There are many taboos during confinement. Mrs. Tang Zhizhong: secretly wash her hair and take a bath

In the past, there were many taboos for mothers during the confinement period, including: mothers cannot be exposed to the wind, cannot wash their hair or take a bath, and cannot touch cold water; there are also sayings that they must drink rice wine and eat sesame oil chicken. After artist Tang Zhizhong's wife Xiao Mi gave birth to her first child, her mother-in-law repeatedly reminded her of these taboos, but she said that she would still secretly go back to her parents' home to wash her hair and take a bath because it was so oily, itchy and smelly that even she could hardly stand it.

Traditionally, it is believed that "you should not scratch the soles of your baby's feet." However, according to medical literature, massaging babies can help their physical development. (Photography by Huang Zhiwen)

Cai Mingsong, chief physician of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cathay Hospital, said that there are so many taboos and regulations in tradition because in the previous agricultural era, there were no hair dryers and the environment was relatively unsanitary. People might have to wash their hair outdoors, and they were worried about catching a cold or being infected by bacteria after washing their hair and taking a bath. In fact, as long as the water temperature for washing your hair and taking a bath is maintained at a certain temperature, and the hair is dried immediately with a hair dryer, there is no need to worry about catching a cold and affecting your health.

As for the customs of drinking rice wine, they are even more strict. Some elders require their daughters-in-law or daughters to only drink rice wine distilled from rice wine during the confinement period. If you want to nourish your body, you must have chicken soup or pig's trotter soup stewed with rice wine. However, Chen Yunfan, a nutritionist at Cathay Hospital, said that confinement meals should pay attention to nutritional balance and calorie control to about 700 calories per meal. If you want to breastfeed, you need to add 500 calories more. It is not advisable to consume rice wine throughout the entire month, as this will increase the health burden on the mother.

Chen Yunfan, a nutritionist at Cathay Hospital, said that confinement meals should pay attention to nutritional balance and calorie control to about 700 calories per meal. If you want to breastfeed, you need to add an additional 500 calories. (Photography by Huang Zhiwen)

Cathay Postpartum Care Home has designed confinement meals by combining the efforts of Chinese medicine practitioners, nutritionists and chefs. The meals are designed to be light in the first week after delivery. Because the first week is when the mother must expel lochia, a light diet is recommended. From the second week onwards, Chinese medicinal herbs specially prepared by Chinese medicine practitioners are used in combination with other ingredients. In addition to controlling calories, they also focus on health preservation and assist in milk production, allowing mothers to eat smartly and healthily when eating confinement meals.

In addition, tradition also holds that "you cannot tickle the soles of a baby's feet". The older generation often says that the soles of a newborn baby's feet are very fragile and sensitive. If their feet are massaged or tickled, they may not dare to cross a bridge in the future (Hokkien).

In fact, there are many benefits to massaging your baby! According to medical literature, massaging babies helps their physical development and, on a psychological level, can establish close interaction and communication between parents and children. It is best to give the baby a full body massage every day when the baby is quiet, but not the head, depending on the baby's situation, which can make the baby's development more stable.