”Should a woman sit for the month or not?” My answer to this is: “You have to sit for the month, but you have to do it scientifically!”
In many places, there are various traditions of the menstrual cycle: you can’t go out, you can’t go down, you can’t open the windows, you can’t blow the wind, you can’t see the sun, you can’t get wet, you can’t brush your teeth, you can’t take a bath, you can’t wash your hair, you can’t use a hair dryer, you can’t eat vegetables, you can’t eat fruits, you can’t hold the baby, you can’t bathe the baby, you can’t watch TV, you can’t use a computer or a cell phone, you can’t read a book, you can’t do needlework …… can not this can not that, many taboos.
In contrast, there is also a concept that there is no need to sit in the moon at all, and that sitting in the moon is just a Chinese vice. This view advocates that after childbirth, like normal people, do what you should do.
In front of these two diametrically opposed ideas, most Chinese mothers are confused. These mothers’ mothers, the elderly, are often faithful defenders of traditional menstruation, urging new mothers to adhere to tradition. But so many taboos make many mothers-to-be and new mothers shudder: no bathing or washing hair for a whole month, how can you stand this? And this can not eat that can not eat, really scientific? Let’s count the customs of the traditional menstruation.
1. Can I eat salt during the month? Eat vegetables? Eat fruit?
One of the bad habits of traditional menstruation is not allowed to eat salt in the month. In fact, you can eat salt after childbirth, but should be lighter, too much salt intake is likely to increase the burden on the kidneys, but if you do not eat salt will lead to an imbalance of the body’s water and electricity medium.
There is another bad habit is not allowed to eat vegetables. In fact, you can also eat vegetables after giving birth, and you need to eat more. Vegetables contain a lot of dietary fiber, eat early after giving birth to eat more is conducive to keep the intestinal tract open, to promote early defecation after giving birth, which is essential for postpartum recovery, but also to avoid aggravation of hemorrhoids after giving birth.
The third bad habit is not allowed to eat fruit. In fact, you need to eat more fruit during the month. But need to pay attention to, choose fruit should not pick too hard, bad chewing, should choose easy to eat, easy to absorb, easy to digest, should choose more seasonal fruit. When eating fruit try to cut into small pieces, put room temperature before eating, do not eat cold. After the birth of the body to quickly discharge excess body fluids, will evaporate a lot of sweat, eat too cold at once easily lead to capillary constriction, is not conducive to sweat evaporation. The custom in some places is to cook the fruit to eat, in fact, it is not right, because the heating process will destroy a lot of nutrients in the fruit.
The fourth bad habit is not allowed to drink plain water, only let drink rice soup or rice wine. After the birth of the mother will be a lot of sweating, so sitting on the moon need to take in a lot of water to maintain the balance of water in and out, drinking more water can also promote lactation, because the need for more water after childbirth. Drinking water and rice soup and rice wine is to replenish water, but the practice of replacing plain water with rice soup is not advisable because rice soup contains sugar and is okay for three meals, but it is easy to hurt your teeth if you drink it all day and night.
Chinese mothers sitting in the United States, eating salt, vegetables, fruit, but also drink ice water, recovery is very good, the mother and baby are healthy. The same Chinese people, in foreign countries should eat and drink, it is fine, but in the country must be afraid of this and that, it is not a matter of physique but concept.
2, sitting in the month in the end should be on fire or fire?
My mother in Zhejiang said that the custom in the old country is to eat on fire, desperately drink brown sugar water ginger tea, on fire until the lips blistered to be hot enough. Shanxi mother-in-law, however, said that in their hometown, they simply do not allow brown sugar and ginger, and absolutely can not eat hot food, you have to eat cold to fire. When I first heard their arguments, I thought it was funny that different places have different and perhaps even diametrically opposed customs for sitting on the moon. However, after careful consideration, you will find that these customs are actually related to the region, the south is hot and humid, it is recommended to eat “hot” things to help eliminate dampness and maintain electrolyte balance; the north is dry, if the damp, it is too dry, easy to dry eyes and dry mouth, electrolyte disorders.
