Confinement after childbirth / 坐月子

Confinement is more Chinese traditional thing…Unlike most Americans, we usually stay at home for a month after childbirth. Eddie’s parents have a Chinese background but he is like a banana, yellow outside but white inside. He doesn’t know much about Chinese confinement. So I have to tell him about our traditions. For example, I can’t wash my hair for a month, can’t go out for a month, some things like that.

Some of my friends asked me how I’m going to take care of myself after childbirth especially using Chinese herbal meals.. Actually I already have a plan for it. I know there are many Chinese confinement meal companies around the US. Most of them are delivered as frozen meals. They are very convenient but just not sure if I will like them. I don’t really like to eat the same meals over and over. In addition, they might come with giblets or organs. I don’t like to eat those foods. I decided not to order the meals from the US, and instead I ordered plain herbal soups from Taiwan. Those soups all have recipes. I translated those recipes for Eddie. By the time I deliver, he will prepare fresh ingredients and cook with those soups. He knows what food I like. So I’m sure the ingredients won’t make me sick. This is even better.

坐月子是比較東方人的傳統，不像美國人，我們通常生產後都會待在家中一個月，Eddie的爸媽雖然有中國人的背景，但是他真的就像是香蕉人，外黃內白，所以他不知道中國人坐月子的事情，我必須要跟他說一些我們的傳統，像是一個月不能洗頭，一個月不能外出之類的。

有些朋友問我要怎麼做月子，要怎麼煮月子餐，其實我已經有所計畫，我知道美國有一些月子餐外送服務，這些大部分都是冷凍的，除非是在地的，他們很方便但是我就不確定我是不是會喜歡這些月子餐，一直重複吃同樣的料理很厭倦，再加上很多都有內臟的料理，我沒有很喜歡那些食材，所以才決定不在美國訂餐，我在台灣訂了月子湯，他們有附上食譜，我把食譜翻譯給Eddie，所以當我生了之後，他就可以準備新鮮的食材加入這些湯水中，他知道我喜歡吃甚麼，所以我確定月子湯裡面不會有甚麼奇怪的食物讓我覺得噁心，這樣對我來說還比較好一點。