Postpartum Rituals In Chinese Culture

There are millions of people that populate our country and within these people there are several cultures. All of these cultures have their own set of values and beliefs when it comes to medial treatment. As nurses it is our duty to understand the specific beliefs of a culture and to respect their culture when giving them care. This paper discusses the specific customs of Chinese culture in regards to pregnancy with specific information on prenatal, labor and delivery, and postpartum rituals. Many of the beliefs Chinese people have are based off Yin and Yang. In this belief “Yin is negative, dark, and feminine and Yang is positive, bright, and masculine. Their interaction is thought to maintain the harmony of the universe and to influence everything within it (Collins English Dictionary, 2012)”. If yin and yang is off balance illness can occur and it needs to be rebalanced in order to get better. Therefore it is very important for mothers to keep this balanced to have a healthy pregnancy. Pregnancy is viewed as an expected outcome in marriage. However, since China is very populated there is a policy, “One Child Only” in which families can have only one child. “ This law often only applied to urban families, while some rural families could get away with having more than one child
“(Maine, 2011) , and ideally male children were preferred because they pass on the family name. Many of the medical decisions are made by the husband. This is important for a nurse to know as the woman may be submissive when they are asked questions about their delivery wishes. In Chinese culture every step of pregnancy is important because if the mother does something she is not suppose to such as eat a wrong food; then the child could come out with problems or the mother can become ill. They are very strict on the mothers diet during and after pregnancy because it could lead to complications for the mother and baby. Prenatal care for the mother starts with her refraining from heavy lifting and no sexual intercourse, they believe that this could lead to a miscarriage. During pregnancy the mother should not “put sharp objects on the bed (such as knives or scissors) because this can result in the baby being born with a cleft lip or palate”(Geni, 2008). The mothers are also not suppose to touch anything adhesive because this can lead to the baby being born with birthmarks. One very important action a mother should not do is to criticize people because her baby will look and act like that person. Dietary restrictions during pregnancy are very strict. In early pregnancy the mother should not eat pineapple because this could lead to a miscarriage. Eating shellfish “could cause a rash on the baby” (Geni, 2008). Pregnancy is a seen as a “hot” (yang) condition; since it is hot the mother should eat cold foods. This is very important because the mother needs to be balanced in order to have a healthy pregnancy. During labor the mother can have her mother present if the baby is her first child, if she has had other children she should be alone.
The father is not part of the birth, however he is the first to give the baby a bath. When the mother is actually delivering the baby “she should remain quiet because crying out attracts evil spirits to the baby” (Geni, 2008). Before the umbilical cord is cut the infant should have a necklace placed around its neck, this is a symbol of the baby life going from the umbilical cord to the necklace. Unlike the traditional american labor, Chinese woman give birth by squatting because laying on her back does not allow the infant enough energy to come
out. After the baby is born the mother must participate in ‘the sitting month’. During the month following birth the mother stays at home with her baby and does not do any housework. Along with no housework the mother should also not take showers, wash her hair, brush her teeth and must wear warm clothes. She needs to wear warm clothes because postpartum is yin (cold) and in order to balance this she needs to stay warm and eat hot foods. Their diet is mostly soups and hot tea. Postpartum is ‘cold’ due to the amount of blood loss during birth. The sitting month is believed to help the mother regain her energy and rebalance yin and yang. In Chinese culture, breastfeeding is acceptable however the mother needs to discard the colostrum because it is considered dirty to them. It is essential that nurses understand the special beliefs in cultures in order to provide optimal care to their patient. In regard to Chinese culture, nurses need to understand the important of yin and yang especially when it comes to food choices. Offering them food that is cold during postpartum will lead to the mother not eating. Also, the nurse should educate them on the importance of colostrum however needs to respect their choice to discard it. One important aspect nurses need to understand is that Chinese woman are submissive and will not make eye contact. Nurses need to be considerate of this and be sure to include the father as he is the one who makes the choices for the woman and baby.