3.What to avoid during the month?
There are some places where beef and mutton are taboo, some places where green vegetables are taboo, and there are also taboos for plain water ……. The taboos are different from place to place. I had the idea to summarize the foods that are absolutely taboo during the month, so there would be nothing left to eat? If there are really foods that need to be “avoided” during the month, they are mainly those that are too “punchy” in taste, such as pungent, spicy, bitter …… breastfeeding mothers should try to choose foods that taste bland and non-irritating, to avoid stimulating the maternal digestive tract as well as avoiding food that affects the The food should not only stimulate the mother’s digestive tract, but also avoid foods that affect the taste of breast milk or cause allergies in the baby. Foods that clearly cause allergies in nursing mothers, such as seafood or nuts, should be avoided. Foods that may cause decreased lactation, such as leeks and burnt malt, should be avoided. A small amount of alcohol can stimulate lactation, but excessive alcohol consumption that leads to high blood alcohol levels entering the breast milk is not good. Coffee should also be consumed sparingly or not at all. Some medications can also enter breast milk through the blood-milk barrier, and some are even harmful to the baby, so mothers should inform their doctors that they are breastfeeding and choose medications that are safe for breastfeeding. Tobacco, drugs …… inside the harmful ingredients can enter the breast milk to affect the health of the child, these are clearly contraindicated.
4. Can I take a shower during the month? Brush your teeth?
In ancient times, hygiene conditions were limited, which is why the old rule that you can’t take a bath during the menstrual period was passed down. In fact, in the case of vaginal birth, after the recovery of physical strength, you can generally take a bath; if the side incision was carried out during normal delivery, you can generally wash 3 to 5 days after delivery; if it is a caesarean section, generally 7 to 10 days after delivery, the wound healed, you can also take a bath and wash your hair. But you need to pay attention to keep warm when bathing and washing your hair. Family members should preheat the bathroom in advance, only take a shower and not a tub bath, dry, dress, blow dry hair and avoid catching a cold after washing.
There is also a saying in some places that “you can’t brush your teeth during the month”. In fact, not only can you brush your teeth during the month, but you need to brush your teeth and pay more attention to oral hygiene than usual. Postpartum resistance is reduced, more likely to oral infection, plus the number of meals in the month, if you do not brush your teeth, food residues for a long time, easily lead to gingivitis, periodontitis, dental caries and other oral diseases. However, it should be noted that the mother should use a soft-bristled or super soft-bristled toothbrush, soften the toothbrush with hot water in advance, and rinse the mouth with mouthwash or saline after each meal.
5.Can I use a hair dryer in the month? Can you ventilate?
Many people criticize the hair dryer, saying that the month can not be used, and others promote to pregnant women and small babies can not be used. In fact, the use of hair dryer during pregnancy and postpartum to dry hair and body to avoid colds, is good.
-The tradition in some places is: the moon can not see the wind, can not open the door and windows, exaggerated also with red cloth wrapped head, thick bedding covered tightly to avoid the “postpartum wind”. In fact, “postpartum wind” mostly refers to the past delivery can not be fully disinfected when the tetanus infection, now very rare. If the room is not ventilated for a long time, it will lead to poor air and higher concentration of bacteria, and the resistance of the mother and baby will be lowered, making it easier to get sick. The maternity and baby’s room should be regularly ventilated. Fresh and circulating air is not only soothing, but also guarantees that the room will not have an excessive reservoir of pathogenic bacteria. The correct approach is to ventilate the room 2 to 3 times a day for 15 to 30 minutes each time. If the month is in the cold winter, ventilation when the mother and baby need to change the room to avoid direct blowing cold wind.
6.Can I get out of bed during the menstruation period?
