Sitting the Whole Month?

     For many traditional Chinese mothers, the time after giving birth is not just about taking care of the new baby. It has been an old custom for mothers to “sit the month.” In Chinese, “sit month” is known as “坐月子”. This is also called postpartum confinement as new mothers feel as if they are trapped in their own home. This tradition includes the abstinence of leaving the home, showers, cleaning the house, drinking cold water, using a fan, and so much more. There are also many other key parts that mothers do to help restore and protect their bodies, such as wrapping themselves up in blankets and wearing wool socks to prevent getting chills. In addition to that, there is also a strict diet they have to follow if they want to make sure that their bodies are healthy again. In one extreme case, one woman died from overheating in July of this year. This really puzzled me as to why these new mothers would follow the rules of this tradition so rigidly. Isn’t childbirth supposedly one of the happiest times of a mother’s life? Why would they willingly put themselves through all that?

     Turns out, “sitting the month” has tons of benefits for new mothers. Not only is this time for them to rest peacefully at home with their newborn child, it is also advantageous to the body. As the mother’s immune system is weakened post-delivery. For instance, the practice of being bundled in warm blankets is to prevent joint problems or illness in the future.

     But, it also means taking a break from the outside world and getting to stay at home peacefully, in pajamas! Or, in some cases, in super luxurious confinement centers. The rich can pay to stay at these centers where there are nurses and doctors available to tend to their every need, anytime of the day.

     Since this practice originated from over 2,000 years ago during the Qin-period, the rules and restrictions have been modified over the years to better suit the people of the present. Nowadays, some mothers only follow certain rules if they believe in the tradition.

Sources

There are 16 comments

  1. Sabrina Pan

    Wow, this article explains a lot about “坐月子”. Now I know why my mom had to sit for a whole month!

  2. Stephen Liang

    Your article was very informing. I did not even know this tradition existed. This tradition will probably stick around for a long time.

  3. Caroline Strauss

    This is a very interesting article! I didn’t know this tradition existed. I never realized sitting a whole month could be so helpful.

  4. Nikki Woldar

    Wow! This article was extremely interesting. I have never heard of this custom before, but I think it is extremely interesting. I am very impressed that this custom has stuck around for over 2,000 years! Maybe, once the United States learns about this they will adopt this custom.

  5. Celeste Traub

    This article is so interesting! I always enjoy learning about new aspects of the Chinese culture. I never new about “坐月子”, but now I can understand why it is an important part of Chinese culture.

  6. Gordon W

    This is a cool tradition/custom. I never knew about this.This tradition seems very helpful because it allows the mother to rest.

  7. Alynah Ratansi

    Oh my gosh!! I loved reading this article as I learned about the new tradition, “sit month” also known as “坐月子”. It is amazing to see that this tradition has been around for a long time and people are still going on with it. The commitment people have for this is inspiring and hopefully more people will be able to get involved with this.

  8. Rona Cao

    I’ve definitely heard of this because it is very popular in China. I never knew that it’s been around for 2,000 years! Wow!

  9. Ashley Kwak

    Wow! I did not know that this tradition existed for around 2,000 years! It was very interesting to read about such postpartum tradition within the Chinese culture. I knew that this “sit in” period was strictly regulated, but I didn’t know that it does tons of benefits for the new mothers.

  10. Chelsea Bai

    母亲永远是最用伟大的,十月怀胎,生完宝宝之后还要好好调养自己的身子,通关这篇文章我学带了不少之前不了解的事情,我非常喜欢这篇文章!

  11. Cali Liu

    在中国,对于刚分娩过的妈妈,坐月子是一件非常重要的事情。产妇在生完宝宝之后是需要一段时间来进行修养。没有想到坐月子已经有2000多年的历史了!

  12. Emily Kweit

    This article provided good insight on a tradition that not many people know about. I certainly wouldn’t have learned about it if I hadn’t read this article!

  13. Ashley Silverstein

    I never knew “sit month” was such a thing. This is so fascinating! I can’t believe they don’t clean the house or even shower! I am very impressed with this custom.

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