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