Hello readers! Today's post is on my post birth confinement experience as well as my own noting when i read back this post.
We didn't hire any confinement nanny, so my mum helped me to do my confinement. Previously when i was still pregnant, Jeremy had some of his friends telling him it would be better if he decide to hire a confinement nanny or have my own mother to help me with my confinement. This is to avoid any possible conflict between the mother in law and the daughter in law during the confinement period because i am sure the different type of parenting style when it comes to taking care a newborn would cause more conflict or disagreements. For me, I will prefer my mum to do for me my confinement otherwise i am totally fine to hire a confinement nanny as i was worried she might be exhausted, afterall she is not young anymore and her leg condition is not that well too but she was dropping me hints that she is ok to help me do my confinement when i first mention about hiring a confinement nanny so i gladly obliged but paying her what i was originally meant to pay for the confinement nanny fees.
My mil have told us upfront that she is not able to help us take care our baby or do for me my confinement because of her leg condition, so she was asking me to tell my mum because of her condition so she can't take care, but actually she did help her own daughter do confinement even though that was a couple years ago, i am not offended because i know a mother in law and own mother will never be the same. I was relieved at least we don't have to argue who to do my confinement or taking care of my baby since i trust my mother more. Most of my friends know my mum is a great cook! You can scroll down for the food photos that she has prepared for me during my confinement. Haha
Many have mentioned for c section mothers, we have to take extra care since the wound takes longer to recover. However based on my own experience, on the same day of the operation, i have to stay in the bed, after my gynae review and check everything is ok and that i can try to get down the next day. From second day onwards, i can try to get down from the bed by myself even though my action is slow. It was not so bad except i just need to move slowly like a turtle. Haha i understand for some natural delivery mommies, it took them about 3 weeks to recover from the vagina pain due to the stitching i guess.
I have heard many stories of what not to do during confinement, and i would suggest all the mommies can judge for yourself what works best for yourself.
Some common myth as follows:
1. Cannot shower including washing hair during the confinement period (28-30days)
2. Cannot turn on the AC or the Fan.
3. Have to wear long sleeve and pants to keep yourself warm
4. Stay in a room with all windows shut.
5. Cannot touch any water.
6. Can only drink red date longan water and no plain water
Actually there is no scientific evidence that by NOT following the above, you will be damaging the body, in fact it is recommended to shower due to personal hygiene and helps to prevent possible infection. For me, i only follow some of it but with modification. Instead of 30 days, i manage to tolerate 1 week of not showering but using body wipes to clean my body. As i mentioned, during the first few days after the operation, we are not able to walk or move so freely at least during the first week so i didn't want to aggravate my wound if i went to shower since i had to wear a binder, compression socks and on top of that i feel it would be better to keep my wound area free of water for at least that 1 week. I was also worried i might slip in the shower if i am not careful so i decided to tolerate that first 7 days.
Even though my hair is so oily and i look like i am drenched in the rain during the first 7 days, but it feels so wonderful and a luxury when i can go for my shower on the 8th day. I can only shower once a day instead of twice as i heed to my mum's advice. So I will use body wipes at night instead. Even though i couldn't shower for the first 7 days, however i do make sure i clean my face and brush my teeth everyday so that means i won't be able to avoid touching water. For this myth, i feel as long as you don't soak your hands in cold water for a prolonged period, it should be fine.
Before the shower, my mum would help me to prepare the herbal confinement bath and the water is so hot! So i had to add some water to make it warm, but then i do use shampoo, conditioner and shower foam after that because the herbal bath doesn't help to remove the grease. I make sure that my hair is fully blow dry after i came out of the bathroom and the room windows are all closed. I was pretty particular about the drying hair part because i once read an article by another women who didn't want to believe the myth and so she try it out by wearing tank top, shorts, shower as per normal, not drying her hair. And one of her side effect was headache and she feel so uncomfortable each time she enter a place that she feel so cold as though the cold is entering into her bones. I was pretty worried so for this, i gladly follow and so far i haven't got any of these side effects.
