Traditional Roots Midwifery

02/08/2026

“And it starts earlier than you think.

Amniotic fluid loves to absorb near-infrared light. A 2010 study on the optical properties of human amniotic fluid found something remarkable: Amniotic fluid selectively transmits red and near-infrared light, with peak transmission at 850nm—the exact wavelength abundant in morning and evening sunlight. These are the same wavelengths that power mitochondrial energy production and cellular development.

But here’s the critical part: As pregnancy progresses, light transmission drops. Amniotic fluid becomes more optically dense in later gestation, meaning less light passes through. Early and mid-pregnancy sun exposure matters most.” – Lindsey Mathews Cantu, DC

In postpartum, your body heals through signals, and one of the most powerful (and overlooked) signals in pregnancy and postpartum is natural light. Morning and evening sunlight help regulate hormones, support tissue repair, stabilize mood, and even entrain your baby’s developing circadian rhythm before and after birth.

Keep reading “The Sun Pillar: Light As Medicine From Conception to Recovery” by Lindsey Mathews Cantu, DC in the current issue of Pathways. Subscribers can read now at the link in bio. Subscriptions begin at just $20/year: https://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/pregnancy-birth/the-sun-pillar-light-as-medicine-from-conception-to-recovery.html

02/07/2026

02/07/2026

Midwifery stands on its own.

02/07/2026

The postpartum phase is not a mood shift, an emotional dip, or a “rough couple of weeks”. It is the single greatest hormonal crash in the human lifespan, a biological event so extreme that if it happened to anyone outside of childbirth, it would be treated as a medical crisis, not a personality change. Within just 72 hours estrogen and progesterone collapse more than 1,000% (meaning they fall to 1/10th of their level), dropping from the highest levels a human will ever experience to nearly zero. And, women endure this while healing from birth, producing milk around the clock, and surviving some of the worst sleep deprivation ever documented.

This crash doesn’t just affect mood, it impacts cognition, physical functioning, emotional regulation, and stress tolerance. Brain imaging shows that postpartum mothers temporarily shift into survival mode: heightened threat awareness, reduced cognitive bandwidth, and amplified emotional load - not because they’re overreacting, but because their brain is actively rewiring itself to protect a newborn who cannot survive without them.

At the same time, the body is rerouting nutrients, pulling minerals from the bones, healing tissues, stabilizing organs, and producing milk that costs 400-700 calories a day, and yet society expects mothers to “feel like themselves” within 6 weeks — a timeline completed disconnected from biology.

Postpartum isn’t weakness, it’s physiology under maximum load. If we truly want to support new mothers, we must start acknowledging the science: healing requires time, nourishment, help, support, and protection from overwhelm. When we honor the mother’s recovery, we strengthen the child she is raising, and that is how generational health begins.

SOURCES:
Schiller et al, Nature Neuroscience (2016): Hormonal shifts postpartum and brain remodeling.
Glynn, psychoneuroendocrinology (2010-2014): Postpartum hormonal crash and cognitive effects.
Buck Walter et al., Journal of Neuroscience (1999-2011): Postpartum brain structural changes and emotional regulation

01/31/2026

Throw in lots of red meat to this list for the perfect top 4 superfoods for pregnancy. 🥩

01/30/2026

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01/28/2026

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01/26/2026

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01/25/2026

01/24/2026

Labor tip… 🌿