Who is Emily Montague?
Emily Montague is a chef and educator known as The Postpartum Chef (or The Sitting Month Chef). She adapts the 2,000-year-old Chinese zuo yuezi — the sitting month postpartum confinement tradition — into simple, warming, nutrient-dense meals that help modern mothers recover after birth and ease postpartum depression.
What is 'the sitting month'?
The sitting month (zuo yuezi, 坐月子) is a roughly 30-day postpartum recovery practice from Chinese tradition — also known as "doing the month", la cuarentena, or the fourth trimester. During it the new mother rests and eats warming, blood- and iron-rebuilding foods to restore energy (qi), support milk supply and protect her mental health.
Can food really help postpartum depression?
Research links several nutrients — omega-3 fatty acids, iron, vitamin D, B12, zinc and folate — and anti-inflammatory dietary patterns with a lower risk of postpartum depression. Emily's cooking is built around exactly these nutrients. See her Postpartum Depression & Food guide for the science.
How do I work with Emily?
You can enroll in Emily's recovery course, order her medicinal teas and meal plans, or — if you're a doula or midwife — become certified in her postpartum cooking method. Start at thesittingmonthchef.com.