In some places, it is customary to eat and drink in bed during the menstruation period, and not to get out of bed for a whole month. In fact, this is very unscientific and even very dangerous! It is true that women need to rest more in bed after giving birth than normal people, but they should never stay in bed! Postpartum women are in a hypercoagulable state, very easy to occur in the lower extremities of deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, every year there are a lot of mothers occurrence of such a situation. Therefore, the mother needs to move properly during the month, often walking on the floor and doing more physical activities in bed, which can not only prevent lower limb deep vein thrombosis, but also promote the gastrointestinal tract peristalsis, promote exhaust and defecation, promote the discharge of malodex and facilitate postpartum recovery. Proper exercise on the floor can also exercise the pelvic muscles, strengthen the pelvic ligaments and reduce the occurrence of uterine prolapse. So how much activity is considered appropriate? That’s up to your body. When you feel like walking on the floor, walk more, when you feel like lying in bed to rest, lie more.
7. Can I use my eyes during the menstrual period?
It is customary in some places that you should never read, watch TV, do needlework, let alone use the computer to play with your cell phone …… This custom cannot be said to be all right or all wrong. After the pregnancy and childbirth, the mother’s postpartum body is weak, all organs are in a vulnerable stage, need more rest, eyes are also the same. Less to use the eyes, more to sleep, to increase the secretion of milk, strengthen resistance are good. But there is no need to go to extremes and ban it completely, otherwise there will be no recreational activities and it will easily cause maternal psychological disorders, such as postpartum depression. Reading books, newspapers, TV, playing with computers and cell phones is actually possible, but you need to pay attention to the scientific use of eyes: the posture should be correct, should not lie in bed reading books and playing with cell phones; time should be appropriate, each time the time should not exceed half an hour, and not too often; watching TV should pay attention to keep the distance; every once in a while you should get up and walk, look far away.
8.Can I visit during the month?
The traditional rule is that relatives and friends are not allowed to visit the mother and baby during the month, which is basically correct. After the great physical exertion of childbirth, the mother’s resistance decreases and she needs more rest to recover her physical strength and adjust to the new living habits; the baby has not yet received enough breast milk and antibodies, and its resistance is also poor. Too many visitors can easily catch colds and other diseases, and affect the rest of the mother and baby. But the room of the mother and baby is not an absolute no-go area. The actual fact is that you can get into the room of the mother and the baby, and you can also hold the baby. Of course, here is a prerequisite, is to make sure that the visitor does not have a cold, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.
9. Is menopausal joint pain really the root of the disease from menstruation?
”If you don’t take care of your menstruation, you may get sick in the future!” “If you don’t pay attention to it now, you may get joint pains and headaches in the future when you are old ……!” In fact, joint pains and headaches in old age are a manifestation of menopause, not related to menstruation, but caused by the lack of estrogen in the body during menopause. The actual menopausal discomfort can also be treated by hormones.
10. Should I sit for menstruation or not?
Some people may ask: you criticize this and that, so do you sit for the month?
My answer is: sit! And to sit for 42 days. But not in the traditional way, but in the “scientific way” – taking the essence of both Chinese and Western style menstruation and discarding the dregs.
I have been criticizing the “bad menstruation habits”, but I am not criticizing the “menstruation” itself. It should not be a month in the traditional sense, but 6 weeks (42 days) after birth, because women usually need about 42 days to recover after having a baby. Sitting for the month is not a dead rule, but a concept that is about physical and mental health – the time to eat, the time to sleep, the time to wash, the time to move, pay attention to hygiene, pay attention to nutrition, pay attention to rest, pay attention to exercise, ensure physical health, but also pay attention to mental health. Don’t put yourself in a dead box!
11, what is the “science” to sit in the month?
The term “menstruation” is just a common concept, its medical term is called “puerperium”. Perhaps it is more appropriate to replace the term “scientific menstruation” with “precautions for the puerperium”. The concept of puerperium is found in both Chinese and foreign obstetrical works or textbooks, such as the American bible of obstetrics, Williams Obstetrics, and the domestic textbook authority, Obstetrics and Gynecology, both of which stipulate that the puerperium is the period from the delivery of the placenta to the return of all organs of the mother’s body (except the breast) to their pre-pregnancy state (including form and function), and this period is generally defined as 6 weeks (42 days). However, if the mother has special circumstances during pregnancy and delivery, such as serious complications during pregnancy or major resuscitation during delivery, the puerperium needs to be extended according to the situation.