Except for the sibling jealousy, I am coping rather well. I think one of the main reasons is – I do not follow the traditional chinese confinement rules..
Haha..after 2 years of brainwashing, my parents are letting me have my own way. I took a bath and washed my hair the first day after returning home. And I have been getting my daily shower and hairwash since then. Getting a daily bath really helps to keep one spirits up. When I had Bryan, I held my patience till day 5 without bath, and hair wash till day 12! *Pengsan* Luckily, i get to have my way this time around.
I had hoped that my milk would come in abundance very soon after delivery, as some told me that the 2nd time around, it is easier. It was not. My milk did not really come until day 4, but I am happy to say that it is sufficient for me to direct bf Dylan. I have not supplemented with fm / water since bringing him home. I took him to the PD this morning and he has regain his birth weight – a good sign that he is having enough milk.
Not sure if this is due to the papaya soup that mom has made for me the first few days when i got home. Mom refused to cook papaya soup for me last time saying that it is too cold and windy. I spent a long time convincing her to cook for me, and if she would not, i will cook myself. I also drank fenugreek tea in the beginning hoping that the flow would be good.
And oh yes… I drank plenty of water. This is again another No-No for chinese confinement rules…but heck I don’t follow them. I figured that I drank almost 2 ltr of plain water daily at the hospital per day after I delivered Dylan. This is excluding the Milo, milk and soup that I drank.
I also helped at doing housework as I have no maid. Simple chores like doing the laundry, vacuuming, and mopping too! Of course, the mopping part, I did when my parents are not around. By the time they knew about it, haha too late! Already done!
Honestly, I think the chinese confinement rules are quite ridiculous. They may be applicable in rural cold China in the old days but are just not practical in our humid and hot country. How can one survive without bathing and drinking plain water for 1 month in this country? Yeah, i know plenty of chinese mothers who made it, but me, i can’t. Salute to those who did.
I went to my Ob/gynae for a checkup this morning. Guess what he asked me,
Ob/gynae: Have you taken your shower?
Me: Yes, Everyday.
Ob/gynae: Good. You should keep yourself clean. That is very important. In fact, you can do anything that a regular woman can do.. go shopping, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Actually you can eat more things now than when you were pregnant. There are very few dietary restrictions for a bfg woman.
And when I took Dylan to the PD, my parents asked the dr if I can do all those things that i want to do…And the PD replied, “Auntie, I was living overseas when i delivered my babies. So I shopped, washed, cooked and took care of my babies myself. You can do anything after you have delivered the baby.”
See…even the expert say I can do whatever I like 
p/s: To those who are thinking that I will know the “results” when I get old, I just want to say that when I get old, I am bound to get sick. And I think it has nothing to do with what I do during the 1 month confinement. Lots of people stick by the confinement rules and still get sick and suffer from pain and aches. So I am going to enjoy my confinement months, and not worry about the future.
LOL! We really kam-ching la..i took a shower and washed my hair too. The only thing I didn’t do was drink plain water. My parents always have the red-date water and american ginseng water for me. So, i’ve been taking those regularly as my h2o.
Haha…well done. Just take good care of yourself.
if i am ever blessed with # 2, i am not following the rules as well.
I think as long as you are comfortable, that’s the most important thing!
Eat fish everyday, milk will sure to come. Actually I like the red dates and kek chi water. My CL made plenty for me to drink, 3L every day! Nite time got double boiled soup. Must bo a bit also.
I never followed the rules for the first one too. I never can.
I also washed my hair and bath during my confinement. How to tahan. I really cant. A quick wash really made us feel much refreshed and cheery. But like Vien, one thing I riligiously follow is never drink plain water, that’s because I don’t like plain water on normal days too.
Hey, so the papaya soup works hor? They also say sotong soup is equivalently efffective to BM production. Not sure how credible.
i bathe everyday, wash my hair every 3 days and drink lotsa water and sleep in aircond room in the afternoon. after my 3rd child, i hv started to feel the “result”. my hand and feet easily lenguh and feel pain during cold days and i cant stand cold anymore!
i told my mom about your case, her eyes became so big. May be i should bring her to see Dr eric & dr hwang this round.
I too had the most ridiculous confinement rules from my in-laws. Thankfully my husband helped me cover up my shower treats from the in-laws. I sure drank plenty of water tho despite what they say. How is it possible to stay hydrated when I am breastfeeding full time rite? Do whatever you are comfortable with, not what others say or think what you should do. =)
brave! I also believe just follow what’s comfortable for yourself… not those old chinese traditional rules. My MIL support me on this!