Pantang/Confinement

Malay used to have a strict confinement rituals that needs to be observed by new mother, whether full term or miscarriage. I did not observe this ritual during my first baby, but I'm trying to for the second baby. We are lucky as the modernization has made all the difficult to find herbs and what not packed in neat package, easy to use and apply.

If the west favor eating healthy and exercise during confinement, Malay have a strict list of what you can eat and what you can't. For examples, you can't eat most local fruits as they are 'cold', vegetables that are 'cold' such as cucumber, pumpkin, kangkung, eggplant, and most of the vegetables. There are also certain fish and seafood not to be taken, as they are 'sharp' and could make new mothers bleed.

The list also include deep fry, oily food. Steam, boiled and dry fry is more appropriate for new mothers.

The list that you could eat will be imported fruits such as apples, oranges and grapes. Vegetables including potatoes, spinach, and most ulam-ulaman. Most chicken, meat, eggs and deep sea fish are acceptable.

There are also days of confinement, such as 44 days, 100 days, 6 months and a year. The strictest will be 44 days where you could not eat 'cold', 'sharp', 'itchy', 'windy' and oily food. No hardcore exercise, no stepping out of the house especially raining.

100 days of confinement is where you have no sex, no cold shower, no air cond, no rain, no straining and lifting heavy stuff. The 6 months is where you have to watch your food intake especially if nursing, and heavy hardcore exercise. The three things you need to stay away from for a year are ice, laksa and glutinous rice.

So these are some of the rituals during confinement that we observe. We also took supplements such as herbs, drink herbal tea, wear corset and massage during the 3rd-5th day, a week after that and during 44 days.

I have no idea if I could observe all of this, but I'll try my best to lose weight, be healthy and strong, inside and outside.