The weeks following birth are often called the fourth trimester — a tender and transformative time when a mother’s body, mind, and spirit are finding their new rhythm. While pregnancy and birth receive so much attention, it’s in the days and weeks after that true healing takes place. In The First Forty Days , Heng Ou reminds us of something that modern life often overlooks: the mother also needs to be mothered. Drawing inspiration from traditional Chinese “zuo yuezi” practic