radical.

Radical, in its truest definition, means of or relating to the root of something (especially in relation to botany). It also refers to something that is revolutionary and whole.

Postpartum refers to the state of a mother after giving birth.

Though modern times have led to the incorrect notion that "postpartum" is itself synonymous with "depression," postpartum is really a basic term that applies to what is often referred to as the fourth trimester (the three initial months post-birth). In actuality it can be used to refer to any woman who has had children, i.e. "I'm five years postpartum." Another word for postpartum is "postnatal," the latter being used more prominently outside of the U.S.

Expansion is growth, the act of becoming more extensive.

After giving birth, a recently postpartum woman who is held in love and honor rightfully expands to fulfill the role of mother. Her being expands to include that of her newborn baby, who, though no longer held in her womb, is deeply connected to her for at least another nine months. We refer to this time of the mamababy dyad (also known as mamatoto) as "exogestation," or gestation outside of the womb.

These three words together perfectly describe the time period after a radical sovereign woman gives birth to her child.

A radical postpartum expansion is rooted in self-love, strength, power, responsibility, choice and connection with Gaia (our Mother Earth). It is a state of being that is rooted in real in-person community, reverence for our herbal allies, connection with our natural surroundings and the innate knowing that our bodies are innately wise temples providing a temporary shelter for our souls.

Radically and literally speaking, our bodies are one with our earthly environment. They follow similar, if not identical, cycles to those of other animals and plants. They are made of water and they rely on the same sun as our earth-grown food. Within them we are guided and influenced by the moon and stars, and we find true healing within the sacred relationships we have with all that grows in the soil.

Birth and postpartum are completely intertwined with our natural world.

The radical expansion of a new mother relies on nature's gifts to facilitate healing, growth and forward movement in her journey as life-giver and primal nurturer. Relationships held with members of her family and community are pivotal to her ability to fully heal and assume her new matriarchal role in society. We are not separate from one another, and thus isolating mothers under the guise of safety will never work as a healing modality.

This is why those of us who gave birth just before or during the year 2020 must share our stories of survival. We are newly postpartum mothers radically raising our babies in the wake of international upheaval and counterintuitive guidelines regarding public health. Those who have experienced a radical postpartum expansion during this time will never be the same, and our intuitions are loudly telling us not to comply with the incorrect defining of our experiences as inherently depressive and unavoidably solitary.

Let it be known that our birth and postpartum experiences have been life-affirming because we have made decisions for ourselves and our babies that themselves align with life, truth and the deeply held belief that, by living lives connected to the natural cyclical unfolding of things, we are creating a new earth that is NOT rooted in fear. Our new earth, as founded on the radical postpartum expansions of mothers worldwide, is rooted in LOVE, and love is what will prevail. Love is what will show us the way toward real, life-oriented ways of being. Come join us as we gather and share our stories of radical postpartum expansion with the world.