglect that we kind of default to in our culture that leaves in emptiness, right? Like there's, there's a need for this, like focusing on yourself and honoring what your body has done in growing this baby. Like, there's so many aspects of it that I'm like, yes, you're like warming and also helping to heal and, you know, relaxing, like so many things that I think we know, are necessary, but we don't carve out the time for them, you know?
Fatima 11:50
Yeah, yeah, totally. That's exactly what it is. Yeah, I do think like, it's like, what kind of what you mentioned that, you know, even years later, you think about it, it's kind of like a rite of passage. And sometimes when you've gone through this huge life change, you want, like it's a human needs to be seen and witnessed. Having gone through those huge life change. And these kinds of kind of, you know, sessions sometimes give you that feeling of being witnessed and like being recognized in this life change that you went for being held being cared for? Yeah, definitely.
Kaely Harrod 12:26
Yeah. I love that so much. Okay, so I have two questions that I want to ask you. And I'm gonna say them both, just so I don't forget. And then I can remind you what they are, if you want me to. The first is, I would love to hear what kind of prenatal planning is helpful to kind of, to think about before because I think, I mean, I just got off of an episode where I was recording with the ibclc, that's going to be on the series. And we're talking about the neglect of postpartum planning that we've had we have just in general, or like, we'll plan for the birth and then like everything else we'll think about later. So what kind of prenatal thought would you love to see put into this kind of postpartum care? And then also, how do your clients kind of describe how they're feeling afterwards? And what? What kind of responses do you see in people's bodies and in people's postpartum experiences after receiving this kind of care? So let's start with the prenatal one. And then the other? I just don't want to forget that I have them both.
Fatima 13:35
They're both amazing questions. So definitely with a prenatal care, I really love that question. I do think that, like, I have people that reach out to me, much of the time before they've given birth. And I know that once they give birth, if they're waiting until they give birth to reach out, they will find that people aren't like, you know, doulas are busy, they're their calendars have built but also, it's a lot harder when you have a newborn and you're there, all that exhaustion to think about that. And you might not prioritize your body, you might think that's like, you know, right now, like, I just need to learn how to breastfeed or feed my child and get through, like, you know, this next cycle of newborn life. So a lot of times when people carve out that time beforehand, they're able to, like honor it for themselves, and their family honors it and like, you know, they carve out that time for themselves. But I find that one of the things I'm hoping to offer in the next, hopefully a couple of year or two is postpartum classes, like there's actually trained through through something called na traditions and you know, I have like a four session class postpartum care planning class that I'm hoping to put out, but I do two hour workshops where I can sit with a parent with a family and kind of go through main principles of postpartum healing, and tips for like, these are the different types of things that you can do to incorporate this principle and this principle, and like sitting to actually have like a little document that people will go through and fill out, like, you know, how can I make sure I carve out time for rest during the daytime? How can I make sure I'm eating really nourishing foods, and we just kind of go through that kind of stuff. So I definitely agree with what the ibclc that you were talking about, this is the kind of stuff that if you're prepared for before the baby is born, you'll recognize how important it is a lot more, because a lot of times, you know, families are like overwhelmed with the birth, and that definitely needs to be given its due, right. But they don't realize how much support they're going to need after the baby's born. And like every family needs to go through their journey and and figure out what works for them. But there's no doubt that even if you just carve out three hours, more or less before you have a baby thinking about your postpartum that can bring you so many amazing, amazing benefits post birth.
Kaely Harrod 16:11
Yeah. Well, and I'm assuming I mean, is that something that you are able to do virtually today? Because I know, we have doulas that listen to this podcast from all over. So if they had a client, they could refer them to you even if they're not local. Correct?
Fatima 16:26
Yeah, 100%. I do, I do have people that are nationally, and I've even even done some international kind of postpartum, social. So I would love that. I mean, honestly, like, there's like things that people parents can learn about, that they can even do in their home on their own, like when they have, like coming in and doing it like sometimes it helps to have somebody doing it with you at the first time. But you can learn how to do on your own for your own self care, like the vaginal steam and the womb steam on the south oil massage, like your you know, your partner can do it for you. You can do it for yourself. There's so many like little things, but it really helps when you like when you carve out that time when you intentionally make a plan and work through it for sure.
Kaely Harrod 17:14
