The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother Hardcover – 26 April 2016

This is a beautiful book, packed full of nutrient dense recipes which are perfect for the postpartum period. It emphasises beautifully the importance of nourishing and caring for women after giving birth. I would thoroughly recommend to anyone and have bought copies for friends.

I have been wanting a decent book in this area for sometime time. I am happy to recommend this book here to anyone who is interested in confinement care be it Fathers, Prenatal women(suggest you have things organised set-up near term, before you reach the postpartum stage), trainee Doula, qualified Doula and Holistic therapists. It is a lovely good quality book with magazine quality images covering the area involved in the first forty days and touching upon other cultural practices during this postpartum time. The recipes are good but one would want, in my personal opinion variation over the forty days for boredom not to set in. Having said that some people have curry and rice every day, some have roast every Sunday, some have fish and chips on Friday and never tire. So maybe this would not be an issue for some folks but it would for me, but I still consider the book well worth the purchase full price or otherwise. I hope more books like this will come out onto the market.

This beautiful book is just what I was looking for. As a midwife expecting my third baby I am determined this time to have a relaxing, restorative 'fourth trimester' as I adjust to life with my new child.As the author says in our culture (unlike others and throughout history) we lack a dedicated space and time to allow a woman to become a mother at her own pace. From this place of strength we are then set to become mothers and provide support to our families.Too often the focus is on the pregnancy and birth, rather than this hugely important time. This book is very needed.It's beautiful- gorgeous photos.Lots of recipes for nourishing food and drink. As well as ideas for rest, support and strengthening your relationship. A complete guide to this special time.Would be a wonderful gift for a mother to be. Also great for anyone interested in pregnancy and birth (doulas, midwives, students etc.) Highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this book, especially reading it once maternity leave began and I was just a few weeks from the birth. It felt like I hadn't properly considered my healing post-birth and this allowed me and my husband to agree and prepare a few things that meant we were more ready for the change a baby brings and my recovery. Heng Ou writes in a holistic inclusive way, and I felt myself nodding away as I read this, feeling quite soothed by the words. I'm really happy I found this when I did. Have recommended to several pregnant friends of mine.

Doesn’t have many recipe options for special dietary needs… mostly meat based!

This is my go-to gift for new mothers. As a mother of three myself I remember how taxing the early months of new motherhood is on your body, mind and soul. If I had taken the time to prepare with proper nurturing like Heng Ou suggests, it would have given me the tools to approach this new stage in life. The pictures are beautiful, but better yet the recipes are delicious and restorative. Thank you for bringing back knowledge that has been lost to most western mothers.

What a fantastic book! A great read for anyone interested in nourishing their body before and during and after pregnancy - or for anyone who wants to make a healthy postpartum meal for a friend. The recipes are tasty and easy, and I especially love the congee with a dollop of black sesame paste.

Fabulous book, I wish motherbees was here in the UK when I was in my first 40 days but the book was so helpful with fabulous advice & reciepes.