The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother

The first forty days after the birth of a child offer an essential and fleeting period of rest and recovery for the new mother. Based on author Heng Ou's own postpartum experience with zuo yuezi, a set period of “confinement,” in which a woman remains at home focusing on healing and bonding with her baby, The First Forty Days revives the lost art of caring for the mother after birth.



As modern mothers are pushed to prematurely “bounce back” after deliver­ing their babies, and are often left...