Yeah, well, and I think even just thinking through the time, brings an intentionality that's so necessary, because it is a time of kind of like, just eat sleep and get through the day a little bit, you know, because it's a super intense healing time, it's a super intense, learning your new baby time, you know, there's so many different layers there. But even if it's something as small as like, I want to do the oil, you know, the self oil massage, and I like, need to have the oil for that, you know, like that kind of stuff is 1000 times easier when the baby has not come out yet. I'm like you can have some delicious broth in your freezer waiting for the die like it's maybe not. Like my first choice would be to have Fatima actually come and do it for you. But if you can't do that, or if you know you're going to be lacking in people support in the postpartum time, the bet the next best thing is to set yourself up prenatally so that in the postpartum time you're like, Well, I would do that massage, but I don't have the oil. And so I'm not doing it, you know, because that is kind of where we land after a baby comes sometimes, you know?
Fatima 18:27
So true. Yeah, I totally agree. And even like little things like, Hey, do you recommend you know, like, you know, like, I know, for myself, if somebody points me and says like, I like this product, you know, it's great and works for me. And I get it from here and like somebody says, so having that kind of a guide, virtually, or in person can be so helpful. Yes.
Kaely Harrod 18:49
I mean, I have had so many clients be like, do you think I need, you know, Valley support? For instance, after a C section? I'm like, Yes. And they're like, can you just pick one out for me and send it to me? Because they like the work of like googling it and finding one and choosing. I can't do it right now. But I trust you enough to like, you send me the link and I will order it in my size. You know.
Fatima 19:15
I was we're we're planning. We're planning a vacation with my kids and my husband and we're going to like a part of the world that we've never been to and like the work I put into, like figuring out where I want to go. I'm like, I wish there was a doula. Yeah, tell me what to do.
Kaely Harrod 19:32
Yes, I mean, I will say this all day long. We need to do lists for everything. Every I am like slowly exploring buying a second car and I'm like, why don't we have car buy and doulas? My dad is kind of that for me. But still, I'm like, I don't know what happens words mean I haven't bought a car in ages, you know? Yeah. I love that. Like, I just see the vacation. Do you love I wear bias for doulas, but so what are some of the things that you've seen your clients really benefit from? Either that they've, like, verbalize to you or that you just see? Because I'm sure you also, I mean, I feel like in this kind of experience, you've got to physically see some of the relaxation that happens, you know, but what are some of the benefits that people would need to know about?
Fatima 20:24
Yeah, definitely. So one of my more popular, I guess, sessions, or slot after ones is the closing ceremony, I trained for it through a Moroccan like school of postpartum care. And I also train for through something called the innate traditions which the teacher had learned it from a Mexican lineage. So it was very similar. It's extremely similar practices in both cultures. So I was, you know, when I practice, I feel like I practice it more from what I trained through through the Moroccan postpartum care, but it includes the vaginal steam or the womb, steam includes the self, the oil, warm oil rub, and then and then we do the closing, which is where the person lies on the floor. And there's a number of shawls under her, their body, you know, different parts of their body. And then I tightly wrap those shawls over the different kind of pressure points, starting from the head, down to the chest, the waist, hips, all the way down to the feet. So I wrap it tightly, and I hold it, and I keep it wrapped around them as I move down their body. So all like, I think, not, maybe 99% of the time, when people come out of it. They tell me like it takes them a few moments to kind of like, I don't want to say wake up as in Wake up, but like, you know, wake up as in, like when you're coming out and massage and yours in such deep relaxation, and you're almost in a state of like, napping or sleeping. So I do have some people that actually fall asleep, I do have some people that, you know, go doze off for a few moments, some people that get into a state of just kind of deep, deep relaxation, and they'll tell me things like, wow, that felt so good. It felt like being hugged, it felt like I know what my baby feels like when they're being swaddled. You know, like, wow, that just let me kind of really decompress. And I really, I noticed that like people are, they're given that moment, you know, whether it's 30 minutes, 40 minutes of just deep relaxation, they might start out very, not very, but like, they might start out kind of tense, you know, and by the end of it, their body has just, like really let go and kind of melted into the earth. And it's, I know that, like, there's, they told me how relaxing it was, and I see it on them just because I, I can see how much when they're, you know, coming out of it or waking out of it, after we've unwrapped them, you know, you know, it's like, you're kind of in a different zone, and you're coming back into the world or the real life. So it's a moment of deep relaxation, I've had some people who feel like having that pressure because there's also pressure that's placed on their hips feels really good for their lower back. So it's a lot of relaxation, a lot of like, counter pressure, you know, like after the breath, when you feel like your body is very loose, and very, just, I don't know, all over the place, just having that kind of counterpressure and deep touch brings a lot of comfort and relaxation for people I know that for some people, it's also a moment of reflection, we