Why confinement important

Plenty of garlic fried without oil is encouraged. Cooking is done with gingelly oil. Oral intake of herbs or D. The Chinese believe in staying indoors throughout the confinement period to avoid outdoor pollution.

Some would hire a confinement nanny to help with the housework and caring for the baby. Fortunately, this has been replaced by hospital births that reduce complications and infection rates.

Both mother and child should be bathed immediately in heated water filled with herbs after birth. These may include sitting near to or lying above a heated source or warming the abdomen by applying a heated stone over it. During this confinement period, a female masseuse is engaged to help the mother regain her figure or at least to keep her extended tummy trim. The practice of tightly binding the tummy is called berbengkong, and is believed to help in maintaining the body shape.

Sex is also strictly prohibited during the confinement period. Indian mothers are also discouraged from leaving their homes during their confinement period.

Bathing is discouraged and if done, it should be performed with special herbal preparations and turmeric powder. Bathing is only allowed between 11 am and 2 pm when the temperature is at its highest. Depression is diagnosed only when these symptoms persist in a small proportion of women. It may be accompanied by suicidal or infanticide intent.

Prompt psychiatric attention is imperative in such instances. Alcohol and other organic substances might go into your breast milk, and when breastfeeding, these might be transferred to your baby. These substances may affect the liver and worsen jaundice of the newborn if it is already present.

This is especially so during breastfeeding. If necessary, as in the case of vegetarians or vegans, iron or vitamin supplements may be taken to satisfy these nutritional demands. Although these practices have never been proven scientifically, it is possible that certain benefits can be derived from them. The most obvious benefit of a confinement period is that it allows new mothers time to recuperate after giving birth.

A typical confinement diet consists of healthy vegetables, grains and proteins, as well as plenty of fluids that help the body heal and recover. Some moms are also treated to pampering ginger water baths and postpartum massages to put the body and mind at ease. In addition, having someone to help out around the house and give advice on how to care for a newborn can do wonders for your state of mind, as the first few weeks can be stressful, especially for first-time moms.

If you come from a Chinese family, then you probably already have a family member ready to help out during your confinement period. There is no basis to these beliefs.

Adequate fluid consumption is advised especially if the mother is breastfeeding. For personal comfort, there is definitely no harm in switching on the air-conditioner or fan, as long as it makes you and your baby comfortable. The traditional belief is that this causes eye problems later in life, which has no scientific basis. Many believe that the post-partum discharge lochia is unclean and therefore, this practice prevents any spiritual contamination.

There are six components to the traditional Malay practices of postnatal care. This is prevalent in Malay culture and is contrary to the Chinese practice. This is against the religious teachings of certain cultures, e. Singapore General Hospital. Changi General Hospital. Sengkang General Hospital.

KK Women's and Children's Hospital. National Cancer Centre Singapore. National Dental Centre Singapore. National Heart Centre Singapore. National Neuroscience Institute. Singapore National Eye Centre. SingHealth Community Hospitals. One of the most important practices that a mother goes through after childbirth involves the mother being unburdened of her responsibilities and obligations and ensuring that she has sufficient rest and recuperation.

However, there are a lot of misunderstanding by the general public on what is confinement. The practice of Postpartum Confinement which typically last for a month to days. In the modern world, many companies and working policies allow and encourage mothers and sometimes fathers to have maternity leave which acknowledges the importance of new mothers taking time off to recover.

Confinement centers are specialized in providing a professionally designed private room with all the amenities needed which can ensure that both the child and mother get sufficient rest. Most of these centers are usually located far from the city and also provides various other services such as spa rooms, swimming pools and recreation areas so that the mother can have different activities with the child and other mothers staying in the facility if they wish to.

Most of these services are designed to be very safe for the baby to use. With just the touch of a button, mothers can call the nanny to take care of them.