[quote=“braxtonhicks”]Hey, hey, hey! There are some good things about this mother and baby honeymoon! There really should be some studies done on the foods that Chinese mothers are given, but I think the soups and Chinese medicine might be very good for healing after childbirth. I know the fish soups that my mother in law made for me (and I continue to make once in a while now) helped me produce amazing amounts of milk. In the west, it’s hard not to do the cooking, laundry, housekeeping, etc. within days of giving birth, even having a csection. I remember going back to work just two weeks after my first child was born, and I even have a cousin who was in college and bragged that she only missed one class after the birth of her baby. Sure, we brag about that when we’re in our early twenties, but sooner or later, it catches up with us. Look at me, 32 and achy already.
In the old days, women did gather to help a new mother and care for her family so that she could regain her strength. This isn’t just a Chinese thing. Let the wife enjoy her little baby honeymoon. All too soon she’s going to be on her own (okay, maybe dad will help out too) dealing with colic, and gas, and sore nipples, etc.
Anyway, that’s my longwinded way of saying, “It ain’t all bad!”[/quote]
Oh, hey, don’t get me wrong - I’m all in favour of the new mom taking a break with the baby. And I also think it’s important to eat nutritious foods. I am skeptical however, when people say that a woman’s health is in danger if she bathes, washes her hair, leaves the room, eats spicy food, etc. What if the mother in question is Pakistani or Thai or mainland Chinese from Siquan Province.and spicy food is mother’s milk (pun intended) to her. Surely it makes no difference to the health of the baby or the mother if mom doesn’t have to go a month without washing her hair. Same thing goes for pajamas. Why can’t mom get dressed? Back home the proper thing was to take the baby to church within the first few Sundays to “show it off”. ANd why wait a month? Why not 27 days? Or 35? Surely each woman’s situation is unique? Of course, if there are complications from the birth, I can understand the advisory against bathing or leaving the bed - especially if there are open wounds that need healing. The thing is, lots of women have NO complications. Why should Chinese superstitions apply to them? Superstitions are a bunch of malarkey, good for people who scoff at science and want a cut-and-paste answer to complex questions.
If my wife ever gives birth to Maoman Jr., she will get the royal treatment. Rest, sleep, time away from the baby when she needs it, nutritious foods, etc. But if some fengshui master/chinese doctor/quack says I am supposed to kill a male cod in the pale moonlight, chant incantations and then serve it as soup, so as to ensure my wife’s good health, I’m going to laugh him out of the room. Science is science - in any country. Same goes for superstitious clap-trap.
:lovestruck:
