Confinement Period - Indian Culture

Here is a summary of confinement information on Indian Culture.
Confinement Period: 40-60 days

Do & Don't Activity
- Bath in warm water boiled with neem leaves which believed are natural antiseptic. Warm water is to soothe tired and aching muscle.
- Cover head with scarf
- Keep window closed
- Wear socks
- No air-conditioners and fans to avoid catching cold
- No reading
- No watching TV
- No shouting
- No crying
- No engaging conversation for too long
- No bending over at the waist to prevent back injuries
- No cooking or any housework
- Stay in room or confinement area in the house
- New mothers are given full body massage or maalish once a day to soothe tiring body and help blood circulations.
- New mother to massage the baby. Warning: This is dangerous to baby if done wrongly.
- Atta (dough) is rubbed over baby's forehead and body to remove accessive hair


Do & Don't Food & Drinks
- Eat warm foods
- Avoid cool food like cucumber, cabbage and pineapple. Cooling foods can cause rheumatism and athritis later in life.
- Eat gourds such as lauki and tori which are believed to increase milk supply
- Eat paan (betel leaves) after every meal
- Eat more ghee in diet to regain strength and aid muscle repair
- Avoid fruits, aerated drinks and juices
- Replace green and red chillies with black pepper
- Avoid windy foods such as onions and jackfruits can these can cause colic in baby which was passed through breastmilk.

References:
- http://www.babycenter.com.my/pregnancy/asian-postnatal-practices/indian-confinement/
- http://www.babycenter.com.my/baby/youafterthebirth/nutrition/traditional-confinement-foods/
- http://www.babycenter.in/baby/youafterthebirth/nutrition/traditional-beverages/

Confinement Products

Here are the list of Confinement package/products worth mentioning:
1) Amway Tropical Herbs Post Natal Care
http://www.amway2u.com/mall_proddet.jsp?prrfnbr=1055

2) Tanamera Pre & Postnatal Care
Cost about RM 380
http://tanamerapostnatal.com/products-page/

3) TYT Confinement Herbal Bath
http://tyt.com.my/products/tyt-confinement-herbal-bath/

Confinement Period - Malay Culture

Here is a summary of confinement information on Maly Culture.
Confinement Period: 44 days

Do & Don't Activity
- Get Bertungku for applying hot compress to dissolve residual blood clots in the uterus.

- Wear Bengkung to help new mums to get back in shape. Bengkung helps flatten stomach, shrink uterus and tighten vagina. However, it requires to wear bengkung properly as to avoid hinder uterus recovery.

- Take herbal bath:-
  * To regain energy,
  * Dispel wind,
  * Get rid of odours from lochia and discharge
  * Treat sore veins
- Get traditional postnatal massage:-
  * Improve blood circulation
  * Expel lochia which can last for 6 weeks after delivery
  * "lift" the womb and keep it from sagging
  * Break down fat
  * Tone and shape the body to help the new mum get her pre-baby body back
  * Speed up overall recovery from labour and birth
  * Stimulate milk production

Do & Don't Food & Drinks
- Take Jamu which is nutrition and dietary supplements. This is to boost energy levels, keep body warm, expel excess fat & toxins and regulate bladder movement.
- No "cold" food like fruits and vegetables
- No oily foods
- No iced water or too much water as it is believed to keep tummy swollen and harder to shrink

References:
http://www.babycenter.com.my/pregnancy/asian-postnatal-practices/malay-confinement/
http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2350435

Confinement Period - Japanese Culture

Here is a summary of confinement information on Japanese Culture.
Confinement Period: 2-4 weeks

Do & Don't Activity
- Take sponge bath using Grated Ginger Roots to rub on mother's body as to promote healing.

- Not allow to leave home during confinement

Do & Don't Food & Drinks
- After birth, a special food Carp Fish soup and mochi is offered.
- Eat spinach and other green vegetables to help blood cloting.

References:
http://www.hawcc.hawaii.edu/nursing/RNJapanese03.html

Confinement Period - Korean Culture

Here is a summary of confinement information on Korean Culture.
Confinement Period: 21 days

Do & Don't Activity
- Rest and sleep during confinement period
- Not allowed to move too much
- Wear thick cloths to prevent wind from entering body
- Wear socks and avoid walking bare footed around home.
- Take hot shower or washing hair.
- Mother had caesarean delivery to avoid shower for the first week.

Do & Don't Food & Drinks
- Seaweed soup (Miyeok guk) is to be consume 3 times daily (Best to consume for at least 3 months).

