EBB 395 - Postpartum Practices from African American Traditions with Shafia Monroe, Midwife and Author of Mothering the Mother

Evidence Based Birth®

Rebecca Dekker

Kids & Family, Medicine, Parenting, Health & Fitness

4.3 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 22 April 2026

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Postpartum care wasn't always rushed, clinical, or isolating. In many African-American communities, the weeks after birth were treated as sacred time where families and communities gathered to care for the mother so she could focus on caring for her baby.

In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Dekker talks with renowned midwife, cultural historian, and author Shafia Monroe about the traditions documented in her new book Mothering the Mother: African-American Postpartum Traditions, Recipes, and Healing. Mama Shafia shares how historically rooted postpartum practices—from the 42-day "lying-in" period to nourishing soups, herbal teas, and hands-on community support—helped mothers rest, recover, and bond with their babies.

They explore what's missing from the modern Western postpartum model, how traditional wisdom from Black midwives supported physical and emotional recovery, and why caring for mothers is essential for healthy families and communities.

(02:43) Why Shafia wrote Mothering the Mother and the lack of resources on African-American postpartum traditions

(07:47) The love letter to Black mothers and words of affirmation for postpartum parents

(11:56) What's missing in modern postpartum care and how Western systems differ from traditional community care

(19:06) Hypervigilance, stress, and supporting postpartum healing

(21:26) The 42-day "lying-in" period and traditional postpartum rituals

(25:45) Postpartum food traditions, soups, and healing foods from African and African-American culture

(33:50) Why these traditions matter for all families, not just one culture

(37:45) "Mother wit": trusting intuition about your body and your baby

(41:25) Advocating for yourself in healthcare and trusting your body during pregnancy and birth

Resources

Get Mama Shafia's book, Mothering the Mother: African-American Postpartum Traditions, Recipes, and Healing: shafiamonroe.com/mothering-the-mother/

Learn about the International Center for Traditional Childbearing (ICTC): thenaabb.org/

Read about SMC Full Circle Doula Birth Companion Training: smcdoulas.com/

EBB 152 – Shafia Monroe on Traditional Black Midwifery, Spirituality, and Community Advocacy

For more information about Evidence Based Birth® and a crash course on evidence based care, visit www.ebbirth.com. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube! Ready to learn more? Grab an EBB Podcast Listening Guide or read Dr. Dekker's book, "Babies Are Not Pizzas: They're Born, Not Delivered!" If you want to get involved at EBB, join our Professional membership (scholarship options available) and get on the wait list for our EBB Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the EBB Childbirth Class.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Motherhood is a cherished gift. You deserve to be honored, protected, cared for, consoled, and uplifted by society.
0:09.0	Hi, everyone. On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Shafia Monroe about culturally rooted
0:14.5	African-American postpartum practices.
0:20.3	Welcome to the evidence-based birth podcast. My name is Rebecca Decker, and I'm a nurse
0:25.1	with my Ph.D. and the founder of evidence-based birth. Join me each week as we work together
0:30.9	to get evidence-based information into the hands of families and professionals around the world.
0:36.8	As a reminder, this information is not
0:38.9	medical advice. See eBbirth.com slash disclaimer for more details.
0:45.8	Hi, everyone, and welcome to today's episode. Today, I am so excited and honored to introduce our
0:52.4	special guest, Shafia Monroe.
0:55.0	Shafia Monroe has her Master's of Public Health and is a veteran midwife,
0:59.8	cultural historian, and author of Mothering the Mother, African-American postpartum
1:04.6	traditions, recipes, and healing.
1:07.4	Mama Shafia is the founder of the International Center for Traditional Childbearing and CEO of SMC Full Circle Dula Birth Companion Training,
1:17.5	the first black-led doula training program in the United States, which has trained more than 5,000 doulas nationwide.
1:24.5	Through Shafia Monroe Consulting and birthing change, she works with health care
1:28.4	professionals and organizations to improve cultural competency, diversify the workforce,
1:33.8	and advance equitable birth outcomes. A leading voice on African American birth traditions
1:39.4	and maternal help, Shafia's work has earned numerous awards, and in 2022, she was recognized by
1:45.7	Scientific American as one of the people helping us make health care more fair. Mama Shafia,
1:52.0	welcome to the Evidence-based Birth podcast. Thank you, Rebecca. So nice to be here again. Of course,
1:57.7	I follow your amazing work, so thank you what you do. Yeah. And we last had you on
	...

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