Common Confinement PracticesFebruary 20, 2018

Last week, I spoke about the hows and whys of confinement practices. By now, we all know that in most parts of India, new mothers have a confinement practice. The aim is to help mothers recoup and rejuvenate her body. As a banker’s wife, here are some common practices I’ve seen and heard in different parts of India.

Daily Routine:

1. Bathe only in warm water that has been boiled with neem leaves. Probably because it’s a natural antiseptic & lukewarm water can soothe tired, aching muscles. In Kerala, an assortment of leaves is used. They are boiled and left in the water to be reheated just before the bath.
2. If are in a colder place new moms are asked to be be covered up. Cover your head with a scarf, keep the windows closed, wear socks and remain in bed as long as possible. In warmer places, this may not be applicable, but is a good practice anyway. Staying in your room in the house helps you avoid infections.
3. Avoid air-conditioners and fans. Here too, the goal is to keep the mother warm and heal up quickly. The mother getting a cold or cough will not just affect the mother, but may make the new born sick as well.
4. Science has already proved that reading, watching TV and more recently mobile phones are all activities that strain the eyes. Good thing, because you get to catch up on much needed sleep as well.
5. New moms need all the rest – emotional, physical and psychological. As if the baby blues are not enough, shouting, crying, or engaging in conversation for too long, may lead to Post Natal Depression which is even difficult to handle.
6. No bending over at the waist. In other words, no cooking or doing housework of any kind.
7. Dietary routine:
8. During confinement, you will be put on a special diet. The aim of this diet is to boost your immunity and strength. The general rules are: 
9. Eat warm foods and avoid the ones that are considered "cool", such as cucumber, cabbage and pineapple. It is believed that such "cooling" foods can cause rheumatism and arthritis later in life.
10. Eat gourds such as Bottle gourd (लौकी/ചുരയ്ക്ക) & (करेला/പാവയ്ക്ക) which are believed to increase the milk supply.
11. In some places, ghee is included, for regaining strength.
12. Avoid green and red chillies. Black pepper in your meals.
13. Stay away from "windy" foods such as onions and jackfruit as they are traditionally believed to cause colic in your baby.

Post-partum diet In South India

• Certain food items that are avoided during post-partum. They are pickles, chilies, spices, oily food, sour curd, and fruits like grapes. Toor dal causes gas problems so is usually avoided.
• Food is prepared by using ginger, garlic, cumin seeds, mustard, caraway seeds (काला जीरा/ശീമജീരകം), turmeric, fenugreek and freshly prepared curd which is not sour.
• Fenugreek leaves, gourds both bitter and bottle, drumsticks are all used in south India for preparing food for the new mother.
• Turmeric is mixed with lukewarm water or milk and is given to new mom daily once as it will increase the healing of internal wounds.
• In South Indian states other than Kerala beetle leaves are given to the mother after food as it is believed to be good for speeding up digestion.
• Dry ginger powder with jaggery or dry ginger powder in lukewarm water is given to new mom.
• Steamed food items like idly and idiappam are preferred for breakfast. Usually, it is served with a spoon of homemade ghee and if needed a little sugar.

Massages

As mentioned in my earlier blog, massages are a routine part of Confinement. Massages are meant to relax the body and relieve the body of the toxins and build up of swelling. Both mother and baby receive massages during confinement. The mother and the baby are massaged daily with oils (ghee in north India, mustard oil in the east and gingelly oil/ coconut oil in the south). The mother's abdomen and binds it with a long cloth. It helps the abdominal muscles and the spine and is said to avoid future back aches. Massages help the baby too. Gentle, slow massages help the baby’s bones and overall development. Initially, the baby may cry during a massage, but he gradually settles down and learns to enjoy it. In North India, atta (dough) is rubbed over the baby's forehead and body to remove excessive hair.

• Body massage: Gingelly oil/slightly heated coconut oil is widely used in South India for the body massage during confinement period. Head, hip, and stomach are applied.
• Bath: Water for the bath is boiled with turmeric pieces, tamarind leaves, and neem leaves. Shikakai/Hibiscus leaves powder is used to wash the hair. Turmeric powder is applied to the whole body. After bath, sambrani smoke (benzoin resin, dried, powdered or in blocks) is made and hair has to be shown over it. This is to prevent the mother from catching a cold.
• Belly binding: Belly binding is done for the first thirty days with a tightly wrapped large piece of clean cloth. This is done to compress the abdominal region.

I'll be back next week telling you how to make the most of your Confinement period. Trust me, It's worth the wait.