Sitting in the confinement: old traditions have new emphasis
Sitting in the confinement: old traditions have new emphasis
The traditional custom of confinement has a lot to pay attention to. In today's urban living environment, among the older generation and new women, old and new ideas are often in conflict. But even in the new era and under the new situation, confinement is still necessary. Combined with the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, due to the loss of qi and blood after giving birth, women will experience excessive deficiency and blood stasis, and endless lochia. New mothers do need a certain period of recuperation. There are five taboos during confinement.
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- Keep warm, but do not bathe too much
Since pregnancy, a woman's body organs have undergone great changes. It usually takes 6 to 8 weeks to return to the pre-pregnancy state, which is what we commonly call "confinement". Try not to bathe during this period to keep the body warm, which can reduce the blood stasis; frequent bathing may make the mother catch cold, because the pores, pelvis, and bones are all open after delivery, and they need to retract slowly. It is easy for wind and cold and moisture to enter the body.
- Light diet, not too much tonic
The function of the spleen and stomach of a woman is very weak after giving birth, and the energy and blood are lost after delivery, and the internal organs are also very weak. The dietary taboos of confinement are the same as menstrual period. For the first three days, you can only eat light food, let alone cold food. For example, porridge, white rice, noodles in clear soup and other digestible foods, when drinking chicken soup, you should also skim off the oil. "Da Sheng Bian" said, "(Postpartum) You can't eat pork within ten days, and you can't eat lard within one month. It blocks the meridians and makes the blood qi blocked."
There are often mothers who seek medical treatment because they have no milk. Most of them use trotter soup and fish soup to promote lactation after giving birth. As a result, the spleen and stomach are very full, the moisture is heavy, and they cannot absorb it. How can they have milk? Eating a lot of greasy and high-protein food after childbirth can easily lead to postpartum depression, meridian blockage, and milk retention. Eating some badly digested food will also consume your own blood for no reason. In the Wuzhong area in ancient times, women ate vegetarian food after giving birth, just to prevent too much energy and blood from being consumed. Some parturients usually eat vegetarian or very light food, but eat a lot of meat to supplement nutrition after giving birth, because the spleen and stomach are not adapted to it, which will lead to illness. Eating too spicy and salty food after childbirth will also harm the blood of the mother and reduce milk production. Some women experience postpartum depression, which has a lot to do with the loss of qi and blood and blockage of blood stasis.
- Rest well and don’t move around
During the confinement period, you should take a good rest, maintain a good sleep and mood, and don't run around or jump around at will. Some mothers go out a few days after giving birth. There are air conditioners in cars, trains, and planes.
- Exercising moderately and not using your eyes for a long time
You can exercise moderately after giving birth, but not a lot of exercise. Postpartum weight loss is popular now. During the organ recovery period of 6 to 8 weeks, puerperas can gradually and slowly do a little weight loss exercise. It should not be too violent or too frequent, otherwise it will cause harm to the body.
Do not watch TV, read books or play computer or mobile phone for a long time during the confinement period. The so-called long-term vision damages the blood, especially those with weak Qi and blood, and it is necessary to prevent the root cause of the disease.
- Mild temper, but early intercourse
It is easy for many mothers to overlook one point. Mothers must be calm and not angry during breastfeeding. Li Shizhen said: "Human milk is indeterminate. If a person is peaceful and eats a dilute diet, his milk must be flat. If a person is irritable, drinks alcohol and food, or has a fire disease, his milk must be hot." It seems that whether milk is beneficial or harmful, It's all about the mother. If the temper is mild, the diet is light, the milk is also good; on the contrary, if the temper is violent, the food and drink are spicy, or there are diseases such as getting angry, the milk will be hot. Such breast milk will also cause fever or other problems after the baby eats it. Being a mother is a very sacred duty that should never be taken lightly.
Special attention should be paid to the fact that "A Thousand Gold Prescriptions" says: "Anyone who has been born for a hundred days can be reunited. If you die, you will be weak and weak, and all kinds of diseases will grow. Be careful. All women suffer from wind qi, coldness below the navel Therefore, it is possible to have intercourse early.” Nowadays, most women’s qi and blood are weak, and they must be strictly guarded. They must not have intercourse within a hundred days after giving birth, otherwise they will cause many illnesses throughout their lives. Many women don't know where the disease comes from, and they often don't know the teachings of the ancients. They are ignorant all their lives and do a lot of harm.
Text/Chief Physician Guo Zhihong Rocket Army General Hospital
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