Hello Kitty Slipper Boots

Don't you think these are just the cutest thing to keep your feet warm this coming white christmas??  All three are such fun colors, which one do you think is the best one to own???  HELP!

 




* ribbon detail
* side pom poms
* polyester
* machine wash, dry flat

Chinese Postpartum Care: 3- Recommended Menu 3

3rd Week (Day 15 ~ 21)

Meal:  Chicken in sesame oil (麻油雞), Chicken w/chestnut(栗子雞), Chicken w/dang-gui astragalus soup (當歸黃耆雞), Chicken w/lotus seeds & poria soup (茯苓連子雞), Pig tripe w/ spare ribs stew (豬肚燉排骨), Mullet in sesame oil(麻油烏魚), Lamb w/prepared rehmanniae root soup(熟地羊肉湯), Shrimp in sesame oil (麻油蝦)
Black-boned chicken in sesame oil (麻油烏骨雞)- helps the body recuperate, restores vigor
Main ingredients: black sesame oil, old ginger, (taiwan) rice wine, black-boned chicken

Herbals: [生津安神 + 排除脹氣 + 補中益氣] for postpartum care herbal formula
Main ingredients: Radix Rehmanniae Preparata or Prepared rehmannia root(熟地), Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae or achyranthes root(淮七), Ligustici Wa Llichi Rhizoma(川芎), Zizyphi Sativae Fructus or red dates(大棗), Lycii Fructus(枸杞)

To Induce Lactation: Yellow bean papaya w/carp soup (黃豆木瓜鯽魚湯), Stewed Pork feet w/peanuts & mushrooms (香菇花生燉豬腳), lactation herbals

Drinks: Refreshing herbal drink

Chinese Postpartum Care: 3- Recommended Menu 2

2nd Week (Day 8 ~ 14)

Meal: Pork kidney in sesame oil (麻油腰花), Pork kidney w/Eucommiae Cortex (杜仲腰花), Papaya w/ pork tail-bone soup (木瓜尾椎骨湯), Shi-Quan-Tai-Po w/pork tail-bone soup (十全大埔尾椎骨湯)
*VEGETARIANS:  Eucommiae vegetarian pork kidney(杜仲素腰花)
Pork kidney in sesame oil- promotes metabolism, restores vital energy, minimizes against postpartum backpains
Main ingredients: black sesame oil, old ginger, (taiwan) rice wine, pork kidney

Herbals:  [(liver & kidney supplement)補肝腎 + (bone strengthening)強化筋骨 + (waist & knee strengthening)強壯腰膝] for postpartum care herbal formula
Main ingredients: Ligustri Lucidi Fructus(女貞子), Cuscutae Semen(菟絲子), Cistanchis Herba(肉從容), Eucommiae Cortex(杜仲), Polygoni Multiflori Radix(首烏)

To Induce Lactation:   Yellow bean papaya w/carp soup (黃豆木瓜鯽魚湯), Stewed Pork feet w/peanuts & mushrooms (香菇花生燉豬腳), lactation herbals

Drinks:
Traditional postpartum drink & Red date tea (NOT for labor or vaginal delivery; for caesarian delivery, drink until 12th day)
Refreshing herbal drink (for labor or vaginal delivery; for caesarian delivery, start drinking on the 13th day only)

Chinese Postpartum Care: 3- Recommended Menu 1

1st Week   (Day 1 ~ 7)  
Meal:     Pork liver in sesame oil (麻油豬肝), Stir-fried Pork liver w/spinach (波菜炒豬肝), Pork heart in sesame oil (麻油豬心), Bass ginger soup (老薑鱸魚湯)
Pork liver in sesame oil-  improves lochia discharge off the body, norishes and restores vital energy, protects the liver and eyesight
Main ingredients:     black sesame oil, old ginger, (taiwan) rice wine, pork liver

Herbals:     [補血養神 + 利水消腫 + 消除疲勞] for postpartum care herbal formula 
Main ingredients:     Codonopsis pilosulae Radix (黨蔘), Angelicae Sinensis Radix (當歸), Astragali Radix (黃耆), Pearl barley (薏仁), Poria (茯苓)

To Induce Lactation:     Yellow bean papaya w/carp soup (黃豆木瓜鯽魚湯), Stewed Pork feet w/peanuts (花生燉豬腳), lactation herbals

Drinks:    Traditional postpartum drink (生化湯), Red date tea

Chinese Postpartum Care. 2-Diet Taboo (Don'ts)

1. Avoid drinking water, vinegar or anything sour, rice porridge or congee, including milk, as these are said to easily bring about the sagging of the breasts, skin and internal organs, including protruding tummy, etc.
*In lieu of drinking water, intake of chinese herbal drinks such as sheng-hua soup (生化湯), sesame pork liver soup, etc. during the 1st week is adviced. By the 2nd week, monitored volume of water intake is suggested: weigh body weight daily, such that drink only 10-16cc of water for every kilogram (kg) of body weight, taking small sips. 

