Congratulations! Your baby is arriving soon! We will now need to prepare for the 28 days of confinement. You may have been told that the things you do (or don’t) in the next month will determine how well you recover at the end of your confinement period, even in your golden years, as the saying goes.
Now, as we all might have heard or learned from our older folks, there is a list of dos and don’ts to follow—no drinking plain water, eating lots of meat, avoiding certain vegetables and fruits, no fan, no air conditioning, and *gasp* no washing of hair!
But are these “pantangs” for real? What’s the reason behind them? Or are we just blindly following old traditions merely because that’s what our elders did? Let us go through a few commonly known yet largely misunderstood myths and see if they are a keeper or not, shall we?
“No Shower, No Shampoo!”
A common practice in the Chinese culture, it is believed that water—especially uncooked water—causes blood clots and ‘wind’ in the body, which then brings on a host of lifelong health problems like arthritis, headache and joint pain.
However, common sense would tell us that this practice is unhygienic, more so in hot and humid countries like Malaysia. Imagine breastfeeding your baby 12 times a day without showering or washing your hair? The sweat, the body odour, and the oily, itchy, flaky scalp! Yikes!
It is important to maintain personal hygiene in order to reduce skin and wound infections post-delivery, be it natural or caesarean birth. Perhaps opting for a warm bath or shower instead of using cold water is better advice than not washing up at all. Or check with your confinement caretaker about the suitable types of herbal baths available should you wish to follow these traditional practices as closely as possible.
“No Going Out, Lie Down All Day Every Day!”
As advised above, the confinement period does sound like a month of imprisonment, locked behind ‘bars’, er… the house main door, doesn’t it? This can be a stressful thought that could lead to further mental health issues for new mothers during this period.
While the intention behind may have been noble—to prevent infections, prevent exposure of mother and baby to unnecessary health risks or tiring mothers out—it does not mean that you should stay cooped up in the room or at home for a whole month. It is also impractical in this time and day as mother and baby usually need to return to the hospital for check-ups and vaccine appointments.
So long as you feel up to it physically, go ahead and walk around your house compounds or do some gentle stretching. Walking can also help speed up wound healing, and prevent the risk of blood clots during postpartum. This is especially relevant for caesarean mothers. Some fresh air and sunshine will always do you good! When headed out to your doctor’s appointments, just be sure to dress comfortably and bring along a light jacket in anticipation of temperature changes when getting in and out of the car or building. If your baby is snuggly wrapped, moving about during the confinement period should not be a problem.
“No Turning on the Fan Or AC!”
This practice may make sense in cold places because we wouldn’t want the mother or baby catching a cold. Hence, the strict advice to avoid the wind or cold air.
However, confining in a poorly ventilated room in this hot weather may just cause more health problems.
After having delivered a baby, a mother’s hormones are constantly fluctuating—this may cause her body temperature to change. She may also feel extra hot and sweaty, due to the ‘heaty’ nature of confinement food she consumes. Sweat and poor ventilation will cause heat rashes and spoil a good night’s sleep both for mother and baby, which come to think of it, is counterintuitive, isn’t it?
While we do not advise blasting the fan or the AC at full speed, we do suggest that you keep the room well ventilated and at an even temperature—one that is comfortable to sleep in.
“No Drinking Plain Water!”
Just like showering, washing hair, and turning on the AC, this practice has a big part to do with preventing ‘wind’ from entering our body. During the Chinese confinement period, mothers are advised to drink lots of herbal tea. The most common tea being the red date tea, which is known to promote blood circulation.
No doubt about it, there are benefits to drinking these confinement-specific herbal teas. Plain water should never be cut out from your diet, as it works as a solvent that helps cells to transport substances like nutrients and oxygen. Adequate water consumption is therefore essential to maintain the proper functioning of our organs. This is especially so for breastfeeding mothers, as breastmilk production requires lots of fluids.
So, drink up! Just avoid iced water for the time being.
“No Veggies & Fruits, Eat Only Meat!”
It’s a fact that your body has gone through a lot of stress and lost a significant amount of blood during delivery. Hence, you will now need to consume more protein and iron to help with healing wounds, rebuilding torn muscles, replenishing blood, and not to mention, your baby will also be drawing a high amount of nutrients from you via breastfeeding.
That said, it is unwise to eat mostly only meat throughout your confinement period as this will put a load of weight on your digestive system. Constipation during postpartum is also a common issue some mothers face. It is important for new mothers to eat a well-balanced diet which includes not just meat, but also vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Remember to drink enough water as well!
