Sitting the month is a critical period to help postpartum women smoothly transition through the physiological and psychological changes in life, so diet is very important. So, due to the vast territory of China and the large difference in climate between the north and the south, what are the differences in the diet for sitting the month in the north?
【Northern Month Sitting Diet】
Breakfast: Sesame oil pig kidneys one bowl, vegetables one bowl, sticky rice porridge one bowl, coix seed rice one bowl, Eucommia bark powder one qian.
10 am: Red bean soup one bowl.
Lunch: Sesame oil pig kidneys one bowl, vegetables one bowl, coix seed rice one bowl, Eucommia bark powder one qian.
3 pm: Oil rice one bowl.
Dinner: Fish soup one bowl, Eucommia bark powder one qian, vegetarian stew one bowl, Eucommia bark powder one qian.
Evening snack: Red bean soup one bowl.
Forbidden foods: Raw and cold foods, juro, radish, pickled vegetables, pickled cabbage, dried plums, miso soup, Japanese tea, beer, fruit juice, milk, water, boiled water.
【What is Sitting the Month】
Sitting the month can be traced back to the Western Han Dynasty, known as "Yue Nei", and has a history of more than two thousand years as a necessary ritual behavior after childbirth.
From a sociological and medical perspective, "sitting the month" is a critical period to assist postpartum women in smoothly transitioning through the physiological and psychological changes in life.
Principles of sitting the month
1. Be cautious of cold and warmth.
With changes in climate and living environment, postpartum women should make appropriate adjustments to clothing and the use of electrical appliances indoors. The indoor temperature should be around 25-26℃ and the humidity should be around 50%-60%. Wear long sleeves, long pants, and socks to avoid catching a cold, getting sick, or exposing joints to wind, cold, and dampness.
2. Moderate labor and rest.
Moderate labor and rest are helpful for the discharge of lochia and the recovery of muscles and figure. In the initial postpartum period, when the postpartum woman feels weak, dizzy, and weak, she must rest more in bed. The time for getting up should not exceed half an hour. As physical strength gradually recovers, the time can be slightly extended, but the time should still be limited to 1-2 hours to avoid long periods of standing or sitting, which can lead to back pain, leg pain, and knee and ankle joint pain.
【Emergency Care for Sitting the Month in the North】
1. Eat more eggs: Eating too many eggs can affect the intake of other foods and result in a monotonous diet. Generally, it is advisable to eat 4-5 eggs per day.
2. Avoid certain foods: Avoid eating fish, shrimp, beef, lamb, and other foods with strong fishy smell, as it is not conducive to the secretion of milk.
3. Use less salt in dishes for postpartum women: In fact, postpartum women are weak, sweat more, and have strong secretion of mammary glands, so their bodies are more prone to dehydration and lack of salt, which should be appropriately supplemented.
4. The longer the bed rest time, the better for the body: Actually, this is not true. Postpartum women can sit up in bed after 24 or 48 hours after childbirth, and can start to get out of bed and move around on the third or fourth day. Prolonged bed rest time can actually hinder the recovery of the postpartum woman's body.
5. Only wash hair and bathe after a month: This is extremely incorrect because postpartum women sweat a lot during delivery, coupled with continuous discharge of lochia and breast milk, making the body dirtier and more susceptible to pathogen invasion. In fact, postpartum women can take a shower two or three days after childbirth, which is less likely to be infected by bacteria. They can wash their hair with hot water after 8-10 days. Postpartum women should brush their teeth once in the morning and once in the evening.
6. Close the doors and windows indoors without ventilation: This can easily cause respiratory infections in postpartum women and infants. In the summer, it can also cause heatstroke and dizziness.
7. Milk production starts after one or several days after childbirth: In fact, breastfeeding can start immediately after childbirth.
【Dietary Principles for Sitting the Month in the North】
1. Avoid overeating.
Excessive eating after childbirth not only leads to further obesity on the basis of weight gain during pregnancy but also has no benefits for postpartum recovery. If you are breastfeeding, you can slightly increase the amount of food if there is a lot of milk production, but the maximum increase should be 1/5 of the amount. If your milk supply is just enough for your baby, you can eat the same amount as during pregnancy. If you do not have breast milk or do not plan to breastfeed, you can eat a similar amount as in non-pregnancy.
2. Drink more water.
The increase in milk production is one of the reasons why new mothers need more water after childbirth. In addition, postpartum women tend to sweat more and lose more body surface moisture than usual. Therefore, postpartum women can drink more water and soup, including fish soup, pig trotter soup, pork rib soup, and chicken soup. They should also include fruit juice, milk, soy milk, etc., which can promote milk production.
3. Diversify food choices.
Although there are dietary taboos for postpartum women, it is important to have a variety of food choices. The more diverse the types of food consumed, the more balanced and comprehensive the nutrition. In addition to clearly avoiding foods that are harmful to the body and may cause allergies after consumption, it is important to have a variety of meat and vegetable dishes.