2. Avoid salt or salty food. Light diet void of saltiness is strongly recommended because it slows down blood flow and is unfavorable to lochia discharge (means post-partum vaginal discharge which contains blood, mucus and placenta tissue. This is very similar to the bleeding experienced during menstrual period, but much heavier.) Salty food may result in thirstiness thereby increasing unnecessary water intake which could cause excess water retention inside the body. This is said to hinder the recovery of the body or physical figure, or cause the tummy to look bloated.

3. Avoid oily food. Postpartum diet is supposed to observe light diet, avoiding oily and fatty food intake. This is said to slow down physical metabolism, causes arteriosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, neuralgia.

4. Avoid raw, cold and spicy food.  Breast feeding mothers should avoid these food as they are said to easily cause infant diarrhea.  The maternal physique veers toward to a cold nature, causing the hands and feet to easily feel cold during fall winter.

5. Avoid fried, stir-fry or barbeque food, including solid food such as peanuts, (melon) seeds, beans, beef tendon, beef, etc., because they easily result in thirstiness and constipation.

Chinese Postpartum Care, 1-Why is it important?

The modern women has learned to love herself more than ever. She diligently attends her yoga and aerobics classes, a regular patron at spas and beauty salon, goes shopping when she can, the list is endless. All these in the name of health & beauty.

With health comes beauty. Some people turned into vegetarians in pursue of 'detoxing' the body.  Chinese medical practice states that a woman undergoes exteme inner physical changes during menarche, postpartum, and menopause. That these stages in her life are the best time to improve (or revamp) her health or well-being through certain practices, which includes intake of certain chinese herbs specifically formulated for each of these stages.

A lot of blood loss happen during delivery or miscarriage, hence the stress on intake of chinese herbals in enriching the blood (補血), norishing one's vitality (補氣), balancing of the yin-yang (補陰,補陽), diuresis (利水), improve blood circulation (活血), etc., to help the body recuperate better. 

It is said that the practice of chinese postpartum care actually helps minimize certain ailments such as back pains, rheumatisms, etc., in later years.  A friend said she stayed in a postpartum care center in Taiwan for a month after giving birth.  She spent a whooping NTD60-70,000 which is about USD2000!  She said that there were no visual difference between herself and another friend who didn't practice 'ge-lai'.  A few months later, her friend would complain that she easily feels cold, whereas she didn't feel that way prior to giving birth.  My friend said that she didn't feel any of those negative issues.  My thought?  Better safe than sorry.   

For those that has no access to chinese postpartum care centers, there are DIY methods available.  Finding a chinese herbal store is a must to get the needed chinese herbs.     

These herbs should generally concentrate on:
1st week-   Detox (排賭淨化, 平補)
2nd week-   Activates (調整活化, 溫補)
3rd week-   Revitalizes (濕補理氣, 大補)
4th week-   Anti-aging (預防老化, 大補)   

Postpartum Care: Chinese Style, intro.

I tried to surf the net for informations about chinese postpartum care and found limited resources in english.  And, they mostly introduced why the chinese (race) practice this kind of postpartum care.  The more "beefy" information such as do's & don'ts, how-to, what-to-eat, etc., were mostly in blogs that contain chinese characters.  Hence, I've thought of researching and sharing these information to those who are interested about this topic but has limited access in understanding chinese characters.

Let's start with the common terms used for chinese postpartum care: "坐月子" read as "zuo-yue-zi" in mandarin chinese (literally means 'sitting the month'), "cho-yut" in cantonese chinese, and called "ge-lai" in taiwanese/min-nan/fookien chinese dialect.   

Generally, the chinese postpartum care calls for a 30-45 days 'confinement' of the mother and newborn within the house. There is a also a long list of traditional practices such as no shower or strenuous exercise, shouldn't drink water, etc. Plus, strict menu!  These are the traditional or ancient ways.

There were modern twists on these practices, which I hope to share in my blogs lateron. I believe that some of these modern twists will be more acceptable and make better sense to our modern women of today.