A Wigwam for a Goose's Bridle

As a very western Caucasian growing up in Australia, I had never heard of a confinement month until I was pregnant with my first child. I was at work (as a GP) one day, and a patient who was also a white woman married to a Chinese Indonesian man asked me, “So, has your mother-in-law planned your confinement yet?”  You can probably imagine my response – a combination of “what on earth are you talking about?” and “I’m a grown woman, I plan my own things” especially when they relate to my body, my health, and now my children.  Thankfully, no one expected me to last a month without washing! 

I do wish I’d had access to this book when I was pregnant.  It would have helped me understand better some of the suggestions from my in-laws, and given me help finding that middle ground of respecting elders and their traditions whilst still acknowledging my own autonomy.  Kristal does an excellent job of explaining traditional confinement practices in terms of social and cultural norms, and traditional Chinese medicine understandings. Then she takes this one step further and measures these up against modern lifestyle and modern Western medicine. The result is an easy read which ultimately gives the reader enough information to be able to pick and choose confinement practices that would suit them.   I love how Kristal makes it clear that it doesn’t have to be an all or nothing dichotomy – there really is scope to plan a confinement that truly suits your own circumstances.  It would seem that the ultimate goal of even the most traditional confinement month is supporting the mother and ensuring her and her baby’s health.  With her own cultural experience and her medical knowledge, Kristal is able to distil down this goal in each aspect of the confinement, which is where she really gives you the power to decide what would be best for you.  I can see this being of benefit to new Asian mothers around the globe, and to women like myself, partnered into the culture.  

As a General Practitioner with a special interest in perinatal care, I look forward to recommending this book to new mothers who are considering options for their confinement month.