Tend Your Light: Nourishing Yourself Postpartum
Image credit: Kaley from Kansas via Pinterest
I was two days postpartum when I hit the lowest spot I can remember. 48 hours prior, I was laboring in my living room, reveling in the love of my baby girl, and getting whisked to the hospital to stitch up a third-degree tear. As the whirlwind settled into the hum of new motherhood, I could hardly recognize the reflection of the woman looking back at me in the cloudy bathroom mirror. I stared at this woman bleeding into an adult diaper, wearing a rat’s nest of a bun, and thought, who is this new version of me, and is she capable of rising to this moment?
I hadn’t slept a wink the past two nights, terrified my brand-new, ever-so-fragile baby might stop breathing in her sleep. What’s more, she wasn’t latching, and I was wracked with worry that our breastfeeding journey would be over before it even began. Feeding her with a syringe of pumped colostrum, while she was still rapidly dropping weight, my heart was breaking to pieces.
My midwife stopped by for a check-in visit and was alarmed at my state. Through a river of tears, I shared with her how nervous and unsure I was, questioning if I was strong enough to do this thing called motherhood. “What am I doing wrong? Why isn’t she thriving?” After taking my vitals and assuring me of my fortitude, she firmly ordered me to pump a bottle so my husband could feed the baby and sent me upstairs to sleep for at least three hours. She said something to the effect of “you can’t pour from an empty cup.” To care for another sustainably, you must first take care of yourself. And you must let yourself be taken care of. I’ve heard that one before, but in that raw, vulnerable moment, it held new weight, the truth of it settling like an anchor in my soul. So I listened. I drew the blackout curtains, turned on the sound machine, and slept the deepest sleep I’ve had maybe ever. I woke up nearly four hours later, feeling like a new woman with a newfound fortitude. I can do this, I thought. I was made for this moment.
In those first days, I let myself be nourished. I gratefully ate home-cooked meals from friends and family. I dutifully met with a lactation consultant who gently set Lucia and me on our way with breastfeeding. I diligently took my herbal tinctures - passionflower for anxiety, skullcap for sleep, hawthorn for blood pressure regulation. And I rested like I never have before. Cleaning the dirty bathroom mirror took a backseat to the imperative task before me: to nurture a new life, and my own.
As I write this eight months into my postpartum journey, I reflect with gratitude on the grace that brought me here. I stare at my chunky, happy, 91st percentile baby and marvel at our fortitude. We’re doing this, largely in part because we let ourselves be nourished.
Don’t get me wrong—this season is still the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And yet somehow, it’s also the most beautiful, fulfilling, and awe-inspiring. I’m learning how to hold a multitude of truths at once. It’s never just one thing. That’s why I’ve stopped looking outside myself for all the answers. Instead, I’ve started tuning into the constellation of truths within my own inner landscape—truths that were always there, just waiting for me to get quiet enough to listen.
To hear them, I had to resist the constant noise—the Instagram reels, the Reddit threads, the Facebook groups overflowing with anecdotes dressed up as one-size-fits-all solutions. Somewhere along the way, I realized that within each mother is a quiet intuition that knows what is right for her unique baby. But we have to be grounded enough to hear it. To tend our light and let it guide the way.
In a season that demands so much giving, I’ve learned that tending to myself is not selfish—it’s sacred. Somewhere in the haze of diaper changes, cluster feeds, and contact naps, I began thinking of care—real, embodied care—as a way of tending my light. A quiet commitment to staying soft, even when the world (or my own mind) told me to harden, to fear the worst.
I hope you nourish the flame of your own vitality, even when—especially when—it feels like it’s flickering. I hope you choose rest, support, and simplicity over perfection. I hope you trust that softness is not weakness. That asking for help doesn’t mean you’re failing. That your well-being matters, not just because you are nurturing new life, but because you are worthy of care, too.
This isn’t always easy. The world doesn’t often make space for a mother’s needs. But we can begin to make space for ourselves, even in small, sacred ways. A warm sitz bath. A cup of nourishing herbal infusion. A soothing balm massaged into dry, cracked skin. A delicious nap while someone else holds the baby. This is how we tend our light.
[I’m curious, what does tending your light look like for you? Let me know in the comments!]
Introducing: Lucy on Earth’s Mama & Baby Line
Out of this raw and luminous season came a desire to craft offerings that support not just baby, but mama too. Because in nurturing Lucia, I also had to learn how to nurture myself. I began creating simple remedies that met our everyday needs with gentleness and trustworthy ingredients. That’s how the Mama & Baby line was born – out of necessity.
Each product is made by hand, in small batches, using wildcrafted & organic herbs. They’re simple tools for sacred work—supporting the tender moments and hard days when your light feels dim.
Here are a few of my favorites:
🌿 Rooted Mother: Stress Elixir
This formula saved me during the hormonal rollercoaster of those early postpartum days. It’s a nourishing blend of mineral-rich and calming herbs to support postpartum recovery & emotional balance.
Made with: Wildcrafted Thimbleberry & Nettle Leaf; Milky Oats, Passionflower, Skullcap, & Motherwort from Root Digger Herb Farm; raw honey, brandy, organic cane alcohol
🌸 Wonder Womban: Pregnancy & Postpartum Tea
A mineral-rich herbal tea blend formulated to support uterine tone, hormonal balance, and postpartum recovery. Safe for pregnancy & breastfeeding.
Made with: Red Raspberry Leaf, Nettle Leaf, Oatstraw, Alfalfa, Rosehips, Red Clover (all organic)
🛁 Healing Waters: Postpartum Sitz Bath
A soothing herbal bath to support perineal recovery, reduce swelling, and promote gentle healing after childbirth.
Made with: Comfrey Leaf, Lavender, Calendula, Yarrow, Chamomile, Witch Hazel Bark, Rose Petals (all organic)
🍼 Tiny Tummies: Colic Tea
A gentle herbal tea for colic, gas, and baby’s belly troubles.
Made with: Chamomile, Fennel, Catnip, Lemon Balm (all organic)
👶 Sweet Cheeks: Baby Bum Dust
A silky, talc-free herbal powder to soothe and protect delicate baby skin.
Made with: Calendula, Chamomile, Comfrey, & Lavender (all organic); Kaolin clay, Arrowroot powder
💛 Tender Touch: Rash Salve
A gentle, deeply nourishing salve for baby’s most sensitive spots—and for the tender places on mama, too. Safe for nursing and free of essential oils.
Made with: Wildcrafted Cottonwood; Organic Calendula & Comfrey; Olive Oil, Beeswax, Shea Butter, Vitamin E Oil
These remedies were born from my own hands and heart, tested in the rhythm of our everyday life. They are an offering to you, to your baby, to the mother you’re becoming, to the nurturer within us all.
If you’re local to Tacoma, WA, you can now find the full line at Hawthorn & Honey in the Proctor district! This brand-new shop is a wonder to the senses and worth a visit for a grounding moment.
2703 North Proctor St. Tacoma
Open Tuesday - Sunday, 10 am - 6 pm
And if you’re further afield, you can explore the full Mama & Baby line here.
I hope it meets you with the same care with which it was made.
With love,
Brianna