Hi all,
Today, I’m going to introduce Korean postpartum care and share
my plan to work out after child birth.
Korean postpartum care is very unique and special. If you
google, you will even see an article published in The Wall Street Journal
titled “Next Korean Wave: Post Pregnancy Care Centers?” When you finish reading
this posting and linked resources, you may understand why I was so afraid of
child birth in the U.S. at first. I
found an article in English written by Korean OB. The following is an extract
from the article.
“In western countries, women take a shower
immediately after childbirth. They have a regular diet, start walking around,
and go out in the cold weather. On the other hand, Korean women are advised not
to take a shower for a week or more. They are not allowed to put their hands in
cold water. For the first three weeks after childbirth, getting out of the
house is strictly forbidden unless you dare to sneak out and not get caught by
your own mother. Last but not least, seaweed soup will show up on the table of
every meal for months.”
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| Seaweed soup that I will eat everyday after child birth for about 2-3 months. |
Each practice has their own grounds. You can see detailed reasons here:
I also found a very interesting
posting written by a Korean-American who experienced Korean postpartum care. Most
friends of mine use this sort of facilities after giving birth for 2-3 weeks and
highly praise the service saying “It’s like a heaven!” It provides just
everything for moms and babies in a perfect way. I think this system exists
only in Korea. (In China today? I have no idea.) Now that I haven’t experienced
it yet at firsthand and won’t be able to experience it in the U.S., you will
learn better about what it looks like from her voice. It’s a little bit long,
but I believe it will be very interesting to you guys.
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| A room for a new mom in a postpartum care facility |
It’s tragic that I can’t use the service.
So, I desperately need to make an effort to recover well myself. Exercise would
be the best way.
According to my research, Yoga, Pilates
and stretching/strengthening exercise are ideal for new moms. In order to lose
weight, aerobic exercise such as brisk walking is helpful. Swimming is also
good, but I can’t swim, sadly, and it isn’t allowed until a week after my lochia
has stopped as there’s a small risk of infection from the water.
For the first few weeks, 30 minutes of exercise
with moderate intensity (This means that I'll get warmer and will breathe
harder, but I'll still be able to carry on a conversation.) five times a
week is recommended. High-intensity aerobics can be harmful to my joints.
There are tons of exercise examples
for new moms, but I’m thinking of trying the following 7 videos the baby center
offers. Each session lasts about 5minutes, it will take me about 30 minutes to
do whole things.
1.
Strengthening
core and pelvic floor
2.
Toning
legs, bums and tums
3.
Reducing back aches and strains
4. Tightening those
abdominals
5.
Stretching out the spine
6.
Trimming and toning the waist
7. Improving posture and
balance
Lastly, I want to share an
interesting exercise "using" your baby. I think I can do this 5-6months
later after child birth. But it looks so fun, so I’d like to introduce it to
you.
I loved learning about the different postpartum practices in Korean culture. Reading the article was very interesting to hear the history behind each of the practices. I'm curious, will you do a 100 day celebration for your baby?
ReplyDeleteWow! this is so amazing to learn. If I ever have a baby I am going to try this after labor. My family has similar beliefs too about not going outside. I want to try the seaweed soup.
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ReplyDeleteThese exercises are awesome! One of my close friends is due in March- it's her first baby as well- I will definitely be forwarding the links to her. She is very much into exercising and I think she will enjoy these.
ReplyDeleteI know in Korea that people drink seaweed soup on their birthday, but I don't know a new mom needs to have seaweed soup everyday after delivery. It is very healthy. In China, women cannot take shower or go outside within 30 days after delivery >_<It maybe a hard time lol.
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