I tried the Chinese practice of ‘sitting the month’ after childbirth

来源：

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/i-tried-the-chinese-practice-of-sitting-the-month-after-childbirth/2017/01/06/54517ee0-ad0b-11e6-a31b-4b6397e625d0_story.html

When my aunt learned I was pregnant/'prɛɡnənt/ with my fourth child, she begged/bɛɡ/ me to respect the Chinese tradition of zuo yue zi, or “sitting the month.” Traced back to as early as the year 960, zuo yue zi is a set of diet and lifestyle restrictions /rɪ'strɪkʃən/ practiced after birth to restore a woman’s “broken body.”

Traditionally/trə'diʃənəli/, your mother enforces zuo yue zi. But my mother died when I turned 21, and I was raised by a father who championed/'tʃæmpɪən/ all things Chinese but ridiculed/'rɪdɪ'kjʊl/ the zuo yue zi restrictions he’d heard about: Do not wash your hair. Do not take showers. Do not brush your teeth. Do not carry your newborn baby, climb stairs, shed/ʃɛd/ tears, drink or eat cold foods. Do not have sex, use the air conditioner /kən'dɪʃənɚ/, leave the house, read, watch TV or surf the Internet.

championed/'tʃæmpɪən/

* n. 冠军；拥护者；战士

* vt. 支持；拥护

* adj. 优胜的；第一流的

* n. (Champion)人名；(英)钱皮恩；(法)尚皮翁

* ridiculed/'rɪdɪ'kjʊl/

* vt. 嘲笑；嘲弄；愚弄

* n. 嘲笑；笑柄；愚弄

shed/ʃɛd/

* vt. 流出；摆脱；散发；倾吐

* vi. 流出；脱落；散布

* n. 小屋，棚；分水岭

Zuo yue zi is somewhat controversial/ˌkɑntrə'vɝʃl/ because the advice to take a month’s rest can be interpreted /ɪn'tɝprɪt/ widely. For example, the ideas that one shouldn’t wash hair, take showers, brush teeth, use an air conditioner or leave the house all stem/stɛm/ from the belief that childbirth /'tʃaɪldbɝθ/ brings significant amounts of fluid /'fluɪd/ and blood loss. According to traditional Chinese medicine, blood carries chi, your “life force,” which fuels/'fjʊəl/ all the functions of the body. When you lose blood, you lose chi, and this causes your body to go into a state of yin (cold). When yin (cold) and yang (hot) are out of balance, your body will suffer physical disorders.

controversial/ˌkɑntrə'vɝʃl/

* adj. 有争议的；有争论的

* interpreted /ɪn'tɝprɪt/

* vt. 说明；口译

* vi. 解释；翻译

* stem/stɛm/ from 起源于

* childbirth /'tʃaɪldbɝθ/

* n. 分娩

Some folks, such as a woman in China who died of heatstroke /'hitstrok/ last year, follow the restrictions to an extreme /ɪk'strim/. Others are more relaxed, taking showers or using air conditioning as long as cold air does not blow directly on them.

heatstroke /‘hitstrok

* n. [中医] 中暑

Born and raised in the United States and a graduateˈgrædʒʊɪt of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, I could not resist /rɪ'zɪst/ examining the evidence relating to zuo yue zi — and I found inconsistent /ˌɪnkən'sɪstənt/ results. On the plus side were findings that a long recovery period improved a mother’s health-related quality of life and led to better bonding/ˈbɑndɪŋ/with her child. But a 2014 study of Chinese women found that limiting physical activity for a month was bad for muscular/'mʌskjəlɚ/ and cardiovascular/ˌkɑrdɪo'væskjəlɚ/ health and increased postpartum/ˌpost'pɑrtəm/ depression.

graduate

名词读作ˈgrædʒʊɪt，动词读作ˈgrædʒʊˌeɪt。

resist /rɪ'zɪst/

* vi. 抵抗，抗拒；忍耐

* vt. 抵抗；忍耐，忍住

* n. [助剂] 抗蚀剂；防染剂

inconsistent /ˌɪnkən'sɪstənt/

* adj. 不一致的；前后矛盾的

On the plus side 在有利的方面

bonding/ˈbɑndɪŋ/

* n. 粘合；[机][电子] 压焊

* adj. 结合的；黏结的

* v. 结合（bond的现在分词）；联系

* cardiovascular/ˌkɑrdɪo'væskjəlɚ/

* adj. [解剖] 心血管的

* cular

* vas /væs/

* n. 血管；[组织] 脉管

* n. (Vas)人名；(匈、罗)沃什；(西)巴斯

* postpartum/ˌpost'pɑrtəm/

* adj. 产后的

* adv. 在产后

* partum

Another study found that while sitting the month helped some women return to their pre-pregnancy weight, it also seemed to cause high cholesterol/kə'lɛstərɔl/ and high blood glucose /'ɡlukos/ and created feelings of “extreme sadness” from being homebound /'hom,baʊnd/.

