The Traditional Confinement Rules

It is the Chinese practice to go on a 28 days of confinement after giving birth. The word confinement sounds more like punishment to me because I am not allowed to wash my hair for 28 days!!!

It was believed that if you wash your hair during this period you may get headache easily in the future. I do not particularly believe in it neither do I particularly disbelieve of it. Some elderly who had been through the same punishment said that I can wash my hair after the 12th days. My confinement lady (CL) insists that I have to wait until 28th days. Everyone seems to have their own believe but where's the fact?

Although this might not be proven by science or fact, I dare not take any chances since two of my friends did felt the difference for not complying to the confinement rules.

Other than living with a killing stinky head for 28 days (that even flies can't take it) everything was o-okay (tolerable)

Besides this no.1 killing rule, there are other rules just to mention a few, that I know of and forced to follow by my CL :-

1. Limited bath

Only get to wipe my body with herbal water for the first 12days. Thereafter will get to bath once in 4 days, also with hot herbal water. I was like soaked with sweat after every bath which I rather skip it (Cannot la, cos I still sweat in air-cond room)

2. Carnivores Diet

No vegetables are allowed in my meals as it is believe to cause 'wind' or 'cold'. So basically I was turned into a meat eater for a month. I wonder if I will ever wanna eat vegetables anymore.

How to pass motion la then?!?! I was given red dates as a source for fibre 😑.So no excuse for requesting veggie.

After surviving 17 days with meats, I realised that my poops and farts are STINKIER than Kent's! 😱

Oh..and no fish in the diet too. Which is okay to me cos I dislike fish. As long as I have my 'smart pill' (fish oil supplement) I guess I am fine.

3. No plain water

My main drink will be boiled red dates. Plain water is again believe to cause 'wind' so is a big no no. But but...how???

Anyway, boiled red dates are good source of energy especially when I got hungry from BF at night. It is also a milk booster. So, I guess I can still survive with it. (Pray hard that I will drink plain water after a month)

4. Sodium Free Diet

My CL mentioned few times that there will be no salt in all her cooking. Salt will cause 'water retention' which is at least more scientifically logic but again why worried of water rentention after giving birth

Anyway, it doesn't really bothers me cos all the dishes tastes indifferent to me. Same ingredients but different combination for a month. My taste buds are numb or dumb.

I'm starving from BF and will just eat anything served. So forget about the salt issue.

5. Stay in Air-Cond room

Of all, this is one of the best rules. Well, basically I have to refrain from getting hit by direct wind. So ceiling fan is not allowed. If there's standing fan, then it has to blow to the wall to create air-circulation. WTH

I guess this is an adapted version of rules thanks to the creation of air-cond. Most likely this was allowed cos there were no air-cond in the past hence no restriction for us now. If that is so, there must be some better explanation for other rules, isn't?

6. Rest more

This is one universal rules. To be more specific, I am supposed to lay and sit more with my back supported. Refrain from carrying heavy things. Avoid walking up the stairs too much. Definitely no squatting!!

I couldn't agree more to this rules because I can feel that my back is so tired after standing or siting without support for too long. Most likely because the hip bones were 'expanded' during delivery and its still not back to its original position.

7. Never Go Hungry

With 4-5 meals a day prepared by the CL, there's no way for me to go hungry. But it seems that BF is so powerful that even with a full 4-course meal, I still sneak in some snacks here and there especially after BF.

Who says BF will help in getting back in shape?