the postnatal days

Yesterday, i sneaked out for a while.
Which, if you dunno, is taboo during Chinese confinement.
It felt great though, the whole sneaky-sneaky part of it.
I went for a blow-dry at Terence's fren's salon.
Then for a quick coffee before gog for the important meeting.
No, i wasn't sneaking out to go shopping or anything.

Then we brought baby to the clinic at Paragon.
Almost like a whole day out! Splendid.
I feel (almost) sane.

I wanna talk about this confinement thing.
Surprising myself, i have total respect for this strange month-long ritual.
It is indeed tough not being allowed to shower + wash ur hair for 30 days.
Apparently, this introduces 'wind' into your system, and you will be cursed with migraines + ailments for the rest of your life.
Well, it may not be as bad as what the old folks say, but i do think there's a grain of truth in there somewhere.
I don't keep to it as strictly... but 'customise' it to the best of my discipline.
Now, i bathe+ shampoo about every 5 days.
But in the first week, i endured the grease for 7 days!

I indeed feel better.
It's strange.
My body gets cold v fast after birth, and taking a shower worsens it.
I went to vivocity on Sunday and was shivering in an ultra-packed mall.
Besides, my super-modern mum did not do confinement in her day and till today, she is battling a futile war against her headaches + migraines.
Getting rid of the mysterious 'wind' supposedly repairs ur inner intestinal system too.

Another part of the revered confinement is eating loads of ginger.
I think i've had enuf for this lifetime.
My nanny even prepares a half-cup of pure ginger 'juice' for me to down with the rice.
I appreciate the effort...but it can be pretty hard to stomach 12 days in a row.
And counting...

What else? Ah, cold stuff are forbidden.
So, no iced water, no soft drinks, no desserts, not even chilled milk!
But I respect this tradition and to an extent, believe in its healing ways.
It's an interesting month, to say the least.
But don't worry, I'm not some well-greased machine hibernating at home.
I still have a complete wipe-down every morning, so am still squeaky-clean!

Another big lifesaver is the Indonesian jamu massage + wrap.
I engaged this Malay lady who's gotta be one of the best in her line.
She gives this traditional treatment a modern twist, giving me lots of info abt my body ailments, aches & postnatal damage.
What is unseen is worst, i realise.

I dunno why women are punished for giving birth.
You almost sacrifice your entire body.
Like, do you know your ab muscles 'split', such that there is a huge gap just below your ribs?
It takes weeks for the gap to close, but deliberate and constant massage helps.
And even when it closes, it can take you months to earn back those muscles.
Not to fighting-fit shape, just to its original strength.

Your uterus also needs help shrinking back, as it expands 1,000 (!!!) times during the pregnancy.
Of cos, there's no escaping the ugly cellulite.
Although to the experts, cellulite is a small worry as it's only superficial and unsightly, causing relatively little damage overall.
But it sure is hideous!
In bad cases, some women can develop " bulging pockets" of cellulite on the outside of their hips and thighs.
The Malay auntie told me this is common, especially if weight gain is too fast and the women already have 'hard fats' to begin with.

Listening to her anecdotes abt all her clients' problems is super addictive.
And there are her stories of how her richer clients go for liposuction after birth, and end up with pockets of fats in weird spots.
Like this Indonesian tai-tai who removed the fats from her upper back.
She certainly went down a few dress sizes, but now lives with fat armpits!
Who'd have thought???

As the Malay auntie puts it so well - there is simply no short cut.
You can be the richest, vainest pot out there, but u still gotta diet + exercise like the rest of 'em.
She even says her massage is but a complementary treatment at best, not the cure-all in the battle of the bulge.

And then there's the milk-pumping.
I am May-Milk-Machine-Kek for this month.
Or call me Cow for short.
At least that's how i feel every four hours or at least 6 times a day.
Pumping milk for the lil' rascal...
I don't want to introduce formula milk yet, as breast milk is best for baby.
Telling myself everyday not to sabotage his potential IQ cos of my laziness and inconvenience.
So yes, i will keep pumping away, for another 1-2 weeks at least.

So, in a blog entry, that's kinda my lifestyle for now.
Sticking to confinement regulations, jamu massage, intensive milk-pumping and baby-cradling for now.
Not the most enviable lifestyle out there, but it's like a whole new world for me.
Wish me more luck.