use it to go through like questions, not questions, but I will tell them you know, if you want to use this time to reflect on your journey, if you want to use this time to reflect on your, your child and how you see them in the future and this for some people they really go into a deep state of introspection can bring some people like a sense of closing after whatever kind of an experience they had, whether it was a really difficult challenging one and like letting go and, you know, bringing acceptance and, you know, moving forward, or whether it wasn't, you know, just a really bright experience and, and also kind of closing one chapter, and moving through the next and recognizing like, being, like talking like when I talked about the rites of passage, just feeling like this is, you know, a recognition of this journey that you went through this huge life journey that you went through, and this new person that you are now I love that
Kaely Harrod 24:37
that's so beautiful. And I'm like sitting here like yes, yes, yes. I know the listeners can't see my face so full of joy. This is the part that I like we all need this even if we're a decade.
Fatima 24:57
Amen. I totally agree.
Kaely Harrod 25:00
Another episode I'm going to tell you my experience when I finally hired by FEMA to do my closing ceremony. So I want to wrap up because I like to keep these episodes a little bit short. But is there any last kind of information that you think doulas should know? About? Like how to recognize that this would maybe be something that they want to do or something that they want to refer clients for?
Fatima 25:30
Ooh, that's a great question. I think a lot of times doulas, you get to know your client better than anyone else, and you know, their likes and, and if it seems like they're really leaning into the idea of, you know, alternative care practices, whether they really love acupuncture, massage, you know, chiropractic work, whatever kind of alternative care and then providing this as another alternative care practice that they want, if they want to explore it, that would be one thing that definitely comes. And I think a lot of times, doulas know, like, you know, if they're if their client is really into, you know, that kind of stuff. And then there's sometimes clients who will tell you like my first experience postpartum was really challenging, extra challenging, or I feel like I didn't carve out enough time for myself. And then they they're thinking about, like, how can I have a different experience this time around, and then you can offer them this idea of, do you want care that centers on helping you heal, you know, also, here that helps you center on more rest. And that would be something like, you know, like a night, doula, overnight, doula, etc. Like, there's definitely so many layers to it. So I know like a lot of times, for myself, when a client is telling me, I want to give myself a lot more support in my postpartum this time around, I want to I give them as many resources as I can, like, I tell them, This is what I do. And I don't think that my support by itself is enough. And this is how you can round it out with other layers of support. But this is like support that we're really center on giving you time for yourself. That is really like focused on you. And you know, not necessarily baby. And of course, when they need to be fed. And if you need to get away from that, like we take that's part of you know, the experience and the journey. But this is really centered on for you and like focus on how to help you heal.
Kaely Harrod 27:31
Yeah, I love that. I think one thing that you just said is like the heart of why I'm doing this series in July is that, I think sometimes it's easy to feel like you need to be the expert and everything. And like, I even sometimes hear people talk about being like a one one stop shop. And I'm like, no, no, you're not so because I think we have to we it's so important, especially in the early postpartum time to normalize that we need a whole team sometimes. And everybody has different ability in terms of finances and resources, and who is local to them and things like this. But, but it's not just you like it's not just one person. And I think it's beautiful to be able to say, this is how I could benefit you. And then I have some other folks that I think would also be a benefit to you. And let's kind of do that together, you know? Yeah, I just yeah, it's just unnecessary. Goodness, well, I am so glad that you were able to join us, I know that the listeners are going to learn a ton of good stuff from you. And I'm going to make sure that all of your contact information is in the show notes. So if anyone is interested in this kind of training, I'll put the trainings that Fatima has mentioned and also her website, so you can get in touch with her if you'd like. And the book the first 40 days that we both mentioned. And then Fatima, thank you so so, so much for taking out time to come and share some of your wisdom with us. It's always a joy to speak to you.
Fatima 29:14
Likewise, Kaylee, I am. I love connecting with you. And I really appreciate the invite today,
Kaely Harrod 29:19
of course. All right, until the next episode, I'll see you all soon. Thanks for joining us for this episode of the doula Tips and Tips podcast. If you learned something today or had an aha moment, we'd love for you to share that on Instagram and tag us at Herat doula, so we can celebrate alongside you. If you found this podcast helpful. We would so appreciate you taking a second to leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast app that helps other doulas find us as we do this work together. This podcast is intended as educational and entertainment it is not medical advice or business advice. Please consult to your own medical or legal team for your own needs around

