Mothering the Mother

African American Postpartum Traditions, Recipes and Healing

Coming Soon

Contributors

By Shafia Monroe

Formats and Prices

On Sale
Jan 27, 2026
Page Count
304 pages
Publisher
Balance
ISBN-13
9780306835445

Price

$15.99

Price

$20.99 CAD

Rediscover the lost art of African American postpartum healing traditions in a practical, essential guide to maternal health.
 
Over forty years, Shafia Monroe has helped thousands give birth, and has taught thousands more how to support postpartum mothers, all integrating the deep wisdom of African American healing traditions. Under recognized by  the health care system these practices —such as belly binding, using warmth and  herbs, observing 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 Mothering the Mother is a powerful healing for the diverse range of postpartum experiences, it especially aims to empower Black mothers and help reduce maternal mortality hat disproportionately affect Black women. 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 theMother  is a celebration of motherhood and a resource for Black women and communities to reclaim their cultural traditions for a healthy postpartum recuperation.   
 

Shafia Monroe

About the Author

Shafia Monroe is a renowned midwife, doula trainer, author, motivational speaker, cultural competency trainer, Master of Public Health, a wife and a mother of seven. She is a subject matter expert on African American birth and postpartum traditions with roots in rural Alabama, where her grandmother taught her that food was medicine. Monroe’s work has been mentioned in The PortlandObserver, MadameNoire, Oregon Historical Quarterly, Double Dutch, mater mea, and theAmerican Journal of Public Health. 

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