05/06/2025
In our Lakota lifeways, giving birth was never treated like an emergency or a sickness. It was a sacred transition—one that connected a woman to the spirit world and marked her as powerful, not fragile.
💛 After birth, a woman wasn’t expected to return to daily tasks.
She was honored and given rest. Her healing time was protected.
She was cared for by a circle of women—her mother, grandmothers, aunties, and midwives—who fed her, cared for her baby, tended the home, and wrapped her in support.
🌿 Nourishment & Medicine
New mothers were given warm broths, bison marrow soups, and teas made from sacred plants like:
Wíyaŋ čhaŋ (Red raspberry leaf) – for womb healing
Ȟaŋté čhaŋȟlóǧa (Yarrow) – to slow bleeding
Sage, wild mint, cedar – to cleanse and restore balance
Sweet clover and comfrey – used as compresses or poultices
🌿🦬Check out our Pejuta Winyan Tea or Tinctures on my website www.lakotamade.com 🦬🌿
Warmth & Womb Healing
Bellies were gently wrapped in cloth or hides, keeping the womb supported.
Herbal steams may have been used to aid recovery and cleansing.
Binding and light massage helped reposition the uterus and soothe the body.
Ceremony & Spiritual Support
Women were seen as walking between worlds after birth—their dreams and visions were listened to.
The birth space was blessed, songs were sung, and prayers were offered.
This wasn’t isolation—it was sacred solitude for bonding and healing.
The baby was seen as sacred, a gift from the spirit world.
Naming ceremonies and blessings welcomed the child into the community.
🧡 It Took a Village
Caring for a new mother wasn’t just the family’s job—it was the community’s responsibility.
She was never left alone to “figure it out.” She was held, nourished, loved.
Colonization disrupted these lifeways.
But our teachings are still here.
They live in our memories, in our blood, in the stories our grandmothers passed down.
Let’s remember that true postpartum care is ceremonial, physical, emotional, and spiritual.
Let’s return to the circle.
Let’s honor our Wíŋyaŋ for the life-bringers they are.
