This topic came up while my wife was carrying our baby a few months back. In our Malay culture, “berpantang”, or widely knowns as postpartum confinement, is an important traditional practice that have been passed down for generations. As this is our first child, I wasn’t sure what to expect. So like any dutiful husband, I did some digging for more information on why women have to go through “berpantang”.
If you love your wife, then you should let your wife undergo postpartum confinement. ALL the mothers have done it and it’ll be good for her!
This is the common response I’ve gotten from most mothers I’ve met. While saying that ALL mothers practice this would be an exaggeration, postpartum confinement is still widely regarded an important part of our culture – perhaps just as much as our infamous wedding culture!
After being urged by my mother, aunts and even mom-friends, I see it now as some kind of a healthy investment for my dear wife. Immediately after she was discharged from the hospital (after she has given birth to our beautiful daughter) we decide to partake in “pantang 44 hari” – a 44 days confinement period in accordance to our traditions.
Here I’ll share as much as I can regarding our family’s experience with “berpantang” in the hopes that new parents can benefit from it!
Postpartum Confinement in a Nutshell
Postpartum confinement, or what Malays call as Pantang, is the traditional practice of self healing for women after giving birth. This usually revolves around refraining from consuming certain foods, limiting one’s physical activities, and plenty others. Other latent purposes of berpantang are to restore normal function of the reproductive organs, speeding up wound healing of damaged tissues, and to keep the mother energized in order to properly fulfil her maternal duties.
During the confinement period (which usually lasts 40-44 days), the mothers should refrain from over-working themselves with house chores, lifting heavy objects, or subject themselves to long periods of standing and sitting. The goal is to get enough rest while also following confinement practices such as:
1. Tungku (warm compress)
A gentle post-shower massaging technique of the women’s abdomen with an iron club or using a heated sphere-shaped river stone, wrapped in cloth. The purpose is to improve blood circulation, improve breastmilk flow and gives a calming sensation.
2. Tangas (steaming)
While having the woman sitting on a wooden chair with an opening in the middle, a bucket of steaming herbal water is placed underneath it. This is to lift up and shrink the uterus back to its original position. It’s one of many ways (see here for more methods) that helps in vaginal recovery
3. Mengurut badan (body massage)
Normally performed after tungku, a masseuse will perform a full-body massage with oils mixed with herbs while ensuring care around the abdomen area. Most go through this treatment at least three time s week.
4. Barut (body wrap)
A barut is a 4 meter long cloth that is tightly wound around the waist area (starting from beneath the breasts and ends at the thighs). This is done after mengurut badan and some herbal paste have been applied throughout the wrapping area. It’s believed that this will help shrink the uterus and keeps the womb in place. Others suggests that this will help mothers to keep their slim figures and remove the dreaded postpartum belly.
5. Air akar kayu (tonic drinks)
These are tonic drinks made from medicinal plants and herbs that gives health benefits. Drinks like Kacip Fatimah and Tongkat Ali are the most popular ones that is said to give mothers more energy.
6. Food and drink restrictions
Here’s a handy list of food and drinks that can or can’t be eaten during the confinement period
You should consume
- Rice and protein like fish or grilled meat (with a side of warm soup)
- Herbal medicine such as Jamu or Makjun containing medicinal plants, herbs and spices
- Ginger-infused soups
- Almond, soy or date milk (for increased milk production)
You should NOT consume
- Any fried foods
- “Cold” foods (such as cucumber, calabash, winter melon)
- Iced drinks
- Pineapple (due to its acidity)
- Any caffeinated drinks
Traditions in the Modern World
Though the pantang practices are meant to be traditions, we can see that these have already been practiced globally. This involves those that are culturally different from ours!
For instance, the Thais have their own version of a tungku which is a type of herbal compress, tightly bound in fabric, steamed and pressed all over the body. The tangas equates to that of saunas found at spa treatment centers. While the barut itself is slowly being replaced with the more convenient corset.
Even in different forms and culture, the health benefits of the practices can be applied to anyone – in or out of postpartum confinement.
Tales of the Husband During Confinement
I was clueless at first. All I know is that this is an important tradition in our family and I need to make sure that we do it right! Initially, I thought that it’s going to be a simple routine, but I can assure that it’s not. The most important role I played as the husband would be the support system for my wife as she goes through the 44 days of confinement at home.
Some of the key things I’ve picked up on are:
- Helping out with chores – giving your wife plenty of rest should be your no.1 priority. Make sure that she performs minimal movement, especially for mothers that went for a caesarean.
- Do duty shifts – what I meant here is scheduled time with your wife in taking care of your child. For example, I always volunteer myself to take care of our daughter in the middle of the night until morning. This is to give some time for my wife to rest properly and vice versa for the morning routine.
- Be a good listener – anybody would love to have a good listener by their side. Listening does not mean you need to be like a sponge to be able to absorb everything, what I meant here was to actually hear and respond to your wife. This is to help with their mental health, by being by their side it would greatly improve her mood and emotion.
I am sure there are many more things that we can do to support our wives but I find that these 3 to be the main factors that contributes to a healthy confinement experience. It can be stressful with all the additional routines so it’s important that the family works together, be understanding and learn more about this pantang culture!
Additionally, we would love to hear more about others’ experience in postpartum confinement. It can be the bad, the good and the ugly stories so we all could learn from one another 😁. Do drop a comment!