My first post on matrescence, or the transition to motherhood, seems to have hit a chord. To my surprise, thousands of you have been reading that post over the last weeks. So, I have decided to continue to talk about this subject in a series of posts.

To give some background, matrescence is a term that was coined in the 1970's by medical anthropologist, Dana Raphael, in her book, Being Female: Reproduction, Power and Change. It was more recently brought back to our attention by Aurelie Athan, a reproductive psychologist at Columbia University.

Athan notes that Rafael "pointed out that in many cultures, the birth of a new baby is announced by saying, "a woman has given birth." Athan's point is that the focus is on the mother and what she has done. And that emphasis is important. She is given credit for what she has accomplished. This is symbolic of the meaning the culture gives to the event and how it is handled. In cultures other than our own, mothers are often more supported after the birth of a baby, and more taken care of.

For example, in South Korea, it is common for mothers to go to a retreat for the first 21 days after they give birth. There, fresh meals are delivered three times a day, they can receive massages and facials and attend childcare classes, and there are nurses available to watch over the baby if the mother needs a rest.

There is a special soup to drink, traditional in South Korea during the postpartum period, lactation consultants and exercise routines to help with recovery, and body realignment to help new mothers get back in touch with their........

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