How a mother is cared for in the first forty days after giving birth shapes her health for the forty years that follow. Cultures across the world have known this and built traditions around it. Ours mostly hasn't.

This is a large-format guide to building your own forty days — what to arrange before the birth, how to set up a meal train, and how to ask for what you need without apologizing for needing it. It includes a section written directly to your support people, so you can hand it over instead of explaining.

Asking for help is the first step in rebuilding the village, and it's a gift to us all.