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. 

So far, this series of confinement period sayings have all been “Don’t do this and that!”. However, today will be a bit different – it’s a practice that every new mum should be doing.

Throughout this series. there has been a lot of emphasis on the mum’s body and its temperature both in the literal and figurative sense. This one is no different. Read more to find out the reason behind this practice!

“Infuse Water And Soup With Herbs”

One of the key features of any confinement period is the diet. Not only will they help the body retain heat, but it will also improve the mum’s milk production. There’s a ton of recipes for this but for today, we will talk about water and soup, which are two of the most essential foods during the confinement period.

Herbs have a wide array of benefits. Herbal tonics that contain turmeric helps promote milk production during this period, herbal teas with Pimpinela, artemisia, oregano, and white honey are used as pain relief and many other variations.

There are many ways you can serve herbs. Although dishes and recipes may vary depending on family background, red dates, sesame oil, and of course, ginger are some of the most common ingredients almost every practising Asian families use.

Things To Do During Confinement Period

According to Chinese tradition, taking herbs such as ginseng soup, red date, and ‘lihing’ is crucial. ‘Lihing’ is a kind of liquor that is made from fermented rice and is usually cooked with ginger and chicken. This kind of soup is believed to get rid of the ‘wind’ in the mum’s body that keeps her cold. Likewise, they also help warm the body up after childbirth.  

Depending on your preferences, drinking herb-infused water and soup may be unpalatable. You can put honey in your drinks to lessen the bitterness of the herbs.