Postpartum Care in Punjabi Tradition: Healing Rituals from Pakistan
- Zumrah Tariq
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Editor’s Note
At Green Sea Shells, we believe wellness is not only about treatments and trends but also about the rituals of care that cultures have preserved for generations. In this piece, Pakistani writer Zumrah Tariq offers a window into postpartum traditions from her Punjabi heritage — practices rooted in nourishment, rest, and community. Across cultures, we see that maternal health is sustained not just by medicine, but by presence, patience, and belonging. As we share them here, our mission is to hold space for both cultural memory and modern wellness, showing how each can enrich the other.
The challenges a woman faces during and after giving birth are eased not always solved by medicine, but by the warmth of loved ones, their calming voices, and the rituals passed from one woman to another.
Growing up in a traditional Pakistani, Punjabi joint family, I watched a kind of postpartum care rarely seen in modern wellness spaces. It's not clinical or documented but is deeply understood and tested. I have attempted to bring some of these wise pearls to you through this article as it fascinates me as my great grandmother use to say ‘It increases when you share it, whether its food or knowledge’
In the final weeks before labor, the preparation usually begins when a local birth attendant, often an older woman known to the community, we also call them ‘daai’ visits daily to massage the expecting mother. Her hands work intuitively, softening tight muscles, easing tension in the hips and back, gently readying the body for what’s to come. Squatting exercises are encouraged, not at a gym, but at home, on mats, coached lovingly by women who’ve done this many times before. They often suggest squatting more as the time is approaching.
Each night, a warm glass of milk, enriched with a spoonful of desi ghee is served for nourishment. It’s a small ritual that gives the body the strength for transformation it's going to undergo. Her hair is massaged with oil and often the entire body. She is almost never left alone.
After the birth, the healing rituals are more intense symbolically and practically. The mother is often suggested to squat over a warm stone placed beneath her. Over it, jaggery infused water is poured, releasing herbal steam that rises gently into the postpartum body. This simple and powerful act is believed to cleanse, shrink, and heal from within. This sounds a bit extreme but the older ladies make it seem simple. It's sometimes not only jaggery/Gur but other herbs as well.
As I try to sum it all up, I recall being just 10 years old when my younger brother was born. The memories are still vivid. My mother resting on a bed in her maternal home, her own mother gently massaging her hair, and her sister-in-law walking in with a sweet dish made with desi ghee. I remember my elder cousins gathered around, watching over my newborn brother.
I had no idea that I was carrying those memories so vividly in me until my close friend gave birth, it was these experiences at home and the old, trusted tips from my grandmother that guided me. I found myself instinctively knowing how to help and how to comfort, what to offer, and when to simply be there. For 40 days, a sacred time known as ‘chilla’ in Punjab, the mother is not left alone. She’s never expected to “bounce back” or “get back to work.” Instead, she’s wrapped in care.
Her meals are thoughtfully prepared, often rich in jaggery, almonds, and desi ghee foods believed to restore energy and rebuild strength. Other foods like chicken and lamb broth have mild spice levels. Breastfeeding is supported with encouragement and comforting acts like warm compresses are applied to her chest to ease discomfort, it also supports milk flow.
They would encourage the woman to eat healthy by saying
‘This will show up in your milk and will affect the baby’.
Her drinks aren’t just water, they're warm infusions of saunf (fennel) and elaichi (cardamom), calming to the gut and spirit alike. Her body is massaged regularly with almond oil to improve circulation, ease soreness, and offer comfort. It is believed that it will help her to maintain her weight and manage postpartum bleeding. It also indirectly prevents colic in babies who are breastfed. The baby, too, is lovingly tended.
Each day begins with a warm oil massage and bath. His soft head is gently shaped by laying him on a hand-sewn bag which is filled with wheat grains or rice often by elderly women in the household, who remember doing the same for their children. If the baby shows signs of colic, Betel leaves (traditionally believed to soothe) are wrapped around the belly in soft mahmal cloth, offering relief without modern medicine.
I feel the important thing I learnt is the patience executed by those around her for allowing her to rest and making her believe that her health is important, her comfort is a priority and they all are there for her.
Being a doctor, I come across postpartum complications especially related to mother’s mental health and these women might not know exactly how they do it, but these traditional practices help prevent postpartum blues and other mental challenges a woman feels. Therapies are now popular in the Western world, but I feel this is a more personal and warm way to deal with and prevent it.
Although allopathic treatments have advanced and offer tried and tested solutions to many problems, the extent of care these traditions provide for the mother and baby holds a far deeper and more effective role, one that simply can’t be neglected.
Preserving these traditions while practicing them safely allows us to honor our heritage and continue offering new mothers not just recovery, but belonging, care, and resilience.
About the writer: Zumrah Tariq is a licensed medical doctor and health writer who blends clinical expertise with a passion for making complex medical topics clear, practical, and accessible.
