Can I sleep on a bamboo mat during confinement?

Because the body of a postpartum woman is particularly weak and the baby is too small, it is not recommended to use a bamboo mat. If you really can't stand the heat and must use it, choose a soft one. Do not use a very hard and cold bamboo mat to avoid postpartum diseases. If the weather is too hot, you can also choose to turn on the air conditioner, as long as the temperature is not too low.

How to eat during confinement?

1. Drink appropriate amount of brown sugar water to supplement iron and act as a diuretic. Brown sugar is high in iron, and contains a variety of trace elements and minerals, which can promote the discharge of lochia and prevent urinary incontinence. However, drinking too much can cause new mothers to sweat more and lose salt from their bodies. Therefore, it should not be consumed for too long, and should not exceed 10 days at most.

2. Gradually transition from liquid food to normal diet. After delivery, it takes some time for the digestive system to recover, so you can choose some foods that are easier to digest in the first few days after delivery. You can transition from porridge and noodles to rice porridge, and then to rice and pasta.

3. Eat small meals frequently and don’t overeat. Because new mothers spend most of their time lying in bed during the confinement period, they should not eat too much at each meal and can eat when they are hungry.

4. It is best to eat mainly natural foods and not take too many nutritional supplements. At present, there are many health foods on the market. Some people believe that the process of pregnancy and childbirth can cause great damage to women's vitality, and they should take more health products to replenish their body. This idea is wrong. During the confinement period, you should mainly eat natural green food and try to eat less or no artificial supplements. You can also choose to consume some mother's milk powder, multivitamins or calcium tablets designed specifically for pregnant women, because mothers in confinement, especially those who are breastfeeding, need to supplement more calcium, iron, vitamins and minerals.

5. Drink more warm boiled water and avoid cold drinks. Beverages and alcoholic drinks are not suitable for new mothers during the confinement period. They should drink more warm boiled water to replenish the water lost in the body during excessive sweating. Never drink ice water or consume large amounts of cold drinks just because the weather is hot or you are afraid of sweating.

6. Avoid spicy foods and foods that may cause bloating. Constipation is a common problem after childbirth, so you should have a rich diet and eat more vegetables and fruits rich in plant fiber.

7. The diet should not be too light. New mothers need to drink a lot of water due to sweating and secreting milk after giving birth, which will lead to the loss of salt in the body. Therefore, you can add less salt to your meals, but you must not eliminate it at all.

8. Don’t control your food intake in order to regain your figure. For mothers in confinement, especially those who are breastfeeding, sufficient calorie intake should be ensured. Breastfeeding mothers should consume 700 calories more per day than normal women, so dieting should never be used to lose weight during this period.

9. Ensure the intake of calcium and iron supplements. Because new mothers will lose a lot of calcium and iron during pregnancy and delivery, they should ensure that they get enough calcium and iron from food every day. The daily calcium intake should be no less than 1.1 grams and iron should be 20 milligrams. Foods rich in calcium include bone soup, kelp, milk, sesame, etc. Foods rich in iron include fungus, animal offal, etc.

10. Avoid eating too much meat and fish within two weeks after delivery. Before your gastrointestinal function recovers, you can cook fish and meat into soup and then eat meat after two weeks. Even soups that are too greasy should be consumed with caution.

11. If you are worried about the fruits getting cold, you can squeeze them into juice and drink them. Do not eat raw or cold food. Vegetables can be blanched or fried, and fruits can be squeezed into juice and the cup of juice placed in hot water for 5-10 minutes before drinking. Or you can boil the fruit into fruit tea and drink it.

What kind of home environment is most suitable for confinement?

1. The indoor temperature should not be too high and ventilation should be carried out frequently. Be sure to avoid closing doors and windows, open windows frequently for ventilation, and keep the indoor air fresh. In order to prevent the new mother from catching a cold when ventilating the room, you can avoid using convection. When ventilating the room, let the new mother stay in another room, or open the windows of each room when she goes out to bask in the sun.

2. When the humidity in the air is too high, you can use the dehumidification function of the air conditioner. The most suitable indoor humidity is around 55%.

3. When the weather is hot, you can use air conditioning, fans or hand fans. The indoor temperature should be kept at around 25℃, which is suitable for the new mother to feel comfortable. If necessary, you can turn on the air conditioner or use a fan, but be sure to avoid blowing it directly on the new mother. The air conditioner filter must be rinsed regularly to prevent bacterial growth.

4. Brushing your teeth, washing your hair and taking a bath are all important. It is best to take a shower. Some harmful old customs must be abandoned, such as not brushing teeth, washing hair, etc., which have no scientific basis at all. You should shower every day to keep your skin pores open and perspiration normal. Pay attention to the cleanliness of the vulva when showering, but never douche or take a tub bath, otherwise it is easy to cause infection. After showering, be sure to dry your body to avoid catching a cold. Special attention should be paid to protecting teeth during the confinement period, because the mother's body loses a lot of calcium during pregnancy and delivery. Therefore, rinse your mouth after meals and brush your teeth before going to bed.

5. After washing your hair, do not use a hair dryer. Not even hot air. The best way is to let it air dry.

6. If you feel weak, you can also take a sponge bath. If you feel you cannot take a shower, don't force yourself. You can ask your family to help you with warm water baths in the morning and evening, and then wash your hair and feet.

7. No visitors are allowed. It takes a certain amount of time for a new mother to adapt to her new life after giving birth. Therefore, it is best to decline visits from relatives and friends during the confinement period. This can also prevent crowds from polluting the indoor air or bringing in bacteria and viruses, threatening the health of the mother and child. You can receive blessings from friends via phone or Internet. Don’t forget to send photos of your baby to your friends or post them online so that everyone can share your happiness!

8. Get enough sleep. During the confinement period, you should ensure 8-10 hours of sleep every day. Even if you cannot sleep well at night because your baby is feeding or crying, you should take the time to rest during the day when your baby is sleeping.

9. If you feel too hot to sleep, you can use a straw mat. Straw mats are cool but also very gentle, and should never be used as mahjong mats.

10. Avoid intimate behavior during the confinement period. Intimate behavior between husband and wife should wait until the wife's body has fully recovered. Resuming sexual life too early can easily lead to postpartum infection or even adverse consequences such as chronic pelvic inflammatory disease because the wound in the uterus has not yet healed.

How to exercise during confinement?

1. Get out of bed and move around as soon as possible after delivery, but avoid overexerting yourself. You can walk around and do some simple exercises on the second day after delivery. These activities can speed up your body's recovery.

2. You can take a walk, but be sure to avoid lifting heavy objects. Behaviors that increase abdominal pressure, such as lifting heavy objects and coughing, should be avoided as they may lead to uterine prolapse.

3. When the weather is good, you can go out to bask in the sun. Half an hour is enough. On a sunny, warm and windless afternoon, new mothers can go outdoors to sunbathe. At this time, they can choose short-sleeved shirts and long pants, exposing some skin appropriately, which helps to receive ultraviolet rays, produce vitamin D in the body, and promote calcium absorption. You can also wear a sun hat to prevent sunburn and block the wind. Before going out, you should take good sun protection measures, do not stand outside for too long, and go back to bed to rest after a proper walk.