Traditional Moroccan Postpartum Care and the closing of the bones ceremony are just a few of the wonderful things our podcast guest today does in the birth world. Fatima is a birth and postpartum doula who brings her clients a postpartum experience that really encompasses the whole self and not just the survival mentality we often have in the early days after births!

This is helpful to know as a doula both for the purpose of referrals, but also for the purpose of considering new services you could offer. I talk in this episode about my desire to have a closing of the bones ceremony even 9 years postpartum because I honestly feel I rushed past that holistic healing that my body probably needed after birth!

Quotes from the show:

“I think there's also something with modern life. And a lot of people put expectations on themselves, and they feel like they have to bounce back, right, like that whole term about like, jumping back into their past life immediately. And then like, sometimes with their second child, they recognize that, hey, I should have given myself a little bit more time to heal. ”

“The postpartum care that we see, in most postpartum care circles, looks like a postpartum doula coming in for like a three or four hour shift and doing whatever needs to be done, whether it's holding the baby holding, you know, giving space for the, you know, the birth of the parents to rust, etc. And all of that is really necessary. And I think my work complements that stuff, I don't think you can, can have one without the other. But the work that I do really centers on kind of like postpartum self care that you give to yourself. And a lot of times, it helps when you're thinking about it before the birth, and you kind of set yourself up for like, let's say, four sessions, or three sessions of different types of body work, plus nourishing foods, that will really help heal your body.”

OUR GUEST:

Fatima is a birth doula and traditional postpartum doula serving families in the DC Metro area. She focuses her postpartum care on traditional services and has trained in Traditional Moroccan Postpartum Care and through Innate Traditions. Other than her passion for birth support and building birth options awareness, she has a passion for bringing to light stories of global postpartum care practices that are familiar across time and space. Fatima offers a workshop on Ancient SWANA/African/Asian Postpartum Care Practices and specializes in the Moroccan Closing the Bones Ceremony. She is constantly in search of global postpartum stories and the lessons that birth and the postpartum have to offer.

Resources Mentioned:

Innate Traditions: https://www.innatetraditions.com/

First 40 Days Book: https://www.amazon.com/First-Forty-Days-Essential-Nourishing/dp/1617691836

A resource from Fatima: 6 Tips for Postpartum Support.

Fatima’s virtual postpartum classes/workshops.

CONNECT with Fatima:

Website: https://oasisbirthdoula.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fatimaoasisdoula/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fatimaoasisdoula

CONNECT with Kaely on TikTok or Instagram

https://www.tiktok.com/@doulacoach

https://www.instagram.com/Harroddoula/