Postpartum confinement

A 2016 American book describes the difficulties of documenting those "global grandmotherly customs" but asserts that "like a golden rope connecting women from one generation to the next, the protocol of caring for the new mother by unburdening her of responsibilities and ensuring she rests and eats shows up in wildly diverse places".

[8] Martha Wolfenstein and Margaret Mead wrote in 1955 that the postpartum period meant a "woman can be cherished and pampered without feeling inadequate or shamed".

The 2016 review that quoted them cites customs from around the world, from Biblical times to modern Greece: From the data it seems that women were housebound for a number of days after the birth and the length of this period of seclusion varied by caste or ethnic group [in Nepal].

"[10] Postpartum confinement is well-documented in China, where the tradition is known as "Sitting the month": 坐月子 "Zuò yuè zi" in Mandarin or 坐月 "Co5 Jyut2" in Cantonese.

[11] The earliest record of the Chinese custom of postpartum confinement dates back over 2,000 years ago in the Book of Rites, where it was known as yuè nèi (月内).

[12] Postpartum confinement is based on traditional Chinese medicine, with a special focus on eating foods considered to be nourishing for the body and helping with the production of breastmilk.

In Hong Kong and Taiwan, the mother and baby sometimes spend the month in special postpartum confinement clinics rather than at home.

[17] In ancient China, women of certain ethnic groups in the South would resume work right after birth, and allow the men to practice postpartum confinement instead.

It is also claimed to be important for women to wrap up warm and minimize the amount of skin exposed, as it was believed that they may catch a cold during this vulnerable time.

Sesame Oil Chicken helps replenish blood and keep the body warm, while Green Papaya Soup is known to boost breast milk supply.

Red Dates Tea restores vitality and maintains warmth, and Black Vinegar Pig Trotters provide calcium and collagen to strengthen bones and joints.

[19] In Guangdong province, new mothers are barred from visitors until the baby is 12 days old, marked by a celebration called 'Twelve mornings' (known as 十二朝).

[citation needed] When the "month is fulfilled" (manyue) after 30 days, the mother receives relatives and friends who bring special foods such as Chinese red eggs.

In the past, during the samchil-il period, geumjul (taboo rope) made with saekki and various symbolic objects, such as chili peppers (for a boy) and coal (for a girl), was hung over the gate to denote the childbirth and restrict visitor access.

Thai immigrants to Sweden report using the steam bath to heal after childbirth, although the correct ingredients are not easy to find.

One of the gifts presented to the new mother in Renaissance Florence was a desco da parto, a special form of painted tray.

[citation needed] In Latin American countries, it is called la cuarentena ("forty days," a cognate with the English word "quarantine").