glucose /‘ɡlukos/

* n. 葡萄糖；葡糖（等于dextrose）

About the only thing scientists seem to agree on is that zuo yue zi is popular in East Asian and Southeast Asian countries and among migrants/'maiɡrənt/ from these countries, and that health professionals should understand zuo yue zi to properly advise those who are practicing these cultural /'kʌltʃərəl/ beliefs.

migrants/'maiɡrənt/

* n. 移民；移居者；候鸟（migrant的复数形式）

cultural beliefs

* 文化信仰

Despite/dɪ'spaɪt/ the need for more studies to determine whether zuo yue zi adversely /æd'və:sli/ affects maternal /mə'tɝnl/ physical and psychological/ˌsaɪkə'lɑdʒɪkl/ health or, as its adherents /əd'hɪrənt/ believe, protects against diseases in later life, I was willing to try it. I had already had three rough postpartum experiences, where only my husband helped me — and only for about two weeks each time — with the cooking, cleaning and child care. I never got to stay in bed.

maternal /mə'tɝnl/

* adj. 母亲的；母性的；母系的；母体遗传的

* adherents /əd'hɪrənt/

* n. 信徒；追随者

* adj. 附着的；粘着的

I’m still somewhat traumatized/'traʊmətaɪz/ by the third postpartum experience: With our house in various stages of being boxed up for an unplanned move while our newborn wailed /weil/in her crib/krɪb/, I worked a nit /nɪt/  comb /kom/ through our older daughter’s long tangled /ˈtæŋɡəld/ hair, tears running down my face as my husband lathered  /'læðɚ/up head-lice shampoo /ʃæm'pu/ for our son and me.

traumatized/'traʊmətaɪz/

* vt. 使……受损伤；使……受精神创伤

* lathered  /'læðɚ/up (

* 涂肥皂泡

* )

* n. 肥皂泡；激动

* vt. 涂以肥皂泡；使紧张；狠狠地打

* vi. 起泡沫

* n. (Lather)人名；(英)拉瑟

* shampoo /ʃæm'pu/

* n. 洗发；洗发精

* vt. 洗发

* head-lice

* 头虱

For my fourth child, I hoped there was truth to what Shuqi Zhuang — reportedly the first woman to become a traditional Chinese medicine physician/fɪ'zɪʃən/ in Taiwan — called the “golden opportunity.”

physician/fɪ’zɪʃən/

* n. [医] 医师；内科医师

Zhuang believed that proper postpartum recovery every time is critical for a woman’s health. One time would hopefully help repair damage done after previous pregnancies /'prɛgnənsi/ and save me from a future of hemorrhoids/'hɛmə,rɔɪdz/, uterine /'jʊtərɪn/ prolapse/pro'læps/, urinary /'jʊrənɛri/ incontinence /ɪn'kɑntɪnəns/, weight gain, premature/ˌprimə'tʃʊr/ aging and body aches.

hemorrhoids/'hɛmə,rɔɪdz/

* n. 痔疮；痔疾

uterine /'jʊtərɪn/

* adj. [解剖] 子宫的；同母异父的

* prolapse/pro’læps/

* vi. 脱垂；下垂

* n. 脱垂；下垂

* urinary /'jʊrənɛri/

* n. 尿壶；小便池（等于urinal）

* adj. 尿的；泌尿的

* incontinence /ɪn’kɑntɪnəns/

* n. [医] 失禁；无节制；不能自制

* premature/ˌprimə'tʃʊr/

* adj. 早产的；不成熟的；比预期早的

* n. 早产儿；过早发生的事物

I figured there must be a reason that affluent /'æfluənt/ women in China are willing to spend 27,000 in luxurious /lʌɡ'ʒʊrɪəs/ centers that specialize in zuo yue zi. In the United States, some friends have spent about $7,000 to stay at zuo yue zi centers, $3,000 (plus food and transportation expenses) to hire a nanny /'næni/ for 30 days or $2,000 to $4,000 to have a month’s worth of special postpartum meals delivered to their home.

affluent /'æfluənt/

* adj. 富裕的；丰富的；流畅的

* n. 支流；富人

* luxurious /lʌɡ'ʒʊrɪəs/

* adj. 奢侈的；丰富的；放纵的；特级的

* specialize in

* 专攻, 精通, 以…为专业

* nanny /'næni/

* n. 保姆；母山羊

So when my fourth child, a girl, was born, my aunt gifted me 30 days of meals delivered by Jing Mommy, a California-based service that promises “delicious and convenient meals for the postpartum recovery.”

