Chinese Pregnancy
Chinese Pregnancy
Traditionally in China, when once people got married, they would
immediately get ready for having a baby. That is why symbolic
things such as dolls or lotus seeds would be put on the beds of
the newly weds on their wedding day so as to bring in the
meaning of having a baby as soon as possible.
When once a married woman becomes pregnant, things for the baby
will start to be prepared. Prams, cot, baby clothes, etc will be
readily prepared to welcome the arrival of the new born.
>From now on, the health of the mother is of utmost importance.
Therefore, the mother should reduce her workload, eat healthily,
and employ prenatal education. Prenatal education has come into
being for over 2000 years in China. It was believed that a good
pregnant mother should eat only meat which was cut only in
square cubes, sit only on properly built chairs, walk
unswingingly, talk softly, etc. By doing so, the foetus would be
able to learn the most valued virtues. Although in present days
the above mentioned practice is no longer common, pregnant women
in China still behave very carefully so as not to do anything
which affects the foetus. Still now most people believe that the
structure of the house or flat should not be changed while a
woman in the house is pregnant since it will cause the foetus no
good but harm.
The first month after giving birth The first month after giving
birth is very important for a mother. She needs the most rest
and the best nutrition. Otherwise, her body will not be able to
recover and can easily get ill. In this month, she can't go
outdoors, can't be exposed to wind, can't wash with cold water,
can't drink cold water, can't read books etc. However, if a
mother really has to wash herself, she should do so by using
water boiled with dried ginger skin. In some places in China, a
mother must not wash her hair because otherwise she will get a
chronic headache.
Compared to the west, western women can leave home after a week
of giving birth and can go to work after two weeks. It is
unimaginable in China.
In China, after giving birth, a woman should eat plenty of fish
soup and pig knuckle soup. The pig knuckle soup is boiled for a
long time with ingredients such as a lot ginger, eggs, pig
knuckles in plenty of sweet black vinegar. It is believed that
this soup can compensate for the loss of calcium and other
nutrients needed by the body. It is a tradition to give out and
share such soup to friends and relatives but one can only do so
twelve days after the baby is born. Chicken is also ideal for
meals after giving birth. In order to help a mother to recover
from giving birth, it is recommended that she should eat rice
cooked with ginger daily since it can enhance all bodily
circulation. Apart from the above, it is also a tradition that
after the baby has been born for one lunar month, eggs dyed red
should be given to friends and relatives. However, anything
salty should be avoided since it will hinder the production of
breast milk of a mother.
It is only after the baby has weaned then the mother can start
considering controlling her body weight.
Some practices may seem quite unimaginable. However, they are
still practiced in most places in China. Even in Hong Kong,
women would follow the above traditions as long as family
expectations are involved.