In the mindset of the older generation, women should "cover up" during their confinement period, as only by doing so can they properly recover. But is this confinement method really scientific? Especially in the hot summer, how should we properly observe the confinement period? Let's take a look at the precautions for summer confinement below.
[Precautions for Summer Confinement]
1. Can you bathe and wash your hair?
Scientific explanation: Generally, bathing in water at a temperature of 28-30°C is allowed 3-7 days after childbirth.
In the hot summer, not washing your hair or bathing for a month is not only unhygienic, but it can also cause skin inflammation and heat rash. Not bathing can also lead to infection in the perineal wound.
When bathing, use warm water and immediately dry yourself completely afterwards to avoid catching a cold. In addition, mothers who have had a caesarean section should wait for 2 weeks before bathing, depending on the healing of their incision.
2. Can you consume cold drinks?
Scientific explanation: After giving birth, the body is deficient in qi and blood, so it is recommended to consume more warm nourishing foods to help replenish qi and blood.
Consuming cold or cool foods after childbirth hinders the replenishment of qi and blood, can lead to digestive problems, and is not conducive to the discharge of lochia and removal of stagnant blood.
Furthermore, cold foods that have not been properly sterilized may contain bacteria, and consuming them can lead to gastroenteritis in postpartum women.
3. Do you need to "cover up" during summer confinement?
Scientific explanation: Some new mothers in the summer tend to close all windows and doors or cover their heads with blankets, which actually hinders body heat dissipation and can lead to heat stroke.
In the summer, the indoor temperature is already high, and by "covering up," the body's internal heat cannot be released, which is not conducive to postpartum recovery.
[Recommended Diet for Summer Confinement]
1. Peanut, Lotus Root, and Pork Rib Soup
Ingredients: 500g lotus root, 500g pork ribs, 200g peanuts
Directions: Blanch the pork ribs, parboil the lotus root until 80% cooked, stew the lotus root, peanuts, and pork ribs together, remove any impurities, add cooking wine and ginger, and season with salt after stewing until tender.
Benefits: Nourishes the heart and spleen, promotes blood circulation and beauty, and helps eliminate toxins from the body.
2. Citrus Peel and Crucian Carp Soup
Ingredients: 3g citrus peel, 150g crucian carp, ginger, spring onion, and salt to taste
Directions: Clean the crucian carp after removing the scales, gills, and internal organs, stuff the citrus peel into the fish's belly, put it in a clay pot, add water, bring to a boil over high heat, add ginger, spring onion, and salt.
Benefits: Invigorates the spleen, stimulates appetite, and promotes lactation.
3. Hawthorn and Millet Porridge
Ingredients: 20 hawthorns, 100g millet, 30g brown sugar
Directions: Select non-acidic hawthorns, lightly sauté them, cook them together with millet to make porridge, and season with brown sugar.
Benefits: Promotes blood circulation, relieves pain, and helps eliminate postpartum blood stasis.
4. Sesame Oil Spinach
Ingredients: 200g spinach, a small amount of sesame seeds
Directions: Blanch the spinach, drizzle with sesame oil, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Benefits: Eat while warm, it has a blood-nourishing effect and helps eliminate waste after childbirth.
[Dietary Taboos for Summer Confinement]
1. Avoid drinking too much soup too early
It is fine to drink nourishing soup in moderation, but if a mother consumes a large amount of soup immediately after childbirth, it can lead to excessive milk production.
Newborn babies have small stomach capacities and poor sucking ability, so they consume less milk. Excessive milk can stagnate in the milk ducts, causing breast engorgement, which not only causes discomfort for the mother but also affects normal breastfeeding.
2. Avoid drinking too much sugared water
Drinking too much sugared water can damage the mother's teeth. If postpartum women consume too much sugared water in the summer, it can also lead to excessive sweating, further weakening the body and even causing heat stroke.
In addition, excessive consumption of sugared water can increase the blood volume in lochia, causing continued blood loss in the mother and resulting in anemia.
3. Avoid eating raw and cold foods
During summer confinement, postpartum women may be tempted to eat raw and cold foods, such as ice cream, frozen drinks, and cold salads;
However, consuming these foods too early after childbirth can affect dental health and digestion, damage the spleen and stomach, and hinder the discharge of lochia.
4. Avoid excessive consumption of eggs
Medical research shows that during the entire puerperium, new mothers need about 100 grams of protein per day, so eating 3-4 eggs per day is sufficient.
Excessive consumption of eggs can burden the intestines and stomach and even lead to stomach problems.
