We often celebrate the baby, but what about the parent? Jewish tradition offers equally profound support for the person who just gave birth. At Mayyim Hayyim, our “After Giving Birth” immersion ceremony is a vital part of how we support parents through the physical and emotional transitions of the postpartum journey.
We are thrilled to share insights from Lucy Marshall, Mayyim Hayyim’s former Rising Tide Open Waters Mikveh Network Director, on how ancient Jewish wisdom and mikveh immersion can ground new parents today.
Here are seven creative ideas to incorporate Jewish wisdom into your fourth trimester:
Nosh
Staying well nourished during postpartum is crucial for your physical and spiritual health. Jewish midwives historically fed people warm, heavy foods like chicken soup and lentils. In Sefardi culture, almonds are considered protective after giving birth, and sugary treats like cakes, honey, and candy are enjoyed to celebrate the blessing of a new child. Jewish birth scholar Rabbi Anna Calamaro writes about the healing powers of the Seven Species — wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates — to incorporate into your postpartum diet, and Rose Espinola’s project on Jewish Postpartum through the Stories of Jews of Color highlights other comforting foods like tumeric, ginger, and plantains.
Dunk
Immersing in a mikveh, or Jewish ritual bath, is a powerful way to honor your body as a creator of new life and acknowledge your spiritual transformation as a parent. Mayyim Hayyim offers beautiful postpartum immersion ceremonies and a network of community mikveh centers around the world.
According to Jewish law, any natural body of water is technically a mikveh, so feel free to dunk in a lake, ocean, or stream if that’s more your style. Alternatively, you could choose to mark this transition with an intentional hand-washing ritual or a mindful bath or shower. These sacred moments for yourself may feel hard to come by in the newborn days, and yet Judaism urges us to prioritize this care for your soul.
Craft
For centuries, Jews have created amulets for the protection of a newborn baby and birth parent. These amulets included symbols and texts to ward off the evil eye, such as a hamsa, the color red, powerful Torah verses, iron swords and shields, and more. Amulets were often hung near the baby’s sleep space, at the home’s entrance, or even as jewelry for the parent and/or baby.
Choose a few symbols or words that feel most protective to you, and create an amulet for you and your baby — a paper collage to hang on a wall, a beaded bracelet, a gathering of symbolic herbs and spices, or another thoughtful creation to carry on this Jewish postpartum tradition.
If you’re more of a textile person, there is also an old Jewish practice to create a wimple, a section of a baby’s swaddling cloth that is used to wrap a Torah scroll. Nowadays, the wimple itself is often used as a swaddling cloth and then wrapped around the Torah during ceremonies like a brit milah, baby naming, or future b’nai mitzvah. A wimple may be decorated with images that represent the parents’ hopes and wishes for their child.
Garden
Amidst the transformative postpartum journey, connecting with the earth can feel especially grounding. Jewish ritual offers meaningful options like burying your baby’s placenta after birth as a “pledge to the earth.” You might also choose to plant a tree in honor of your new child and watch it grow and blossom alongside them. Traditionally, Jews planted a cedar sapling for a baby boy and a pine, cypress, or acacia tree for a baby girl, but you could choose any tree or plant that resonates most with you.
Sing
Sing a Jewish lullaby to your little one to bring the power of Jewish music into your growing family. You might also consider reciting the Havdalah blessings — prayers said over a braided candle to close out Shabbat and welcome a new week — to mark this new time of transition in your life.
There are a few traditional Jewish prayers said after birth, such as the Shechechyanu, the blessing for new experiences, and Birkat HaGomel, which expresses gratitude to God after surviving a challenging or dangerous journey. Other more contemporary postpartum blessings include a ritual for cutting the umbilical cord, creating a new parent ketubah contract, a blessing for siblings, and more.
Party
Our Jewish ancestors understood that giving birth was an amazing feat worth celebrating. Yemenite Jewish women traditionally gathered thirty days after birth for an al-wafaa ceremony at the birther’s home, featuring sweet treats, birth stories, drumming, and dancing. A Simhat Yoledet is another tradition celebrating one’s new identity after giving birth. It takes place on Rosh Chodesh, a holiday for the new moon, and attendees shower the parent and baby with meals, blessings, and shared Torah study for physical, spiritual, and intellectual nourishment.
However, you’d like your postpartum gatherings to look and feel, friends and family celebrating you has deep Jewish roots.
Rest
Welcoming a new child and recovering from birth can be exhausting. If caring for your and your baby’s essential needs is all you have energy for, know that prioritizing rest is a very Jewish thing to do.
The Talmud instructs Jewish communities to treat a person who just gave birth as if they are deathly ill for the first thirty days postpartum. This status means that, by Jewish law, the parent is not obligated to perform certain commandments, and her surrounding community must help ensure all her needs are met. In the Torah, the matriarch Hannah stayed home with her baby instead of joining others for the annual pilgrimage to the Temple. Shabbat, a core pillar of Jewish practice, teaches the sanctity and importance of rest for the mind, body, and soul.
So, please, if nothing else – follow the Jewish tradition for rest, and soak in the holiness of your postpartum journey. Your ancestors and your Jewish community are here to support you.
Are you local to Minnesota? Lucy is bringing these vital conversations to life this spring! Starting in early March, she will be leading an in-person Jewish Pregnancy Series in partnership with Jewish Children’s and Family Services (JCFS) Minnesota and PJ Library.
Lucy Marshall is a queer Ashkenazi Jewish educator, facilitator, ritualist, and network weaver. Passionate about cultivating Jewish belonging, she is the Director of Engagement and Education at Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Minnesota. Lucy recently launched Neshama Mama, a new library of Jewish rituals for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Previously, Lucy directed the Rising Tide Open Waters Mikveh Network at Mayyim Hayyim, taught at Shir Tikvah Congregation, and served as the Twersky Education Fellow at the Jewish Women’s Archive. She earned her MSW from the University of Minnesota and MA in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Lucy is a proud ema (mother) to her babies Lazer and Raizel on Dakota Land in Minneapolis, Minnesota.