Playtimes HK Magazine Winter Issue 2018/2019 | Page 31

maternity
Contented
Confinement
Karen Sherwood explores the concept
of new mothers ‘sitting the month’
T
he mother of a newborn baby
is supposed to be sleep-
deprived, overwhelmed
and strung-out, right?
Right? Maybe in Western culture,
but traditionally in Chinese culture
a new mother will engage in ‘sitting
the month’ or ‘zuo yue zi’ (‘cho yuet’
in Cantonese), literally resting for 28
days, confined to the house, whilst
others care for her and her baby. The
concept of ‘confinement’ may have
old-fashioned overtones for those of
us raised in the West, but the idea of
confining new mums is still embraced
in many Asian countries, including
Hong Kong – and there’s a lot more to
it than just staying indoors.
The custom of confining new mums
after the birth evolved in part from
practicalities – illness or injury were
far more likely to occur outdoors.
This ancient practice is also aimed
at restoring the ‘qi’ balance (the
balance of yin/cold & yang/hot energy
forces) to a mother’s body following
the rigours of pregnancy and birth.
Historically, female family members
would stay in the new mum’s house
to cook restorative foods and tonics
and allow her to rest. Experienced
‘pui yuets’ or ‘confinement ladies’, are
an alternate option for those without
available family members, or those
who prefer a trained professional at
the helm (or those that just don’t want
their mother-in-law staying with them
for a month!). Pui yuets can provide
a day service, or live-in service for
the month and beyond. Confinement
centres are also springing up
throughout Asia – where mother and
baby will receive round-the-clock care,
training, traditional foods, and lots of
rest, for the month.
Cythina Lam is a full-time
Stockbroker and mother of two sons
aged eight and five. Her primary
Winter 2018
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