Follow East or go West?
Sep 2, 2009 in All things me
My cousin sister has just give birth to a healthy baby boy and mom was dropping hints non-too-subtly when it comes to my turn. She was lamenting about those confinement ladies for hired nowadays and they don’t come cheap. A girlfriend of mine had scouted around in KL for a confinement lady and most of them demand a starting price at 2000MYR for a month’s service.
Then she asked whether I can find one in Germany? I almost laughed out loud. First of all, I don’t think my colleagues’ wives stayed in bed the whole day and drank stewed ginger soup or complexly concocted chicken herbal soup daily after given birth. Neither did they refrained themselves from washing their hair for a month. In fact, they pretty much returned to daily life minus those peculiar taboos during confinement period.
When I see them going about their routine months after giving birth, without those confinement practice, they look kinda normal to me. It makes me wonder whether the confinement period is actually necessary and how effective the practice is vis-a-vis the future health of the mother.
I always view confinement as a “punishment” and never be as a “previledge”… that’s at least the impression I get from my friends who went through it. Fortunately my parents chinese roots were kind of lost somewhere inbetween Indonesian generation and therefore I can happily say : I am free to do what I like
Jessica, so you didn’t go through the confinement period at all? Trying to collect some opinions here
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Duh… I’m afraid I’ll have to ‘do as Romans would do in Rome’. Confinement is none that I heard of here, and so I won’t be observing it. =P The confinement diet doesn’t appeal to me too, mostly I wouldn’t like having either.
These days when you stayed quiet, I was ’speculating’ that you’ve been busy preparing for your wedding. =P So, am I anywhere near that?
KY, I heard my buddy stardust mentioning about “wedding”… ups, being nosey, but please any wedding related news and picture are welcome
Yes, I did not observe any confinement related stuff. In fact I was ALONE! My parents and in law were too afraid of UK nasty winter (cold, gloomy, and they speak no english at all). So there you go
Same in France, women just go back to their normal life after delivery. My MIL said she had to cooked for herself and at the same thing took care of the baby as the 2 weeks parental leaves for the men did not exist at that time.
My turn is soon and I cannot imagine myself to have to take care of the baby and myself alone. I actually felt pity for those French women. Of course I won’t follow strictly the rule of not taking showers and laying on the bed the whole day (in fact in Malaysia people do not follow that strictly anymore depending on the families).
I’m asking my aunt to come over for the confinement bcos:
1. All I want is to rest and eat well, as I know if I have to cook alone I might end up eating instant noodles for some meals. So, I won’t mind having some red wine mihun and ginger chicken.
2. Then, the fact that we don’t grow up in Europe means we were having different diet thus different body resistance and reaction. Even though I’m here, I eat different food than the typical French. I feel sick easily when I drink too much cold drinks but my husband drinks everything either cold or hot, not warm.
3. By getting my aunt here it feels like my family is involved in taking care of me and that makes them (especially my mother) feel better.
Stardust, Jessica, sorry to disappoint, nope..I’m no where near that stage yet
. @Jessica, you were alone? WOW, that must be quite difficult, handling the newborn and all alone. Hats off! 
Bee Ean, congratulations! What great news
! I can understand your situation, in fact I’m thinking about some of your points too and it’s true, we eat differently from the people here and therefore with the baby there, I’m afraid we might lack time to really cook some nutritious food for ourselves.
My friend from M’sia had her baby in Minnesota and what she told me was she shouldn’t had taken her shower the day she was wheeled into her room after birth 4 years ago. She is having what the chinese call “fung sup” now, but I’m wondering is it individual tho? My coworkers and my step daughter had their showers the same day afer birth and they are. She was alone here too, so she ate whatever her hubby cooked for her, mat salleh food.
Dawn, I heard about that too, that one shouldn’t take her shower the day, after given birth. Somehow, so far I’ve heard different opinions. Perhaps it really depends on the individual? Thanks for sharing
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