A box large enough for my 3-year-old to enjoy as a playhouse arrived the day after I returned home with our newborn. This 94-pound box contained seven freezer bags, one for each day of that week. Each offered a daily pre-made meal of breakfast (congee /'kɑndʒi/, egg), lunch (fish soup, entree /ˈ ɑntre/ made from “yang” foods such as ginseng/'dʒɪnsɛŋ/, vegetables and rice), dinner (a specialized soup of internal organs such as pig trotters/'trɔtə/ or liver/'lɪvɚ/, a sesame /'sɛsəmi/ oil soup, vegetables, rice), two desserts and herbal /'ɝbl/ drinks. It was enough for all of us; we just had to microwave the meals.

congee /'kɑndʒi/

* vi. 告别；鞠躬告辞

* n. 粥；告别

* entree /ˈ ɑntre/

* n. （美）主菜；（法）入场许可

* ginseng/'dʒɪnsɛŋ/

* n. 高丽参，人参

* trotters/'trɔtə/

* n. （平板筛浆机）隔膜支脚；猪、羊蹄（trotter的复数）

* liver/‘lɪvɚ/

* n. 肝脏；生活者，居民

* sesame /'sɛsəmi/

* n. 芝麻

* herbal /‘ɝbl/

* adj. 草药的；草本的

* n. 植物志；草本书

I hopped onto Skype to show my aunt the generous spread I would receive each week. “So lucky! Pig feet are very good for joints and milk production,” she said in Chinese, peering through the webcam to see the various foods. Because the English labels read the same each day — “Lunch Fish Soup,” for example — I asked her to translate the Chinese labels. “Bass soup with mushrooms, bass soup with red dates and gojis. . . . ” She disappeared into her kitchen and returned with a shriveled /'ʃrɪvl/-up red berry /‘bɛri/ about the size of a raisin /'rezn/. “Goji,” she said with respect. “Anti-aging, anti-inflammation/'ɪnflə'meʃən/.” In between her thumb/θʌm/ and forefinger /'fɔrfɪŋɡɚ/, she held a red date about the size of a grape. “I put this in all my soups. Protects the liver.”

shriveled-up

shriveled /'ʃrɪvl/

* vi. 枯萎；皱缩

* vt. 使枯萎；使皱缩；使束手无策

* inflammation/'ɪnflə'meʃən/.

* n. [病理] 炎症；[医] 发炎；燃烧；发火

* thumb/θʌm/

* vt. 翻阅；以拇指拨弄；作搭车手势；笨拙地摆弄

* vi. 用拇指翻书页；竖起拇指要求搭车

* n. 拇指

* forefinger /'fɔrfɪŋɡɚ/,

* n. 食指

* raisin

* n. 葡萄干

* red dates 红枣

Nicole Huang, chief executive and co-founder of Jing Mommy, hosts free tasting parties and seminars/'seminɑ:/. While her meals are based on Zhuang’s rules of detoxification /di,tɑksɪfɪ'keʃən/ (Week 1), repairing (Week 2) and rejuvenation/ri,dʒu:vi'neiʃən/ (Week 3 and Week 4), Huang modifies them by watching the reaction of her customers. Her cooks start preparing meals at 5 every morning in a professional kitchen and deliver them before noon to local moms. Fluent in English and Chinese, her customer service staff members say a typical day begins at about 7 a.m. — when they start answering frantic /'fræntɪk/ texts — and lasts until 10 p.m. Jing Mommy’s meal plans range from $2,030 to $3,390 (and, in our case at least, provided enough food for all of us!).

seminars/'seminɑ:/.

* n. 研讨会（seminar的复数）；专题讨论会

* detoxification /di,tɑksɪfɪ'keʃən/

* n. 解毒；[生化] 解毒作用

* rejuvenation/ri,dʒu:vi'neiʃən/

* n. [地质][水文] 回春，返老还童；复壮，恢复活力

* frantic /'fræntɪk/

* adj. 狂乱的，疯狂的

Huang said: “I feel fulfilled when women recover their health from my meals. I want women to enjoy their postpartum time. This is not a business to me but about education and explaining why zuo yue zi is important.”

So does it work?

