41. In between worlds – on creating cultures of care after birth // OPOKUA BRITTON CAVACO

The arrival of a new baby entails an opening between the worlds. It’s a liminal in–between space, where life is vulnerable until the baby has fully arrived and the window is safely closed. All over the world, people have developed traditions, rituals and practices to care for the new baby and parents during this special time, but many of those practices are being eroded and forgotten.

The conversation you’re about to hear is not just about the time after birth, but after any challenging transition in life, where we need to be held by those around us. And why is it that we find that so difficult in our culture?

Opokua Britton Cavaco is a doula, nurse and author. She has written books about birth and postpartum culture, and hosts the popular Swedish podcast Okrystat with her sister Asabea.

Opokua’s website

Opokuas book on postpartum culture, co-authored by Maria Borda (in Swedish)

Previous episodes in the Blood Mysteries series:

Pt 1: Embracing our cyclical nature with Jenny Koos

Pt 2: How we honor our nervous systems and cultivate pleasure as a pathway towards health with Kimberly Ann Johnson

Pt 3: Birth as a rite of passage with Kristina Turner

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