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Yaodan Wang from Wellington was shocked to receive a tub of ice cream after giving birth to her second child.

“When I gave birth to my second child, the hospital provided cold water and a small box of ice cream,” Wang said. “I certainly didn’t eat it. My husband did, so nothing went to waste.”

Such experiences are common for new Chinese mothers giving birth in New Zealand who are unfamiliar with Western practices, which are very different from their old isolation approach to recovery.

Postpartum is a tradition that many Chinese mothers follow for a month to help recover from childbirth.

The tradition – called “zuo yue zi” in Mandarin, or “sitting the moon” – requires new mothers to refrain from strenuous activities such as housework, heavy lifting and, in many cases, leaving the house for a month after birth.

They are also expected to avoid certain foods during this time, especially “cold” or “damp” items that are believed to upset the body’s balance and prevent healing.

Some Chinese new mothers in New Zealand struggle to follow the prescribed set of lifestyle and dietary guidelines according to tradition while navigating the country’s Western-style healthcare system.

Yaodan Wang, a mother of three from Wellington, followed a strict diet to help her recovery after giving birth.
Photo: given

Postpartum diets

Postpartum meals or “yue zi cai” are considered to be an important part of a new mother’s recovery, with ingredients selected for their nourishing and “warming” properties to help heal and restore nutrients lost due to childbirth.

However, it can be difficult for Chinese mothers to access such dishes while recovering in a New Zealand hospital after giving birth.

Wang followed strict rules when selecting foods to aid recovery after the birth of her three children.

“I didn’t eat spicy or salty food during the entire isolation period after my eldest daughter was born,” Wang said. “I also avoided ‘cold’ and raw foods when I had my second daughter because the weather was cooler. Even now, after my youngest son (two months old) was born, I heat up any fruit before eat it”.

Wang struggled to find “warm” items served with meals during each of her short hospital stays.

“The milk served was cold. The hospital had a microwave, so I asked my husband to warm it up before I drank it,” she said.

“It would be ideal if the food provided by hospitals could be more in line with Chinese eating habits, providing slightly flavored and warm meals for mothers after childbirth.”

Asian and Ethnic Health Services offers mental health and wellness workshops for the Asian community.
Photo: given

Lu Yan from Auckland experienced similar struggles with postpartum meals.

Yan’s eldest son was born in China, which gave him access to food that was fresh, lightly spiced, low in salt and oil, and served hot.

However, she encountered a completely different postpartum environment after giving birth to her second child in New Zealand in January.

“The food offered by New Zealand hospitals is everyday foods such as bread, oats, mashed potatoes and pasta – anything that tastes good, including cold and salty options,” Yan said.

“I tried eating hospital meals for a day, but I returned them in the days that followed because I didn’t want them to go to waste,” she said.

“My mother took over the preparation of postpartum meals for me (in the following days), while my friends also brought appropriate food to the hospital.”

In addition to the lack of traditional Chinese postpartum meals in the hospital, Yan also struggled to find a skilled nanny in New Zealand.

A postpartum nanny, or “yue sao,” usually cares for a new mother and baby for the first month after birth in China.

“I found a postpartum nanny right before I gave birth to my oldest son in China,” she said.

“The nanny accompanied me to the hospital, returned home with me, prepared various postpartum meals throughout the hospitalization and helped take care of the baby.”

Yan struggled to find an affordable and experienced postpartum nanny after her daughter was born and asked her mother to fly to New Zealand to help.

Yan said several commercial agencies offering specialist maternal and child health meals to new mothers were operating in New Zealand, but charged high fees for their services.

“I contacted one of the most affordable services (for a quote), but they charged around $140 a day to prepare postpartum meals,” she said. “Postpartum care in New Zealand is much more expensive than in China”.

Finding a balance

Grace Ryu, group manager of Asian and Ethnic Health Services, said postpartum traditions existed in several Asian cultures, including “sanhujori” in the Korean Peninsula and “jaappa” in India.

Grace Ryu, Group Manager of Asian and Ethnic Health Services
Photo: given

However, she was concerned that language barriers and cultural differences often prevent Asian women from sharing personal or sensitive issues.

“They may be uncomfortable or unable to communicate in English,” she said. “Even for mothers who can speak English fluently, there are still concerns that their cultural preferences or practices may not be understood.”

Traditional Chinese medical beliefs were one example, she said.

“There is the concept of ‘qi xue’ (‘vital energy and blood’) which refers to two essential components in traditional Chinese medicine,” she said.

“These components are weakened after birth, making the mother vulnerable to disease. As such, traditional postpartum practices are highly valued by many Asian women to provide a holistic approach to restoring balance to the mother’s body after childbirth.

“Because of the loss of hot qi, many (new mothers) avoid cold foods to restore balance and bring hot qi back into the body with warm meals.”

Vartika Sharma, senior lecturer and researcher at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, said her team led a research project that explored pregnancy care among ethnic women, including those from Asia, the Middle East, America Latin and Africa. backgrounds.

The research found that women across ethnic groups share several common postpartum practices.

For example, Indian women commonly observed a period of isolation of nearly 40 days after childbirth to recover and heal from the process.

Vartika Sharma, Senior Lecturer and Researcher in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Auckland
Photo: given

Sharma said many women not only followed traditional diets but also took extra precautions to avoid infections, such as staying indoors and limiting visitors.

For women who followed traditional seclusion practices, she said, one of the biggest challenges was finding a balance between such customs and whatever was available in their new environment.

“You’re trying to do something that’s such an anomaly in the New Zealand system,” Sharma said. “For example, if you’re expected to go to a medical appointment, but your tradition says you really can’t leave the house.

“These women have to navigate what the health care system tells them to do, but there’s a contrary advice you get from your own family and your own culture.

“It’s about constantly navigating between two different systems and trying to balance between the Western health system and traditional practices.”

Sharma said misunderstandings about postpartum traditions sometimes led to stereotypes about women.

“In the interviews we did, one participant talked about how women are treated like a princess in a very pejorative way,” she said.

“That can make women quite uncomfortable because (it makes them feel like) they’re doing something they wouldn’t find other women doing.”

Sharma said New Zealand’s health system should strengthen “cultural safety” for ethnic women who followed traditional practices of seclusion after giving birth.

“We often talk about something called cultural safety, which is basically understanding your patient’s expectations,” she said.

“It’s about whether the services you provide include their worldviews and their expectations of the health care system.

“How do you make sure you don’t reject everything that’s non-Western and create a space where women feel comfortable about who they are and (open to) having those conversations.”

Sharma said that maternal care services should extend beyond language support, stressing the importance of creating an inclusive environment.

“A personalized childcare service should go beyond just the language side of it.” she said.

“If I walk into a room and I’m being looked after by a midwife, I know I’m going to be listened to and I can make choices – that I’m not going to be dismissed for who I am.”

Ryu agreed, noting that Asian and Ethnic Health Services have worked closely with families and cultural connections to provide holistic care that meets the unique needs of mothers within ethnic communities.

“By ensuring there is clear communication between health professionals and patients around cultural practices, we can avoid misunderstandings and impact on care,” she said.