'Confinement' is a bad custom in China, foreign women do not have to confinement? you may have been fooled
Maternal confinement death? Such things are not uncommon.
Maternal Xiao Zhang (pseudonym), just gave birth to a baby. The family members were worried that she would get confinement disease during confinement, so they insisted on wearing long clothes and trousers for Xiao Zhang, and not turning on the air conditioner or fan, and covering her with a quilt .
No one thought that this old custom of confinement would take away the girl's life.
Five days later, Xiao Zhang was rushed to the hospital and was diagnosed with heat stroke in critical condition. At this time, Xiao Zhang was short of breath, his body temperature was as high as 40°C, and he was unable to communicate. Moreover, the heart and liver were damaged, and the medical staff tried their best to rescue them, but they failed to save them.
As soon as the incident happened, the custom of "confinement" aroused great controversy on the Internet:
Someone said, "Confinement is a bad habit. I don't know why so many people still practice this tradition."
Some people also said, "Foreigners never confine themselves to confinement. Many of them can walk around a few hours after giving birth. I don't understand why China has confinement."
……
Is "confinement" really a bad custom unique to China? Is it necessary to stick to it?
1. "Confinement", what is sitting?
Almost all traditional concepts believe that postpartum confinement is necessary. Is there any reason for this custom to continue to this day?
In fact, during the childbirth process, a woman’s body will be damaged to a certain extent: after experiencing the severe pain of pregnancy, people are prone to weakness, decreased resistance, and easy to get sick; problems such as postpartum dysmenorrhea, urinary incontinence, and poor recovery of pelvic floor function may also occur.
The period when women recover their bodies after giving birth is called "confinement". Generally speaking, it takes 6 weeks for the mother to fully return to the state before pregnancy .
When pregnant, the mother needs to use her own nutrition to conceive the baby, and she has to go through several times of fatigue, blood and sweat during childbirth. Therefore, it is very necessary for pregnant women to take proper rest and recover after giving birth.
To some extent, "confinement" is not a bad habit, so do foreigners really not need to confine themselves?
Foreigners who go through childbirth will suffer physical injuries. Although foreigners do not confine themselves to confinement, new mothers also have postpartum health care or postpartum recovery . The purpose is the same as that of confinement in China, but the method is different from China.
Take the United States as an example. After giving birth, pregnant women have two weeks to two months to recover and rest. They do not pay attention to the taboos of not being exposed to the wind, not catching cold, and not going out. On the contrary, it is believed that pregnant women should get out of bed and exercise within six hours after delivery, which is conducive to physical recovery .
And they will pay attention to the nutrition and balance of the postpartum diet. Generally, they do not taboo, and they can also drink ice water, and even the milk that the baby drinks is ice.
In Japan, there is about a three-week recovery period for pregnant women, and special attention is paid to maternal nutrition. But different from China, they will eat iced fruit and iced milk, and if there is breast swelling and pain caused by engorged milk, they will also apply ice compresses to the breasts.
2. During the confinement period, 5 things you can’t do? big mistake
The reason why some people say that confinement is a "bad habit" is actually because of some "traditions" handed down in the past, such as not being able to wash your hair, not drying your hair, etc... In fact, confinement does not have so many taboos.
1. You can't wash your hair and take a bath
In fact, taking a bath and washing your hair after childbirth does not make the mother sick. On the contrary, during the period of confinement, the metabolism is relatively strong, prone to sweating, and lochia discharge , if you don't pay attention to cleaning, it will give opportunities for germs to take advantage of.
And keeping personal cleanliness can reduce the risk of puerperal infection. Therefore, pregnant women can take a bath and wash their hair, but bathing is not recommended. The temperature of the bath should be controlled at about 36 degrees Celsius. After washing, you should dry it immediately to prevent it from getting cold, so as not to cause a cold.
2. Do not blow hair
Many people do not turn on air conditioners or fans during confinement, even in summer, which is actually very dangerous.
On the one hand, mothers need to breathe fresh air; on the other hand, do not turn on the air conditioner, do not blow the air, and cover the quilt, which may cause heat stroke and even heat stroke, which threatens life.
Therefore, pregnant women can blow air conditioners or blow fans, but they cannot face the air outlet. In addition, the room should be well ventilated. It is recommended to keep the room temperature at 26°C to 28°C, and change long clothes and trousers frequently.
3. Can't go out
If you lie still during the confinement period, it will not only increase the risk of venous thrombosis in the lower extremities, but also not conducive to the recovery of the pelvic floor muscles after delivery , and may also cause constipation.
It is recommended that postpartum exercise should be appropriate. If it is a natural birth, you can do light exercise within six to 12 hours after delivery, and try to walk indoors the next day after delivery. If it is a cesarean section, you should wait until you recover before exercising gradually.
4. Can't comb hair
There is a saying that you should not comb your hair after giving birth, otherwise you will become bald. In fact, postpartum hair loss is not caused by combing, which is called childbirth alopecia.
Generally speaking, the hair loss is the most serious in the four to six months after delivery, and it will basically stop falling out in seven to eight months, which is mainly affected by the hair growth cycle .
5. Can’t brush your teeth
During pregnancy, women's teeth are prone to congestion, swelling, bleeding, etc., which is not conducive to dental health . If you don't pay attention to oral hygiene, the bacteria in the mouth will multiply too much, which will easily lead to oral diseases.
Therefore, pregnant women must brush their teeth carefully, once in the morning and in the evening. Rinse your mouth with warm water and floss after eating.
3. How to recover after childbirth? The key is to do 3 things well
Postpartum women are generally worried about how to recover, so they may do 3 things well to speed up the full recovery.
- Rectus Abdominis Separation
After 4-8 weeks postpartum, the rectus abdominis gap will gradually recover 70%, and the rectus abdominus can be tightened through abdominal breathing, standing posture, kneeling posture and other movements. If the rectus abdominis is separated by more than 3 fingers or more, it is recommended to seek professional guidance.
- uterus recovery
The uterus will return to its original state 42 days after delivery. If the uterus still feels large at this time, accompanied by lochia, abdominal pain, etc., it may be incomplete uterine involution. It is recommended that pregnant women who give birth naturally get up and do light activities within 6 to 12 hours after delivery.
- Pelvic floor muscle repair
During pregnancy and childbirth, the pelvic floor muscles will be damaged, and usually the best recovery time is one year after delivery. Maternal women can perform yoga ball training, muscle contraction training, electrical stimulation therapy, etc. to help the recovery of pelvic floor muscle function.
The original intention of "confinement" is to help mothers recover, and it is necessary. But behaviors such as "no bathing, no hair blowing, no brushing teeth" are too extreme and unscientific.
references:
[1] "How do foreign women confine themselves to confinement?" 》.CCTV Road to Health.2018-02-05
[2] "Is confinement right or wrong? Take you to understand the physiological recovery period of women after childbirth". People's Daily Online Science Popularization. 2019-05-08
[3] "What age is it, you still don't wash your hair or blow it out while you're in confinement?" ! ".Shenzhen Health Commission. 2019-07-10
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