In Chinese culture, there are certain vegetables and fruits that are deemed ‘cold’ by nature; you may well avoid those. Instead, choose dark green vegetables like spinach, broccoli, and kailan; and for fruits, apples and guava are great choices. A nourishing raw papaya and pork rib soup is said to boost breastmilk, too.
Always talk to your confinement caretaker to ensure you will receive not just a nutritious menu throughout your 28 days of rest and recovery, but also a delicious one that you will enjoy.
“Uh Oh, Depression!”
Postpartum depression is caused by the fluctuating hormones after delivery that should not be taken lightly of. If the symptoms persist or worsen, always remember you are not alone and never be ashamed to ask for help.
Husband, close family and friends should actively assume an important role during this unpredictable month by continuously checking in on mother’s mood and mental health, besides helping around the house and with the baby. Spending some quality time or chit-chatting with a new mother does wonders with her healing process too. However, as serious as postpartum depression is, you shouldn’t take it as a must-happen condition.
Baby blues is also a thing. It is normal for some new mothers to feel a little down post-delivery, but with proper rest, nutritious food, and lots of care and love from their husbands and family, this emotional downtime should diminish within a couple of weeks, or not happen at all.
Maintaining a positive outlook is therefore important. The whole point of confinement is for you to rest, recover, and enjoy time with your newborn. So, if there are any traditional practices or rules that you fail to follow, that’s okay. Take a deep breath and let them go. However, if you find it difficult to manage any negative feelings and thoughts, do not hesitate to share them with someone you are comfortable with.
Moving Forward
Back in the day, when medical science was still underdeveloped, it was common for mothers and babies to lose their lives in the process of pregnancy and delivery. Hence, rules and practices were created to protect them.
Fast forward to the modern day, it is safe to say that we now have strong medical scientific backing to make the right choices for our babies’ and our own health. So, when in doubt, talk to the professionals and exercise due diligence.
As such, Byond28 Confinement Centre is a great place to start finding out about your ante- and post-natal needs.
Who Is Byond28?
Established in 2020, Byond28 Confinement Centre understands that this critical postpartum month requires comprehensive mother and baby care. It combines the best of traditional Chinese confinement care with modern medical practices so you can have peace of mind during your recuperating period.
Located in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, the establishment is backed by a reserved forest which makes for a serene, recuperative stay. It provides 24-hour nursing care for the newborns and their baby nursery is structured with reference to a hospital setting; it is equipped with an individual ground floor emergency exit, a two-tiered air ventilation system with HEPA filters, and a separate observation and isolation room for your baby.
A Holistic Journey to Recovery & Beyond
Backed by a team of highly experienced and board-certified medical professionals, Byond28 is set to provide the best ante- and postnatal care. Weekly paediatrician check-ups on the newborns will be carried out and in-room consultation will be provided for the mothers.
Mothers will be pleased to know that Byond28 Confinement is a breastfeeding-friendly confinement centre with NLC (Malaysian National Lactation Centre)-certified in-house counsellors available for private consultations. Its counsellors are ever ready to help new mothers to navigate through the journey of breastfeeding. Not forgetting, its team of Obstetrics & Gynaecology and nursing staff are also all hands-on deck to guide parents through the challenges of postpartum and baby care.
The O&G and paediatrics are headed by experienced specialists in their fields, Dr Krishna Kumar S/O Hari Krishnan and Dr Kenneth Looi, respectively. Hence, parents can be confident that mother and baby are in good hands as they progress into their fourth trimester.
Eat to Nurture
At Byond28, a new mother’s diet is of utmost priority. The meals are carefully designed to ensure maximum nutrition absorption without compromising on the delicious tastes of Chinese confinement cooking for its residents; mouth-watering offerings such as the vinegar pork trotter and yellow wine chicken are available on the menu.
Daily personalised herbal tonic soups using premium SWS 永生 herbs, bird’s nest, and essence of chicken are provided to hasten the mother’s recovery. And speaking of staying hydrated, the centre offers a variety of free-flow herbal teas (and in-house lactation cookies!) to ensure hydration and boost breastmilk!
Stepping Into Parenthood with Byond28
It is also comforting to note that Byond28 encourages healthy parental relationships through its many talks and practices for the new parents. Mothers and fathers will learn the theory and gain hands-on experience on breastfeeding and handling breastmilk, bathing, caring for, massaging, and soothing their baby, among other topics.
To learn more about the confinement centre, and your ante- and postnatal needs, let’s schedule an appointment at +6017 362 8548 to meet with the professionals at Byond28! Alternatively, you may visit their official website, Facebook, and Instagram pages for more updates and fellow mothers’ reviews of their stay with the centre.
Note: Byond28 serves pork-free meals upon request, schedule a meeting to find out more today.
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