Really old and wild ginger from Bentong, Pahang. The ginger is really, really hot.

I have no patience of cutting things nicely and thinly so I usually just whack them with my cleaver. Who has time to bother about the small stuffs when there are kids to take care off, baby to breastfeed and a thousand and one things to do, right?

Two eggs, a thumb size ginger and some sesame oil is all it takes to make a great dish.

So, moms, take note of this. And yeah, if it is my own newborn babies, I will stay away from every kind of Chinese medicines. I do not care if they are heaven-sent or million year old magic pill. To me, nothing goes into my babies’ mouth unless it is approved by the doctors. All a newborn needs is their mother’s milk.

Yet, I cringed at how ignorants new mothers are and allow their confinement nannies and mother-in-laws and other relatives to feed all sort of stuffs for their newborn like pearl powder, all those black pills and powder etc.

While I am at it, moms, do stay away from Chinese medicines and Chinese wines too. Some of these can cause severe bleeding and some women have gone into shock because of the sudden bleeding.

Please pass this message around to other mothers. If you have an official warning from Eu Yan Sang, please send to me so that I can pass the information to others. Thank you.

It just occured to me.  I think only the Chinese make a big deal out of a new born baby’s full moon or a month old celebration.

First, the baby will be given a shave or at least to cut off some of the hair.  This is to remove the bad luck.  Heh, the old folks said that the womb is a dirty thing so after being in the womb for the past nine months, the baby is to remove some of the bad luck.  Don’t gape, this is just old Chinese folklore.

Then, the mother is finally allowed to bath.  Urggh….of course, no one sane will stay ‘un-bath’ for one complete month.

And when both mother and child are adorned in new clothes, or at least the baby is in new clothes, they will offer to their ancestors (Taoist practice) some of these:

Followed by distributing packets of them to colleagues, friends and relatives.

So, I wonder how do other races celebrate this full moon or do they even celebrate it like the Chinese do?

de Quervain’s Tendinitis – sounds like some exotic tender steak! LOL. Well, it is not. A few of the breastfeeding mothers had experienced this sore tendon/locked wrist whereby they are not able to use their palm due to severe pain.

There is an active discussion thread going on at the forum where several moms shared their experiences and dilemma.

From Angie :
1) Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
moos can refer to the link below for more info :
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/carpal_tunnel/carpal_tunnel.htm
According to the physiotherapist, this syndrome occurs in pregnant
or post delivery cos during late pregnancy, we can easily get water
retention esp. at the wrist area, so when the tendon there is aggravated (e.g. like carrying a babyfor a long time) , that part will get painful.

From eBee

I saw and orthopedic and he diagnosed me with de Quervain’s Tendinitis, which is basically the inflamation of the tendons.

Just my 2 cents worth…
_________________
May Li – Proud mother of breastfed Ryan (3/05)

The below are some FAQs I found on the net. I hope sharing these information will help other post-natal moms who suffer the pain in their tendons. Remember, seek your doctor’s advice if it bothers you too much.

What is it?

DeQuervain’s tendinitis is a painful problem which results from irritation of tendons on the side of the wrist which move the thumb sideways away from the palm. It can result in wrist and forearm pain on the side of the thumb, particularly with certain positions and movements of the wrist.

Read the rest here.

The things we have to go through……

New mums should stay indoors, eat purple porridge and avoid drinking iced water. Or should they? Scratch below the surface in modern China and you will find that old superstitions remain very much in force, as Louisa Lim has found out since having a baby.

The funny practice in protecting the little baby…………

my Chinese husband always called him the “stinky little pig”.

And my father-in-law would stare tenderly at the baby, but mutter things like “dog fart”.

Perplexed, I asked some Chinese friends what was going on.

“They’re trying to fool the evil spirits,” I was told. “They don’t want the evil spirits to kidnap Feng Yue, so they are pretending he’s just a stinky little pig or a dog fart.”

Continue reading how she dealt with her confinement nanny….

Moms-to-be : Be prepared for the infamous confinement practices. Enjoy it, grit your teeth, whatever.

Turmeric is a popular herb for postnatal care to stimulate milk flow and production of red blood cells, dissolving blood clots, easing pain in the abdomen and to treat irregular menstruation.

Interesting isn’t it? I too had my share of yummy delicious foods prepared with lots of tumeric during my confinement. Most Asians new mothers have strict rules related to post-natal care. This period of confinement can last between 30 days after birth to much longer, depending on the races/countries.

Over at MyMomsBest’s website, we have a special page on recipes for confinement. One of them is a recipe given by Christina for kunyit chicken. Go over to MyMomsBest for it’s recipe.

However, please note that the intake of roots vegetables/herbs/Chinese herbs like gingers, tumerics may contain more minerals than normal vegetables. Therefore, do not over eat them because these may cause jaundice and breastmilk jaundice to your babies. I had seen many new mothers tucking in tiffin full of ginger fried in oil. This is certainly not right! It not only cause constipation, it may also cause breastmilk jaundice.

For information on jaundice in newborns, please refer to the article written by Dr. Cheang Hon Kit, neonatalogist/paediatrician of Hospital Lam Wah Ee.