Conclusion:

CONTINUING THE REVOLUTION

And so it is that the one who rocks the cradle of the babe is the one who holds up the lamp, shedding light on the world.

—MATA AMRITANANDAMAYI

At the beginning of this book, I wrote about the Postpartum Revolution and the time that we live in. The truth is, progress—whether it be cultural, political, spiritual, or individual—is not a straight line. It dips up and down and can sometimes feel like we’re taking one step forward just to take two steps back. And that’s okay, whether you are feeling that way about your own progress or our culture’s. The main thing is that you keep at it.

What does that mean? It means the Postpartum Revolution is now in your hands—in every woman’s (and hopefully her partner’s) hands. It’s time for you to take your own torch and light the way for others. When you began this journey of birth and motherhood, you looked to me—to this book—to help light your way. When you had questions, you looked for answers. When you wanted to find tools that could help you, you searched them out. My greatest hope for you is that as you journey beyond the fourth trimester, you not only continue to seek out the tools, help, and community, including postpartum doulas, bodyworkers, doctors, and friends and family, for support when you need it, but also offer it as well. Sharing your experience—both the challenges that you worked through and the elements of early mothering that were easier than you thought—is what will create the open dialogue we need so that less women feel like they are in the dark and unnecessarily surprised when they join the journey. It is not only knowledge that will reach across the bridge to the new mother, warmth, heart, and solidarity will reach her too and let her know that this time is challenging by nature—but she is not alone.

The fourth trimester is one of the most important opportunities in a new mother’s life to instill long-term health and to set herself and her family up for a lifetime of optimal health and bonding. And right now, this period of time sits at a unique cultural crossroads.

We have a chance to move toward real community and interdependence, where instead of hoarding resources, we share them with one another. We have the chance to step into a new feminism that honors women’s bodies, not just our reproductive rights, but also our unique access to the wisdom that living with monthly cycles and blood rites offers. We can live into a new wave of feminism that has space for women’s embodiment and pleasure, one where we celebrate ourselves and are celebrated for our own inherent worth, rather than running ourselves ragged trying to “do it all.”

You now have the knowledge, the tools, and a torch of your own to help light the way.