Chinese Confinement Traditions: Myths and Facts

15 May 2026

By: Yi TCM Admin

Postpartum confinement is a crucial period for mothers after pregnancy, as it allows mothers to rest and recuperate after the rigours of giving birth. However, there are confinement myths that could affect your recovery, so it helps to know what you should do and what to avoid to maximise your well-being during this critical time.

Chinese Confinement According to TCM

From TCM’s perspective, Chinese confinement is a 30-day period that allows you to get sufficient rest after childbirth. Childbirth can take a substantial physiological toll on your constitution, leaving you weakened and more prone to external factors that could further impact your health. External factors may include exposure to cold, excessive sunlight, and even dry or humid environments.

When these external factors penetrate the body, they can manifest as various unpleasant symptoms, such as headaches, nausea, backache, and irritated skin. Lifestyle choices, such as poor dietary habits, can further contribute to this and exacerbate your condition. As a result, it could be harmful to you and your baby’s well-being.

Confinement also gives you the opportunity to breastfeed and bond with your baby. It is common for family members and close friends to lend a helping hand and ensure you are resting and eating well to regain your strength. They may adopt specific confinement practices to support your recovery, but it may be a bad idea to follow them blindly.

Myth 1: Drink Less Water

Drinking plenty of water is said to cause water retention or excessive cooling in the body. Herbal teas, such as longan and red date tea, are often suggested as substitutes for water to replenish iron in your blood supply and promote circulation by warming the body.

FACT: Your body loses plenty of fluids from breastfeeding, lochia (afterbirth discharge), and sweating arising from hormonal changes. Drinking herbal teas should still help, as will drinking warm water regularly. Avoid drinking cold water, as you may be more susceptible to external factors that could impact your health.

Myth 2: Avoid Air Conditioning

It is believed that air conditioning exposes you to cold that can enter your body and cause a host of ailments.

FACTS: It is not harmful to turn on the air conditioning to keep you and your baby cool in Singapore’s hot, humid weather. However, you should keep the room well-ventilated and set a timer on your aircon unit to keep you and your baby comfortable. Your lower immunity post-childbirth also means you should avoid cold air blowing directly onto you or your baby.

Myth 3: Consume Alcohol

Some herbal recipes include rice wine or other alcohols (usually in small quantities) that help warm the body, promote circulation, and drive out external factors (like cold) that make you feel ill.

FACTS: It is partly true that alcohol is used in some TCM recipes. However, you should avoid consuming anything containing alcohol, as the alcohol content could potentially be passed on to your baby through breast milk. Any recipes containing alcohol also need to be cooked properly to evaporate the alcohol and prevent it from infusing into the food. Alcohol exposure could cause stunted development and growth in your baby, and may also impair your judgment and ability to look after your child. It is best to abstain from alcohol until you no longer need to breastfeed your child.

Myth 4: Avoid Washing Your Hair

Some people believe that baths and showers could expose you to external factors (most notably, cold) that could cause headaches or other health complications in the future.

FACTS: Warm baths are recommended to maintain your hygiene, reduce the risk of infection, and keep you feeling fresh each day. You should only take warm baths between 35 and 37℃, while avoiding long baths or soaks to keep the chill away. Keep your bath time short, dry off immediately, and neatly tie your hair when you are done to prevent coldness from entering the body and causing headaches, joint pain, or a cold. If you have a perineal tear or C-section wound, be gentle when drying yourself off with a warm towel.

Myth 5: Food Restrictions

There have been claims that postpartum women should only consume herbal supplements and remedies to speed up their recovery and strengthen their bodies. They may also be asked to eat certain foods while avoiding others to maintain a balance of warm and cold in the body.

FACTS: A well-balanced nutrition plan is key to ensuring you receive sufficient nutrients necessary to facilitate your recovery. As such, an individualised TCM treatment plan prepared by a qualified TCM physician is necessary to support your confinement and minimise risks or side effects. For example, you may be able to mix certain ingredients to dispel the effects specific foods may have on the body, like using warm ingredients (ginger) when cooking vegetables (which have a cooling effect).

Additionally, not every herbal remedy will be suited to your specific recovery needs. As different herbs have different interactions with one another, a TCM physician will carefully identify suitable herbal remedies to help promote your gradual recovery and minimise side effects.

Myth 6: Avoid Reading or Crying

Reading or crying could strain the eyes and may indirectly affect future eye complications. In TCM, the eyes are said to connect to the liver, so eye strain can place stress on the liver’s functions.

FACTS: There is no scientific basis for the claim that reading or crying stresses the eyes. TCM believes that the liver helps to provide a steady blood supply to your reproductive organs and supports the pregnancy. After childbirth, the substantial loss of blood from that natural process may influence your eyes’ well-being. TCM prescribes certain herbs, such as wolfberries, to nourish the liver and maintain eye health.

Myth 7: Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression is very likely to happen due to the body’s imbalance after childbirth.

FACTS: In reality, not every new mother experiences postpartum depression. While you may experience some feelings of sadness some time after childbirth, these emotional changes are primarily due to ongoing hormonal fluctuations that will gradually subside after a few weeks. It is a known complication from giving birth that can be managed with TCM approaches, such as acupuncture, as well as medications (where needed). You should seek professional medical support immediately if you are worried that you may have postpartum depression.

If you are seeking advice to support your confinement period, contact Yi TCM today for a personalised consultation that can tailor a personalised treatment plan for you and your baby.

References

Yang, X., Qiu, M., Yang, Y., Yan, J., & Tang, K. (2023). Maternal postnatal confinement practices and postpartum depression in Chinese populations: A systematic review. PLoS One, 18(10), e0293667. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0293667