“How much we can give to one another by human touch… more than ever, we realise how important touch is, how much it makes us feel alive to one another.”

With Hatice Aydemir from Mum Kneads,Confinement & post-partum massage

From the moment we met at our Pregnancy massage course I was curious about this practice as I had never heard of it. Our conversation gives insight into some of the breadths of bodywork practices across cultures.

The conversation delves into Hatice’s personal story of discovering confinement care during her first pregnancy, describing the traditional postpartum practices such as specific nourishing meals, massages, and the importance of warmth and rest for the first 40 days after childbirth.

Highlighting the differences between Western and traditional practices, she emphasises the spiritual and holistic elements involved in postpartum care.

Hatice also discusses the importance of understanding cross-cultural practices, the need for better inclusion of natural medicines in healthcare, and her mission to educate and support women through their journeys into motherhood.

A large part of the focus of this discussion is on her confinement, a practice used in some Asian & African cultures where women stay at home approx. 40 days to bond with their baby and allow their body to recover.

In this episode

02:20 ~ meeting Hatti and her pathway into cultural massage
03:25 ~ understanding confinement and the first 40 days
04:30 ~ receiving care after birth
09:00 ~ what postpartum confinement looks like
12:30 ~ shared spiritual beliefs across cultures
14:00 ~ floor-based bodywork and being on the same level
17:10 ~ prenatal massage and the baby’s presence
19:10 ~ weaving traditional wisdom and modern knowledge
20:35 ~ the need for women-centred care in Australia
22:20 ~ massage as family tradition
24:45 ~ what women teach each other
27:15 ~ the importance of human touch
29:10 ~ intention, prayer and energy in bodywork
36:15 ~ the fourth trimester and gentleness with ourselves