If you’re an Asian mum, there’s a high chance that you’ve done some of the confinement period sayings at some point. But they’re not just some hearsays – there are actually reasons for why they exist in the first place.
For those who are new to this concept, confinement period is a one month duration where mums are expected to abide by strict practices and rest. It is considered to be very vulnerable as any bad substances or impurities can enter a new mum’s body because it is still recovering from childbirth. Because of that, there are certain rules that mums should follow to be safe and healthy.
In our series “Confinement Period Sayings”, we will be exploring these sayings and discussing them.
A strict diet doesn’t seem to end for mums, does it? Starting from pre-pregnancy up until their baby doesn’t need to breastfeed anymore, it sure does take a long time. The confinement period is not an exemption from that. In fact, one might even consider this the strictest dietary period out of everything!
“Never Give In To Cravings”
A mum is not new to this rule, especially after going through nine months of pregnancy – a diet is also implemented. However, compared to this confinement period practice, the pregnancy diet seems pretty tame.
The rule can go as far as not eating anything with salt as it creates unnecessary water in your organs. Plus, it affects the taste of the mum’s breastmilk. I don’t know about you but I’m sure a baby wouldn’t want salty milk.
Common food cravings involve pizza, ramen, pasta, and all other yummy foods that are unfortunately too high in salt and sugar. These will only impede the mum’s recovery as well.
The purpose of this strict diet is to rid the body of dirty blood, heal wounds, and help with the mum’s breastmilk production. After childbirth, the body is expected to be weak but still multitasking in order to recuperate and produce food for the new mum’s baby.
Things To Do During Confinement Period
Well, the new mum has no choice but to stick with her prescribed diet. As much as possible, food outside of her recommended diet is completely prohibited. We’re talking pizza, hot wings, beef noodles, cakes, and everything else on the full course spectrum.
Read More: Avoid Eating Cold Foods
Hot foods are favoured during the confinement period. These include ingredients such as brown sugar, egg, and of course, ginger. Aside from that, foods that are colour red are believed to replenish blood like liver, black dates, and inner organs. Of course, we can’t leave out the chicken recipes. You can get creative with creating dishes even with limitations on ingredients – rice-wined chicken, chicken cooked in sesame oil, and more!
In A Nutshell…
Of course, for as long as the mum directly feeds and tends to her baby, there will always be dietary restrictions for both of their healths. The confinement period is no different. If you’re a practising mum, just one more month of dieting won’t hurt – we know you got this!
What’s your favourite dish during the confinement period? Let us know!