Sitting the Month, Mommy Thumb, and Massages

So I thought it might be good to give a quick update on what I've been up to these past 12 weeks!

In one of my earlier posts, I hinted at "confinement," which is a concept in traditional Chinese medicine whereby a woman generally does not leave the house for a month post-partum.  The phrase in Chinese literally translates to "sitting the month," which is a hint at what women are expected to do: nothing.  The idea, essentially, is that there is a lot of "cold" which can enter your body right after you've just given birth, when your bones and muscles are still "open" and susceptible to chill.

For those who adhere to the rules stringently, you're not supposed to exercise, exert yourself or really do anything except lie in bed and rest.  To make it even more excruciating, you're not even supposed to exert your eyes, meaning look at phones, computers or TVs.  There are also rules about not showering or washing your hair for the entire period, although I think this is going a bit far and is likely based on customs from the old days before there was central heating, hair dryers or, you know, insulation.

In retrospect, I found this to be really hard.  It was difficult enough to deal with a newborn, the complete loss of personal time , and the shocking changes to my body - these additional restrictions put on my diet and autonomy really did not help.  I did everything necessary to maintain my personal hygiene and continued to read and use my phone a lot, but once we got home from the hospital, I stayed in my apartment through the end of the year, except to go out for the one doctor's appointment.  I didn't eat anything that wasn't prepared by my confinement nanny, and  I had no cold beverages or foods.  The purchase and consumption of ginger (a key ingredient in promoting "heat") in my household skyrocketed. 

Michael thought all of this was bogus.  I am not sure how I feel about it all, though overall I believe it more than I don't believe it, if that makes sense.  I do, however, think that the psychological impact of not leaving the house for days on end is huge and is more of a negative than positive, especially if you live in a 900 square foot apartment...

Here are some of the foods that I ate/have been eating during my recovery.  Some of it looks really weird and probably downright scary, but I think my confinement nanny is a good cook and everything was pretty tasty.  My palate has become accustomed to considerably lighter dishes as  I have generally avoided fatty, sweet, acidic, and spicy foods.

 

 

 This is abalone, raw and fresh and still moving.

 This is how it looks after it has been cleaned and steamed.

This is sea cucumber stuffed with ground pork, which I realize does not look appetizing, however, sea cucumber is one of those items that tick a Chinese confinement's "must eat" list.  Just in case you were wondering, a sea cucumber has nothing to do with a cucumber - it is a marine animal with a leathery skin that lives on the bottom of the ocean floor.   Delicious, right?  Hah!  Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners are of the belief that this is a very nourishing food.  Michael was horrified when he saw these on our dining room table (they look a bit like dried fat slugs) but they taste fine.  The texture is probably the hardest thing to handle, because it's both slippery and chewy.

Otherwise, the diet consists of a lot of soups, fish, green vegetables and protein in the form of chicken and lean stir-fried pork.  Almost all of the ingredients serve a purpose - whether it boosts milk supply, reduces "heat," or eliminates "chill."  The soups are chock full of ingredients that are meant to bolster my health.

The portions are also considerably larger than I'm used to, but, unlike in pregnancy where I never really tried to eat for two, now, while breastfeeding, I really do feel like I am eating for more!  My hunger and thirst reach pretty insatiable levels sometimes, particularly in the middle of the night.  I have read and heard from others that breastfeeding helps them shed weight fast, but I have not found that to be the case for me.  Whatever fat I'm losing through milk production is likely being gained through my huge new appetite!

I started getting shooting pains in my left arm and wrist about a month and a half ago.  It turns out the official name is de Quervain's but the symptom is commonly known as "Mommy's thumb" because it presents so frequently and consistently in new moms.  I wasn't cautious enough in the beginning with my posture in picking up Lola and during feedings, and ended up putting a ton of pressure on the inside of my wrist.  Now apparently the sheaths in my wrist are inflamed and irritated.  This has been a huge cramp in my lifestyle - I can't put weight on it so I can't do yoga and even spinning is uncomfortable.  And the most random, simple tasks, such as putting on a shirt or tying my hair, hurts.  And of course it hurts most when I try to pick up Lola.  Unfortunately, I also can't really let the affected area rest and heal, because that would basically require that I not use my thumb.  Do you know how hard it is not to use your thumb on a daily basis??  Normally my answer to anything like the above would be massage - but it turns out that in this particular case massage is one of the worst things you can do, because it will only inflame the wrist even more.   The imperfect solution has been athletic tape and a thumb and wrist splint.

Wrist aside, I continue to indulge my love for massage.  About a month ago, I purchased a folding massage table on Taobao and since then I have tried to have a masseuse come to my apartment once a week or once every two weeks.  This is an amazing service that is feasible in Hong Kong because massages are, while not quite at the rock bottom prices found in Thailand, still more manageable than those in the US.  What a luxury, and why didn't I do this sooner?

The masseuse helps me work out the knots in my neck, shoulders, upper back, lower back, legs, arms, feet... I guess I have knots every where!  The only place she avoids is my left wrist.  And she is very thorough and does an amazing job.  She reads my body so well that she always locates where I hurt or where I am tired without my needing to say anything - often, she surprises me by hitting a "spot" that I didn't even realize was sore.  I would be lying if I said that the massage was relaxing or comfortable - it is deep tissue massage after all!  But afterward, I feel so relaxed, like a limp noodle (if a noodle could sleep for a very long time).

This is the folding massage table that I got - very professional looking, it is light, comes in a carrying case and fits under the bed.  Best of all, it shipped here in 3 days!

 

In sum, I am so immensely grateful for all of the resources and help that I've had these past months, and on the eve of Lola's third month milestone, I am now able to look back on that first month and shake my head in wonder at how we did it, sleepless nights, reflux, and all.  She gets cuter and cuter every day, and we have now found a routine that works.  While not everything is running like clockwork, at least we feel a little more settled as a family of three!