- Avoid hard or crunchy food as to believe mother's gum is still weak after delivery

References:
http://sgmummy.com/korean-confinement/

Confinement Period - Chinese Culture

Here is a summary of confinement information on Chinese Culture.
Confinement Period: 30 - 40 days

Do & Don't Activity
- Keep mother's body warm
- Mother's room should not have fan or air-con
- Do not open windows as to prevent wind from entering body.
This is a believe that wind can cause pain in the joints when mother are old.
- Not allow to leave house at least 30 days after giving birth
- Cannot wash hair as scalp cannot catch cold
- Cannot walk around as to avoid uterine prolapse
- Cannot watch TV
- Cannot take bath
- Avoid touching water as it can lead to back pain, hands and feet numbness
- Wear long pants and long sleeve
- Wear socks & bedroom slippers
- Avoid frequent sitting as to avoid backache
- First 2 weeks, only sponge bath with warm wine water is allowed. Boil the water and rice wine in 50-50 proportion, add a little salt, and soaked with a towel, wring dry, rub the body.
- Avoid carrying baby as may result visceral ptosis. Lie on your side to feed baby.
- Avoid giving baby a bath and get confinement lady/husband/other people to help.
- Avoid carrying heavy item as to prevent visceral ptosis.
- Avoid crying as to prevent premature aging.
- Use postpartum belly band

Do & Don't Food & Drinks
- Food diet must have lots of old gingers to get rid of wind in tummy and body.
- Eat warm food only
- Take tonic soups, ginseng, "dong qui" to replenish blod lost during delivery
- Replace water with rice wine
- Drink red dates, ginger & date tea, longan & date tea throughout confinement period
- Avoid drinking water, and beverages as it will cause water retention
- Avoid cold foods like fruits, cold drinks and desserts
- Eat confinement dishes like ginger & black vinegar pig trotters, sesame oil chicken, pork liver & kidneys cooked with ginger & sesame oil, pig stomach soup, etc.
- Avoid sour food
- Avoid fish and meat for the first 2 weeks.

Warning for mummy whom breast feed baby:
- Do minimize or avoid ginger for the first 2 weeks after delivery. This is to prevent baby from getting jaundice via breast milk.
- Once consume alcohol, do wait for 2 hours before breast feeding the baby.

References:
http://chineseconfinementfood.blogspot.com/
http://incomingincomingbaby.blogspot.com/2012/10/understand-jaundice.html

Baby Belly Button Healing

The baby umbilical cord is cut after birth and usually completely heal by 2 months time.

Do & Don't on the new belly button

Activity	Care
Bath	Preferably to give sponge bath to baby until stump has come off completely. Use damp cloth and pat around to clean the belly area and subsequently dry cloth to dry the belly area.&
Touching	Avoid touching belly button until it's completely healed. Avoid remove stump by force as this can cause bleeding that trigger infections.
Cloths	Avoid covering stump too much as fresh air can help to heal faster.
Observation	Bring baby to see doctor ASAP Whenever there is redness or oozes yellow puss or developed bad odor or baby having fever.

Labor Preparations

Here are the labor preparations:
1) Pregnant Mum (Before Labor)

Item	Purpose
Dressing gown, old t-shirt, night dress	Cloths for walking around & clean cloths
Slippers	For walking purpose. Best to get non-slippary slippers
Snacks & drinks	To provide some energy
Books, magazines, mp3 player, game gadget &nbsp(e.g. iPhone/Android)	To relax the mind
Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, comb/hairbrush, hair shampoo, body shampoo/soap, nail clippers, mirror, towel	Toiletries / Personal Care&nbsp
Mobile Phone & Charger	To keep in touch with someone

2) Pregnant Mum (During Labor)

Item	Purpose
Socks	To keep the feet warm. Interestingly, the feet can get cold during labor
Massage Oil/Lotions	Massage to relax the body
MP3/Music Player (e.g. iPod)	To relax the mind

3) Pregnant Mum (After Labor)

Item	Purpose
Going home cloths	Require especially going back home
Undergarment (e.g. knickers/panties)	As part of changing to a clean cloths
Nursing bras	To breastfeed baby at ease
Breast pads	Help mom stay dry and comfortable when breast milk comes in
Maternity pads	Help mom stay dry and comfortable when bleeding from uterus(womb) once baby was born.

4) Partner / Husband

Item	Purpose
Snacks & drinks	To provide some energy
Cloths	To have a clean cloths

5) Baby

Item	Purpose
Hat&nbsp	To keep head warm
One outfit cloths	Require especially going back home
Baby blanket	To keep body warm
Muslin squares	Help baby mouth to stay dry and comfortable as baby drool a lot
Nappies	Help baby stay dry and comfortable when baby urinate/shit

Confirm Delivery Place

Here are the pro and cons of the possible delivery places:

Delivery Options	Pro	Cons	Guide
Home Birth	1) Nice to deliver in a comfortable environment	1) Not suitable if there is a complications in the delivery. e.g. Premature Labor, Overdue Delivery 2) Not suitable if there is a baby problem 3) Require a very experienced midwife to assist in the delivery	http://hypnobirthing.com.my/
Birthing Centre	1) Replicate a home environment 2) More privacy	1) Does not have a full facility like a hospital
Government Hospital	1) Cheap	1) No privacy meaning stranger can go and see the labor activity. e.g. Medical students	http://www.moh.gov.my/gov_hospitals http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hospitals_in_Malaysia
Private Hospital	1) Have all the facility to handle any situations 2) More privacy	1) Expensive	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hospitals_in_Malaysia

Baby Growing in Mummy

Here is an overview of baby's position and growing inside mummy:

Here is a very good video on baby growing inside mummy tummy:

Here is a very good video on baby growing outside of mummy tummy:

Resources:
http://www.babycenter.com/fetal-development-week-by-week

Pregnancy Process Overview

Enjoy the pregnancy process overview (^_^)

Feel free to comment your thoughts