One of the most vital and crucial period after child birth is the confinement period. It is a period of at least 28 days, where a mother has to stay indoors and follow a list of strict rules. These rules are essentially meant to help mothers replenish and recover properly because child birth takes a toll on a mother’s body. One of the first and most important part of confinement is the food consumption. It is believed that whatever you consume during your confinement period will determine the rate and quality of your recovery. Therefore, it is important to ensure that you plan a proper confinement diet for at least the first 28 days after child birth. Here are 4 essential points to note when selecting and making arrangements for your confinement meals :

 Confinement dishes that keeps your body warm

Be selective about the type of dishes you consume during your confinement. If you are catering from a confinement meal company, always check their menu and list of ingredients used to be sure what you consume is beneficial to your body’s recovery. For example, ingredients like ginger, garlic, Chinese Angelica root and red dates help to restore blood flow, provide warmth for the body and expel wind. They can be included in a variety of confinement dishes and soups, which can aid in replenishing your body.

Meals that provide a balanced diet

Being in confinement also means that you need to have a healthy and balanced diet. You should have a balanced consumption of grains, protein and greens daily. It is not necessary to eat a lot, but important to consume food with high nutrients that can aid in giving you energy and speed up your recovery. Meals should be complete with grains, protein like fish, red meat and poultry, as well as a portion of fruits and vegetables. Some of the famous super confinement dishes include fish/meat soup, pork leg soup with groundnuts, chicken and bone broth, as well as carp soup.

Confinement friendly ingredients

When sourcing for confinement meals, always remember to check if the ingredients used are confinement friendly. Some caterers may claim that their dishes are suited for confinement, but the ingredients used does not aid in replenishing your body and may affect other factors like production of breastmilk. As your body tends to be more sensitive during this period, it is important to make sure that you consume the right food to boost your recovery. Tian Wei Signature is well known for its creativity in giving Chinese confinement meals a twist. Their menu is readily available on the website so that customers are able to see what kind of ingredients are used in the preparation of daily confinement meals. Should there be any ingredient unsuited for your taste buds, you can always opt for a change.

Lactation boosting herbs/ingredients

If you have decided to breastfeed your newborn, then what you consume during your confinement period and the days after will greatly affect your lactation. Foods like salmon, fenugreek and papaya helps to boost lactation while cabbages, parsley and mint can adversely affect the production of breast milk. If you are catering your confinement meals from a catering company, it is advisable to choose a reliable caterer, with references and reviews from others so that you know that your meals are in good hands. Tian Wei Signature has received commendations from many for their delicious concoctions while being pro-breastfeeding and preparing meals that help in boosting lactation.

Confinement period may seem like a torture period to some, because of the strict rule we are required to adhere to. However, a little suffering now goes a long way in the future. The same goes for having a proper confinement diet. It may not be easy but it is definitely worth it when you realise that your body recovers much faster and stronger.