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Ep 67 - Incorporating Chinese Postpartum Rituals as a Chinese American Mom
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Around the world, cultures have different postpartum traditions and rituals to help support new mothers heal during the postnatal period. In many areas, that includes a confinement period of rest and special meals to promote recovery and lactation.
The concept of Chinese confinement — “zuo yue zi,” or “sitting the month”— is when a new mother stays at home for one month to allow her body to rest after giving birth. In China, there are many resources for this practice, but for many Chinese Americans, the ancient traditions can feel very limiting and tensions can arise between mothers, daughters, and in-laws due to overzealous enforcement of customs. From not bathing for a month, to eating only hot food, and not going outside, it can put a lot of pressure on modern moms trying to navigate their postpartum period on their own terms.
On the podcast is Lucy Wang, a Chinese American mom to three to share how she charted her own postpartum recovery, adopting some of the rituals that she found helpful and letting other ones go. Lucy specifically discusses:
- what sitting the month looks like in China and in the United States for many, including the basic tenets of rest and warmth and why they are important
- luxury postpartum recovery hotels
- the expectations from her mother and mother-in-law
- how she incorporated aspects of sitting the month into her postpartum period, including the specific foods she ate
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