Precautions and dietary taboos during confinement

The core principles of the puerperium period (commonly known as confinement) are to "prioritize rest, moderate activity, a balanced and moderate diet, and avoid the risk of infection and injury." There are no iron-clad rules that are universally applicable, nor can you let yourself go without any scruples. All requirements can be flexibly adjusted based on your own body constitution and living habits. There is no need to stick to old rules if you are not comfortable, and don't mess around with actual health problems.

Last summer, after my distant cousin gave birth to a baby, my mother-in-law was forced to lock her in a 30-degree room with long-sleeved cotton socks and a thick quilt. She was not allowed to turn on the air conditioner and was not allowed to wash her hair. In the end, she suffered from heat stroke and fever, which caused her to delay breastfeeding. She was also scolded by the doctor, saying it was completely unnecessary. The most controversial issue, such as whether you can take a bath and wash your hair, actually has a clear conclusion on a case-by-case basis: Traditionally, it is believed that after childbirth, the bone seams will open, and contact with water will cause cold air to enter and cause confinement syndrome for a lifetime. Now the general recommendation of obstetricians is that if there is no side incision or tear after delivery, you can use warm water to bathe 24 hours after delivery, and it will be completed within 3-5 days. If you are able to take a shower, you can wash it after the abdominal wound heals after cesarean section (usually about 10 days, it will not hurt when touched, and there is no leakage). As long as the water temperature is 37-40 degrees, and there is no draft in the bathroom, wipe your body thoroughly with a dry towel immediately after washing, blow dry your hair completely with hot air, put on warm clothes before leaving the bathroom, it will be no problem at all. I have two best friends. One is afraid of heat. She washed her hair and took a bath on the 4th day after giving birth. Now the baby is 3 years old and has nothing wrong with her. The other has a cold constitution. The pain during menstruation is so painful that she breaks into a cold sweat. She endured it for 21 days before taking a shower without feeling any discomfort. There is really no need to compare with others in this matter. Your own comfort is the most important thing.

Whether the air conditioner can be used is also a common problem. Traditionally, it is said that blowing the air will cause headaches and joint pains. In fact, it is easy to sweat after giving birth. If the temperature in the room is too high, it will easily lead to heat stroke and the breeding of bacteria. As long as the air conditioning wind does not blow directly on the mother and baby, the temperature is adjusted to 24-26 degrees, wear long-sleeved and thin home clothes, and wear socks to protect the soles of the feet. There is no problem at all. I helped a friend take care of her baby during her confinement last year. She kept the air conditioner on throughout her confinement and opened the windows for half an hour every day. Nothing happened. On the contrary, she was in much better condition than those mothers who covered themselves up tightly.

Many elderly people say that they must stay in bed during the confinement period, otherwise they will suffer from uterine prolapse. My cousin-in-law believed this at the time, and she basically lay down except when going to the toilet. As a result, she suddenly suffered from venous thrombosis in her lower limbs 12 days after delivery. She stayed in a hospital for a week and suffered from old age. Current obstetrics guidelines recommend that you can sit up slowly 6 hours after vaginal delivery, and walk slowly while holding on to the edge of the bed 12 hours after cesarean section. It is also recommended to get out of bed as soon as possible after cesarean section (usually about 24 hours). As long as you don’t stand for a long time, don’t lift heavy objects, and don’t get tired, walking slowly will help discharge lochia and prevent blood clots. By the way, don’t hold your baby for a long time. At least three mothers around me held their babies too much during confinement, and they ended up with radial styloid process stenosing tenosynovitis, which is what everyone calls the mother’s hand. It hurt so much that she couldn’t even hold the bottle. It took me several months to raise the baby. Anyone can hold the baby. It’s true that you take good care of your own body first.

Diet is actually more controversial than daily care. The rules between the north and the south can be very different. I have seen mothers in the Northeast being required to only drink millet porridge and eggs for the entire confinement period. I have also seen mothers in Guangdong drink 6 cups of tonic soup a day. In fact, diet There are only three absolute taboos in this area: First, you must not touch anything containing alcohol, whether it is rice wine or fermented glutinous rice wine. Alcohol will be passed to the baby through breast milk and affect the baby's neurological development. Don't believe the saying that rice wine is ingested by the baby. There is no benefit at all.； The second thing is not to consume too much caffeine. Do not consume more than 200mg of caffeine per day, which is about the amount of a medium American cup. Drinking too much may make the baby excited and sleep poorly. If you don’t drink coffee very much, you can just don’t drink it. ； The third is not to eat raw or undercooked things, such as sashimi, soft-boiled eggs, and uncooked hot pot meat, to avoid being infected with parasites or bacteria. Diarrhea is a trivial matter, but it will be troublesome if it affects breastfeeding.

Other so-called taboos all depend on personal physique. For example, can you eat cold food? Old people in the north say that eating cold food will cause stomach pain and toothache and joint pain in the future. My colleague from the Northeast secretly ate half a piece of watermelon at room temperature on the 10th day. Nothing happened. Another mother in the same ward usually has a weak stomach. She took a mouthful of yogurt just taken out of the refrigerator and had diarrhea for two days. So if you usually like to eat cold food, it is no problem. You can eat fruits and yogurt at room temperature. If you have a weak stomach, just warm them before eating. There is no need to force it. Can I also eat salt? There is an old saying that eating salt during confinement will cause edema and lactation. This is pure nonsense. You sweat so much after giving birth and your body will be weak and lack of energy due to sodium deficiency. As long as you don’t eat too salty, just have a slightly lighter taste than usual. Not adding any salt at all is a scam. Do you also need a major supplement? After my aunt gave birth to her baby, the family made her have hen soup and pig's trotters soup every day. After three days of drinking it, she developed a fever due to blocked milk, and it hurt so much that she cried during the lactation process, and the amount of milk was reduced. In the first week after delivery, the gastrointestinal function is still weak, and there is still a lot of lochia. Eating too much oil and too much supplements will easily block the milk and aggravate constipation. Just be lighter and eat some porridge, noodles, steamed eggs, and lean pork. After a week, your appetite is better, and then slowly add milk, chicken, fish, shrimp, vegetables, etc. Eat a little of everything. The nutritional balance of milk is good, and it is much more useful than drinking thick soup every day.

By the way, there is another point that many people don’t mention but it is very important, that is, don’t force yourself to be a perfect mother. Postpartum hormones drop quickly, and it is easy to cry and be irritable for no reason. This is not pretentious on your part, it is a normal physiological reaction. If you feel uncomfortable, tell your family, If you don’t want to feed at night, you’ll call your husband up, and if you don’t want to see relatives, you’ll say goodbye. Your mood is as important as any taboos or rules. I’ve seen too many mothers who are so tied up by various confinement rules that they can’t breathe, and end up with postpartum depression, which is more serious than any so-called confinement disease.

In fact, to put it bluntly, confinement is the 42 days when your body slowly recovers after giving birth. It is meant to allow you to rest and be comfortable. Don’t be made uncomfortable by all kinds of messy rules, and don’t mess around just because you are young. You know your own body best, and how to feel comfortable is better than anything else.