In Malaysia, tradition still has a certain degree of influence. Malays, Indians and Chinese still insist on pregnancy and post-natal practices and taboos, regardless of their educational background. Most of the so-called "taboos" may sound ridiculous. No one can give us a good explanation of why this is done or not, but if you look closely, there is a very reasonable logical reason behind each taboo, somehow for many years. It's lost.
Confinement - Chinese style
In the past, one month after delivery was considered a very dangerous period, the time of illness and the possible death of mothers and babies. This is because during the postpartum period, when her body is at its weakest level, the mother's physiology classification becomes the strongest period of time, while traditional Chinese women must follow a procedure that includes 15 clear cultural practices, aiming at Reduce this danger.
According to ancient Chinese writings, women who followed tradition during this period were called "doing the moon", when the new mother and her children were almost restricted to their rooms. From here on, the word "restriction" is created. According to official statistics, the confinement period is 30 days. When a visitor presents a gift to a baby, a grand banquet will be held, called the "Full Moon" banquet.
The 15 cultural practices/taboos she must strictly adhere to are:
Eat chicken every day.
Eat ' hot ' food.
3. Do not eat cold food.
4. Do not wash your hair or body.
5. Don't go out
6. Don't sit on the grass or in the wind.
7. Don't move around the house unnecessarily, but stay in the room.
8. Don't go to another person's home.
9. Prohibit sexual intercourse for 100 days.
10. Practice positive behavior to avoid getting sick.
11. Don't read or cry.
12. Do not eat with other family members.
13. Don't offend the gods by burning incense.
14. Avoid any potential pathogens
15. Avoid using any fetal blood residue to contaminate family members.
Can you figure out the reason for the above?
The first three are easy to understand. Since the Chinese think that the body is very cloudy, it is important to try to heat it by eating "hot" food containing chicken. If you look at all the so-called "hot" foods, most of them contain the nutrients needed to improve milk production, help the organization repair and improve the mother's overall health. In the past, the order of mealtimes was for men to eat first, then for children, and finally for women. This means that most women are unable to balance their diet, and the only time they correct this imbalance is during childbirth.
In the past, it was understandable not to bathe and wash your hair, because in ancient China, everyone had very long hair and it took a long time after washing. In addition, most old houses are very ventilated, so it is easy to find cold whether or not they are in confinement. Our mother and grandmother swear that if you take a bath during the delivery month, you will have joint pain in your old age. The good news is that the time to not take a shower has been reduced to 2 weeks. Who ordered this, no one knows! However, the bath water must be boiled and infused with water from the boiled herbs. Over the years, some people have introduced the tradition of bathing, adding a whole set of herbs in the water, such as serai, limau perut, daun kunyit and so on. This may be due to exposure to local Malay customs.
Another tradition not listed in the 15 practices is that mothers of new births are not exposed to water during the month of childbirth. This is actually ridiculous because:
1. You must practice good hand washing and personal hygiene to protect your baby.
2. You will bleed for a few days after giving birth. If you don't wash, the blood will dry up and become a wonderful place for dinner that may cause infection.
3. If you have been giving birth for a few hours and vaginally giving birth, then you will sweat. If you add more days of sweat to eating "hot" food, then no one can sit next to you.
The reason for being restricted to the room and the house may be to prevent women from starting to do housework and may even go to the field. If the mother of the new childbirth exhausts all her energy and is overworked in her energetic work, she will not be able to produce enough milk for her baby. Remember that in the past, all babies were exclusively breastfed. In addition, the body takes about 6-8 weeks to return to pre-pregnancy, so the restriction is to ensure that the mother returns to normal from the pressure of childbirth.
So avoid sex in 100 days? This may be because there are no contraceptive devices in those days, and if a woman re-pregnases within 100 days, she has no chance to recover from the current stress of pregnancy and childbirth. After childbirth, there is a primitive area in the uterus of a woman who is attached to the fetus. This area is at high risk of being infected during sexual intercourse. In fact, modern recommendations are abstinence at 6 weeks after vaginal delivery and 8 weeks after caesarean section.
I think it is very important for mothers who are giving birth to practice positive behavior and avoid getting sick. The mother is the primary caregiver of the baby and she will not be able to take care of her child if she is ill. In addition, the baby is very sensitive to the mother's mood, so it will respond accordingly. If any negative behavior is prolonged, it will eventually have a negative impact on the baby's personality and behavior. If you want a baby that is happy and easy to care for, you must be active and happy from the beginning of pregnancy.
I think the last four practices are now out of the background, especially when some of us come from different religious beliefs and there is no substantial evidence to show the results of these final practices.
After working with women from Western countries and Malaysia, I must say that our older women suffer from fewer gynaecological and arthritic problems. Could this be because our confinement or genetic makeup? Honestly, I can't answer this question.
For those who are still unsure of the value of traditional customs, my advice is that it may be easier to follow the advice of older people for peace, even if you may feel very uncomfortable for a few days. Then, if we don't follow what will happen, this will always be a question. After that, if we complain about the pain, we will definitely hear the phrase "I told you."
Orignal From: What is the traditional postpartum confinement?
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