In kitchens, gardens, and back rooms across Black communities, “granny midwives” supported birth with skill, love, and ancestral memory. Their care extended beyond the birth itself—into the weeks of recovery, spiritual grounding, and community care that followed.
These postpartum practices were deeply connected to West African traditions and were often blended with Indigenous American ways of knowing. Many of these methods were passed from hand to hand, spoken softly, or demonstrated in everyday acts of care.
As we consider the state of Black maternal health and return to more holistic ways of healing, we create space to reflect on how these traditions can support us today, not as trends, but as living practices rooted in our collective memory.
Womb Wrapping: Holding the Center
After birth, the womb is empty, but not done working. New mothers’ bellies were wrapped with long, breathable cloths, a nurturing practice that supported the body’s recovery and honored the transition into postpartum.
It wasn’t just physical support—it was energetic containment. A way of saying, “You are still held.”
A Simple Wrap Practice:
Use a long cotton cloth. After anointing the belly with warm oil (like castor, lavender, or calendula), begin just under the ribs and wrap downward with care. The wrap should feel firm but not restrictive. Do it slowly, with breath and intention. Sing if you’re called to. Speak love into the cloth.
Honoring the Placenta: Returning to the Earth, Returning to the Body
The placenta has always been more than a byproduct. It is the child’s first nourishment, a living connection between worlds. In the traditions of many Black midwives, the placenta was honored—sometimes buried, sometimes blessed, and sometimes returned to the mother in another way.
While some families chose to bury it with ritual, others dried and powdered the placenta as a form of replenishment. Quietly, carefully, it was offered back to the mother in capsule or tea form—to restore what had been given.
A Gentle Ritual (Burying):
Wrap the placenta in cloth. Bury beneath a tree or in a place of meaning. Offer cornmeal, flowers, or a spoken blessing. This is a return, a grounding, a tether to the land.
A Quiet Practice (Powdering):
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Steam the placenta with herbs (like lemon, ginger, or mugwort), if desired.
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Slice thinly and dehydrate until fully dry, using low heat.
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Grind into a fine powder using a clean mortar or grinder.
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Store in capsules or small jars for personal use—often taken during early postpartum, menstruation return, or times of emotional depletion.
Herbal Baths & Steams: Washing Away What Was
Warm water and herbs were sacred tools. They didn’t just soothe tears or fight infection—they cleared energy, invited peace, and reminded the body it was safe to rest.
Midwives would steep healing plants, pour the water into basins or bathtubs, and gently wash or steam the womb space. These moments were slow and sacred.
A Healing Blend:
Use herbs like rosemary, calendula, lavender, and red raspberry leaf. Steep them in boiling water, strain, and pour into a warm bath or sitz basin. Bathe quietly. Let the steam rise to the womb. Let your breath be soft. This is a return to your own body.
Spiritual Protection: The Unseen Work
Not all healing is visible. Granny midwives often carried a knowing of how to protect a mother’s spirit, how to bless the baby’s journey, how to clear the heaviness that birth sometimes leaves behind.
They used oils, cloths, whispers, Psalms, and charms hidden in plain sight. They might place something under the bed. They might rub their feet with oil. They might say nothing at all.
A Protection Ritual:
Rub warmed oil into the feet, temples, and chest. Speak affirmations, scripture, or the names of those who’ve walked before. Burn rosemary or cedar. Open a window. Let the spirit settle.
Rest and Nourishment: Being Held by the Community
New mothers were not left alone. Granny midwives often returned day after day, or called on neighbors and kin to cook, wash, hold the baby, and make sure the mother did nothing but heal.
Rest was a community effort. Food was medicine. Silence was sacred.
A Nourishing Broth:
Simmer bones with onion, garlic, root vegetables, and blood-strengthening herbs like nettle and dandelion. Sip warm. Add rice or okra for comfort. Let it feed more than your belly.