According to acupuncturist/'ækjupʌŋktʃərɪst/ Lia Andrews, author of ”The Postpartum Recovery Program,” too many new mothers rush back to their daily routines after birth. They expect that their weight, energy levels, mood and libido/lɪ'bido/ will miraculously/məˈrækjələslɪ/ bounce back without any assistance; they also believe it is normal for their bodies to feel wrecked/rekt/ from childbearing/'tʃaɪldbɛrɪŋ/. Some “modern mothers never fully recover from having children. Instead, they suffer from depression, lack of libido, weight gain, hormonal /hɔr'monl/ imbalances/ɪm'bæləns/, inability /ˌɪnə’bɪləti/ to conceive/kən'siv/ more children, urinary incontinence and other complications /ˌkɑmplɪ'keʃən/,” she writes in her book.

libido/lɪ'bido/

* n. 性欲；生命力

* miraculously/məˈrækjələslɪ/

* adv. 奇迹般地；神奇地；非凡地；出乎意料地

* conceive/kən'siv/

* vt. 怀孕；构思；以为；持有

* vi. 怀孕；设想；考虑

* inability /ˌɪnə’bɪləti/

* n. 无能力；无才能

* complications /ˌkɑmplɪ'keʃən/

* n. 并发症；复杂；复杂化；混乱

*

Anne CC Lee is a pediatrician in the department of newborn medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital. Like me, she’s an ABC — an American-born Chinese — and a mother of four. And, like me, she said she responded to emails through labor, worked during what was supposed to be her maternity leave and repeatedly ignored relatives who tried to help her follow zuo yue zi.

Unlike in my case, though, Lee’s mother was still around to help her through all four postpartums. She reveled in her mother’s chicken soup, congee and child care — but passed on the pig trotters.

The food and the parental help “provided me with the much-needed rest and energy to be able to better care for my newborn and return to family and work stronger,” Lee says. “My parents are Westernized and liberal with the interpretation of zuo yue zi, and fortunately allowed air conditioning — as long as it wasn’t blowing directly on the baby — showers and surfing the Internet.”

Lee points out that Eastern and Western cultures share common customs in the postpartum period — promoting nutrition, hydration and rest, and avoiding infectious exposures. “Many zuo yue zi traditions are beneficial for the mother and newborn, such as eating protein-rich foods, avoiding strenuous physical activity and restricting visitors to allow recuperation and reduce risk for infections,” she says.

“On the other hand, some traditions may have less clear benefit or even potential harm. Herbal supplements are not regulated by the FDA, and there is little information on their active ingredients, transfer into breast milk or effects on breast-feeding infants. Thus, it may be best to tailor the postpartum experience for the individual, considering a mother’s particular needs and circumstances, while balancing the potential benefits and potential risks of the practices.”

By standards of traditional Chinese medicine, I probably didn’t eat enough pork liver to replenish the blood lost during childbirth, pork kidney to heal back pain and pig feet to increase my milk supply.

By reading Andrews’s book, I also discovered that I had ignored a key piece of equipment for zuo yue zi that had come in the Jing Mommy box: a roll of stretchy cloth for a new mother to wrap around her abdomen. Had I known that the binding was supposed to minimize organ prolapse, improve my waistline and return my internal organs to the correct position, I would have tried it. “Without binding, new mothers can be left with a permanent puffy pouch,” Andrews writes.

Looking back, my husband and I regret not having given zuo yue zi a chance with our other children. Even though most women do not have the luxury of staying in bed for a month, we can at least try to rest and eat well. The prepared zuo yue zi meals alone made this postpartum experience much more enjoyable and less stressful than the previous ones. Not having to argue about who was going to prepare a meal or what to eat (fast food being the usual default) allowed us to focus on the health and well-being of everyone in the family. Zuo yue zi removed the exhaustion, anger and resentment that had clouded my ability to bond properly in those critical first months of postpartum.

Now three to four months after giving birth, I can more clearly see the long-term benefits. When my baby cries or needs a diaper changed, I am not so exhausted that I’d rather have my husband handle her care. And while I can’t prove that zuo yue zi is the cause, this newborn seems to have the most wonderful disposition: infectiously joyful. Best of all, as a relaxed, unstressed mother, I finally had the luxury of making my baby laugh first — instead of ceding that delight to my husband.

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Sentence

When yin (cold) and yang (hot) are out of balance, your body will suffer physical disorders.

Others are more relaxed, taking showers or using air conditioning as long as cold air does not blow directly on them.

I found inconsistent /ˌɪnkən'sɪstənt/ results. On the plus side were findings that a long recovery period improved a mother’s health-related quality of life and led to better bonding/ˈbɑndɪŋ/with her child

tears running down my face as my husband lathered  /'læðɚ/up head-lice shampoo /ʃæm'pu/ for our son and me.

I feel fulfilled when women recover their health from my meals

too many new mothers rush back to their daily routines after birth. They expect that their weight, energy levels, mood and libido/lɪ'bido/ will miraculously/məˈrækjələslɪ/ bounce back without any assistance