Instead of using the fan, i would turn on the aircon whole day in my room and this helps so much especially when i can't shower during the first 7 days. I don't wear long sleeve or pants, instead i wear my silky pajamas, my binder, compression socks and my slippers and make myself as comfortable as possible.
During the confinement, i do get pretty emotional as i do cry easily. A strong family support system is important to me, there were a few times my family would get a shock because i was crying, the tears just flow down so naturally and i just couldn't help it. My mum and sister have been helpful in helping me to take care Jayrius when i am so tired. There were also an incident that i am just too lazy to elaborate anymore that involve my sil and in laws so during that time i was crying so much i was wondering if i am going to be blind. (Hearsay it's not good for women to cry during their confinement.)
Beside doing my confinement, this is also another learning point as i learn how to become a mom, how to be responsible in taking care for my baby such as preparing milk for my baby, carrying him, changing him and feeding him. I opt out for breastfeeding and i thought it would be easier but it doesn't appear to be the case since newborn do wake up every 2-3hours so i have to get up and prepare milk for him and he is totally a milk monster. To me the waking up every 2-3 hours is the worse period but fortunately he would go back to sleep after he is full and i do not need to do much except to make sure he got his milk when he cry.
Many times, i am so tired i would doze off while carrying him and feeding him milk in the middle of the night. Until my mum told me i can actually laid him in the bed, using a cushion to cushion his milk bottle so he can suck the milk and i do not need to carry him, i just need to be at his side making sure he is drinking well and i can go back to sleep after that. Initially i was skeptical but after my mum demonstration, it works so since then i have use this method until he could hold his own bottle. Haha
As i was doing my confinement at my mum place, we have an agreement such that i would try to take care of Jayrius myself during the night as my mum will take over at 6am, so it gives me more time to sleep in. During this one month, i was hoping for 6am to come everyday, hahaha sometimes i will push him out early in the living room once my mum is up because i get so grumpy when i had not enough sleep and i know i need to have enough sleep to stay zen. During my confinement, i avoid carrying heavy stuffs as well as showering Jayrius, so i was looking at how my mum bath him and i started showering him after my confinement.
One of the rewarding moment during my confinement will be the foods my mum prepared for me! It was so delicious and appetizing! I had a very good appetite and was always looking forward to my next meal! Haha below is the photos that i would take for every meal.
The first day when i was discharged from the hospital, and my mum serve this in to my room. Honestly, i feel like a queen. Hahahahaha
My dad and mum went to the chinatown market to buy the snakehead fish and boil together with herbs as snakehead fish is good for people who has a post surgery as it can accelerate wound healing and it has many other medical value, to me it is not tasty but for the sake of recovering faster, i had this for like at least 5 days! For every meal until i was so sick of this. My wound did recover well when i went back for review. Haha
My favourite will be one of the dishes, pork cooked with tradition red rice wine and ginger, it smell so good when my mum cook this dish and i love it! I had lots of ginger during my confinement and i was feeling so hot even though i had aircon running in my room, so i wonder how do those who was told not to use aircon and fan survive especially in Singapore humid weather.
My mum will prepare red date longan drink for me, but after drinking for about 2 weeks, i told her i am sick of it and i drink plain water instead. Some of the myth say cannot drink plain water in case of water retention, but i couldn't care less.
Beside eating all the delicious with nutritional value confinement dishes my mum prepared, including the snakehead fish soup, i have to highlight i do eat this pien tze huang, probably about 2-3 days after i came back from the hospital. If you go to any chinese medicine shop, and ask them about this, they will know. This helps for people who has undergone any surgery and i am not sure if this contribute to my fast recovery after i took this, plus eating the snakehead fish soup and other soups that i feel no pain anymore by second week. My wound is no longer painful, i could walk easily and there is no difficulties in me moving around anymore. So in case anyone find it useful, you may check with the chinese medicine shop staff directly. Below is the pic of how it looks like.
I shall end my post for now.
Till then.
