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. The confinement period 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. 

We’ve already talked about some of the things a new mum can’t do during the confinement period. It’s safe to say that this one month of solitude can be quite the challenge – from washing your hair to the food you eat, everything is monitored. 

But aside from food you should and shouldn’t eat, this confinement period practice says you can’t eat with your own family! What could possibly be the reasoning behind this? 

“Don’t Eat With Family Members”

Remember, the goal here is to keep the mum safe as much as possible. Tradition has put so much importance on the mum’s health that it even prohibits her from eating with not just other people, but her own flesh and blood too! 

Why? It’s because of the same reason why she’s not allowed to leave her house – to avoid pollutants. Initially, calling your own family pollutants can seem a little too mean. However, given the strict rules that tradition has put in place, anything can be considered the same. 

In most cases, families would hire a confinement nanny to tend to the mum’s needs. They help with cooking food, cleaning the house, and other chores in order to lessen the mum’s physical fatigue. Of course, you can’t completely shut yourself out of the world, which is why confinement nannies exist! 

Things To Do During Confinement Period

Aside from being tended to by a confinement nanny, the new mum should limit visitations and contact with others. With this restriction put in place on her, it’s understandable that they would feel lonely. Thanks to today’s technology, a person can call anyone no matter where or when – video chatting is the way to go!

A practising mum can also take this solitude as “me” time because we all know you won’t get a lot of that once the confinement period is over. With that perspective, take that one month as a month of self-discovery and reflection!