We have just welcomed a new addition to the family - a baby girl. Not mine by the way, just to clear any curiosities.
This beautiful baby girl is a shared new responsibility of my brother and his wife. Very cute, very adorable yet very far away from where we could go and visit her. We've only seen her on Day 1 but I could foresee that she will be her aunty's great little helper in the kitchen one day!
This beautiful baby girl is a shared new responsibility of my brother and his wife. Very cute, very adorable yet very far away from where we could go and visit her. We've only seen her on Day 1 but I could foresee that she will be her aunty's great little helper in the kitchen one day!
The reason why we are not able to see much of her is because her mother (my sister in law) is currently staying at her parents', practicing the traditional Malay customs after giving birth called, 'Pantang'. This word literally means prohibition or taboo.
The period of berpantang ( the verb of pantang) is usually 44 days. Due to my own ignorance and unfamiliarity, I would have guessed that this tradition is becoming less practiced among the more modern Malay community. It could be just because in our busy and hectic life, a lot of us cannot be bothered to incorporate all the things that we are not-supposed/supposed to do according to the custom, because it is more convenient for us. Part of it (and possibly largely) could also be because there is not really any medical reason to do it as we doctors normally say - everything goes!
If properly done, this custom is meant to aide in returning the mother's weight and shape to her pre-pregnancy physique. We saw a sales attendant about 6 months ago, pregnant and judging from how she looked at the time was probably in her third trimester. About 2 weeks ago, we saw her again and she was looking trimmer than a teenage girl. We asked her what was her secret and she said that she abide by all the rules of Pantang. I am no expert but this was intriguing.
One could dive deeper into the anthropological origin of such customs, reasons they were made a custom etc but for a lot of lay people, the important thing to know are the main practices in this custom which are:
This information was gathered from self observation and the following website:
http://www.babycenter.com.my/pregnancy/asian-postnatal-practices/malay-confinement/
The period of berpantang ( the verb of pantang) is usually 44 days. Due to my own ignorance and unfamiliarity, I would have guessed that this tradition is becoming less practiced among the more modern Malay community. It could be just because in our busy and hectic life, a lot of us cannot be bothered to incorporate all the things that we are not-supposed/supposed to do according to the custom, because it is more convenient for us. Part of it (and possibly largely) could also be because there is not really any medical reason to do it as we doctors normally say - everything goes!
If properly done, this custom is meant to aide in returning the mother's weight and shape to her pre-pregnancy physique. We saw a sales attendant about 6 months ago, pregnant and judging from how she looked at the time was probably in her third trimester. About 2 weeks ago, we saw her again and she was looking trimmer than a teenage girl. We asked her what was her secret and she said that she abide by all the rules of Pantang. I am no expert but this was intriguing.
One could dive deeper into the anthropological origin of such customs, reasons they were made a custom etc but for a lot of lay people, the important thing to know are the main practices in this custom which are:
- Wearing a corset - day and night from Day 1. Obviously a long time ago the corsets were a lot more hassle to use but nowadays there are lot of modern and easier to use corsets available within everybody's range of budget. The principle is, it needs to cover from below the breasts to near the groin. I would be apprehensive about wearing this early if you had a caesarean section
- Massage - whole body massage, especially tummy and breast area. Apparently it will improve blood circulation, aides in uterine recovery and improves milk production for breastfeeding
- Traditional herbs - also called 'jamu', important in reviving your energy and flushing away toxins in the body. There are also food that should be taken more, such as turmeric as it helps in repairing wounds and food that should be avoided are those which are 'cold' (not referring to the temperature of the food, but the type of food according to tradition) and greasy.
This information was gathered from self observation and the following website:
http://www.babycenter.com.my/pregnancy/asian-postnatal-practices/malay-confinement/