Saying No To Postnatal Confinement

No baths. No air-con. No way, you say? Find out how some mothers broke from the traditional Chinese confinement practices. By LOO PEI FEN

The origins of the traditional zuo yue period can probably be traced to the bitter cold winter season in northern China, where new mothers are told to bundle up and “confined” indoors after childbirth to ward off any illnesses and to balance the hot/cold mechanism internally.

It is believed that by eating “heaty” foods (such as dishes laced with plenty of ginger and alcohol and drinking copious amounts of red date water) and keeping warm, the “cool” post-partum body will recover quickly from the exhaustion of labour.

To prevent future ailments like rheumatism or going blind, new mothers are also banned from touching water, crying and watching television programmes.

Fast forward to blistering hot Singapore in 2008. Many new mothers consider having a confinement nanny and going through the traditional confinement period of utmost importance, and some book such services the moment the pregnancy is confirmed.

Of course, having a confinement nanny around for the first month is a tremendous confidence booster for new parents who are trying to find their way around first-time parenthood.

Enjoying home-cooked meals and getting plenty of rest after a tiring labour are also plus points to having a confinement nanny around. However, there are some confinement “rules” which nannies, mothers-in-law or mothers, and relatives subscribe to that can induce bouts of stress in the new mother.

Imagine not showering with clean, running water for a month if you are breastfeeding, or perspiring buckets because you have to cover every exposed knee and elbow in your body on top of dealing with post-partum hormones.

Getting help in other ways
Dr Lai Fon-Min, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at A Company For Women, notes that traditional confinement practices and cultural beliefs become less relevant as mothers become more educated and westernised in their outlook.

“The benefits of many of these confinement practices are difficult to prove scientifically,” he says. “However, it is unlikely that they will do any harm.”

Dr Lai feels that what is more important is the emotional support and attention that new mums receive during the traditional confinement period, which may be a factor in the lower incidence of post-partum depression locally compared with new mums abroad.

This attention need not come in the form of a confinement nanny: A relative or a close friend could provide the new mother with the support she needs.

For both Tracey and Denise, the two mothers YP interviewed (see other story) it helped that they had a strong family network with plenty of support that lasted beyond the traditional one-month confinement period. For instance, Denise’s hands-on husband would change the girls’ diapers, burp them and rock them to sleep.

Dr Lai adds that new mums who find it difficult or inconvenient to follow traditional confinement practices should inform their confinement nannies or elders and “negotiate” so that both parties are happy with a common ground. After all, “they can always quote their obstetrician that there is no scientific basis behind these practices!” he says.

How two mums broke the rules of confinement