Two months ago, my second son was born, and I was amazed at how much easier and more comfortable the birth was, and these two months after it was calmer and quieter (in terms of baby crying). I owe much of this increased level of happiness to a special Chinese nanny whom we hired to help in the first three months of the baby’s life.
For the Chinese population, an assistant to a new mother is an integral figure during the first month of motherhood. This period is called containment, which can be translated as “restriction”, and special nannies for this time – containment nanny.
What are restrictive practices (containment)?
Restrictive practices are traditional postpartum practices that help a new mom recover from the various consequences of pregnancy and childbirth. Traditionally, mother and child are literally in prison: strict home “quarantine” is observed. Such practices are used by the Chinese, Malays and Indians with various nuances. The practice of various communities combines the desire to support the new mother and help her replenish her physical and emotional strength.
In modern living conditions, some mothers do not use restrictive practices at all, considering them old-fashioned, but many still observe them partially in order to rest and recover from childbirth.
I will give as an example some of the rules of these practices:
– prohibition to wash hair during the entire restriction period;
– protection against “cooling” elements, such as cold water, and from the influence of an air conditioner or fan;
– bathing only in specially prepared warm water, which is infused with herbs;
– using the services of traditional masseurs, massaging the abdomen and tying it with a special postpartum corset.
Traditionally, during the period of restriction, the new mother is taken care of by her mother or mother-in-law. In Singapore, where we now live, local Chinese women hire special nannies.
After listening to their feedback, I did the same and not only agreed to standard help with the child, but also decided to try the traditional rules of nutrition on myself, which unexpectedly made my nanny happy (not many non-Chinese women agree). She promised that a special diet would be able to improve milk production, overcome problems with the baby’s tummy, and make me relaxed, contented and happy. Despite my skepticism about her promises, she managed to fulfill them 100%. Since her manipulations had a positive impact on the baby and me, I decided to share those recommendations that you can use on your own without deep knowledge of Chinese traditions.
Nutritional secrets containment nanny
During the restriction period, mothers are advised to follow a certain diet. This diet is based on traditional Chinese medicine and the theory that all foods can generate either “hot” energy in the body. Jahn), or “cold” energy (correlates with the concept yin).
The idea of dividing foods into heat increasing and decreasing foods is related to the idea of the need for a balance between yin and Jahn… Traditionally, for the inhabitants of Asia, especially China, it is the imbalance of these elements that explains some emotional (irritability, irascibility, fatigue or lethargy) and physical conditions (fever, sore throat and runny nose, mouth ulcers, indigestion or constipation, flushing of the face or cheeks, rashes, pimples and acne, dark yellow urine).
Warming foods are thought to love the hot sun, are sweet or spicy, “dry” or “tough,” and are rich in fats and sodium. And “cooling” foods grow in a small amount of sunlight, they are low-fat, “wet” and “soft”, rich in potassium.
Some “cooling” foods: bananas, pears, grapefruits, persimmons, watermelon, tangerine, strawberries, pineapple, tomatoes, Chinese bitter gourd, lettuce, cucumbers, broccoli and cauliflower, zucchini, radish, lotus root, seaweed; turmeric, marjoram, mint, sugarcane, barley, bean curd, chicken egg white, yogurt, shellfish and crabs.
“Neutral” products: apricots, papaya, apples, figs, dates, plums, raspberries, raisins, beets, carrots, celery, olives, potatoes, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, radishes, Brussels sprouts, peas in pods, rice, red beans, yellow soybeans, sunflower seeds, mushrooms, honey, sage, rosemary, thyme, milk, chicken egg yolk, beef, pork, carp, cuttlefish, duck.
Some “warming” foods: cherries, raspberries, blackberries, black currants, mangoes, grapes, chestnuts, grapefruit, peaches, garlic, leeks, shallots, green onions, soybean oil, vinegar, walnuts, apricot pits, pepper (seasoning), cinnamon, ginger, brown sugar, coffee, nutmeg, basil, cloves, coriander, chicken, ham, lamb, shrimp.
How the food is prepared is also important. For example, beef is considered a “neutral” food, but when grilled or deeply fried, it becomes a “warming” dish.
In the postpartum period, you should eat foods that “increase heat” in the body. It is believed that it improves blood circulation, strengthens joints, stimulates the production of breast milk, fights against the “wind” – that is, gases – in both mom and baby, prevents hair loss and premature aging. But “cooling” foods should be avoided: they can cause the opposite effect, as well as provoke rheumatism, arthritis and weakening of the joints in the mother.
Of course, I did not follow the diet 100% – primarily because it involves the daily consumption of meat, especially pork. Of all the numerous recommendations, I made a few basic rules, which I will definitely adhere to next time (if it happens J)
What rules did I follow
- The first month did not drink water (at all), only very warm compotes and infusions. During the first two weeks, every day I drank a decoction of red beans – red adzuki beans are cooked until soft, the decoction is drunk. The beans themselves can be eaten too. Dried fruit compote: red dates, black dates, prunes, goji berries, dried tangerine peels, dried longan (all of which are available in Russia). Dried longan, by the way, promotes relaxation and good sleep, which in turn helps milk production.
- I ate fresh fatty fish almost every day. Fresh fish is believed to promote the healing of internal organs and tissues.
- Avoid the “cooling” items found, for example, in cucumbers, young coconut, spinach, watermelon, and other “cooling” items (see above).
- Ate a LOT of ginger. Every morning the nanny rubbed two ginger roots on a fine grater. This grated ginger was added to all dishes: stir-fry vegetables, baked fish, soups. To comply with the standard monthly containment-Program buy 4-5 kilograms of ginger! It is not only good for digestion, but also very effectively “warms” the body, which again promotes milk production.
- Every day I drank ginger “tea” – the juice of grated ginger, drenched in hot water, plus a teaspoon of honey if desired. In the first week – no more than one cup of this tea a day, starting from the second week – two or more cups. Ginger prevents your baby from developing gas and other tummy problems. My first son cried every day for several months, especially at night, because he had a tummy ache. The second son did not cry about this even once and sleeps much more calmly. I attribute this to the presence of a huge amount of ginger in his “diet” ?
- She ate a lot and varied: always green leafy vegetables (only ready-made), root vegetables, wild rice, mushrooms, nuts (different every day), fruits, including pomelo (the only recommended citrus fruit), and, of course, papaya and fish soup bones (you can just fish, but for some reason a bone is used). This soup is an indispensable part of the program to stimulate milk production. It is believed that papaya combined with fish oil has a strong effect.
- In other ways, she maintained her “inner” warmth – she wore warm shoes and warm clothes, did not sit under air conditioners, and only took a hot shower.
Of course, when my nanny came to us with a huge bag of roots, herbs, berries and some other suspicious ingredients and began to prepare some kind of potion from them, I doubted a little that I was ready to use all this. To allay my fears for my health and the health of my baby, I immediately called the doctor. The doctor, however, not quite politically correctly answered that I should not be afraid, all these dried roots and tops will not do any harm. However, there may be no benefit, because “what is good for the Chinese, is usually useless for the Europeans.” I don’t know if it’s ginger or self-hypnosis, but this time both me and the baby objectively feel much better, which is what we wish all mothers and babies!