The jury seems to be out on how often you should visit your acunpuncturist during pregnancy. Youngja Yoo, RN, L Ac, the lady I visit in New York, believes you should come for a session once every trimester. Youngja worked for many years as a nurse in California and only in her 50s decided to change her career and practice Traditional Chinese Medicine. She is a real inspiration to me — I love the thought of being able to change your career radically later in life and find new passions and interests along with a diary full of appoinments!! Originally from Korea, I asked her to share some of her home country’s postpartum traditions. She has also written about some common deficiencies following pregnancy along with nutritional remedies.

Until the 1970s in Korea, there were many traditions associated with the arrival of a new child. A father was busy preparing the home for his wife and child and one tradition, “Gum Jul” (the creation of a Caution/Inspection line) was both distinctive and important. It required the father to place a notice on the entrance or gate of the house and the kitchen door informing others including close relatives, friends and neighbors to not pass the threshold. The Caution Line was intended to protect the baby and mother from external pathogenic factors for a period of 21 days.

The Gum Jul/ Caution line is a rope made from rice straws. The rice straw rope has many functions in daily life in Korea and the usual method of weaving/twisting generally starts from the right side over the left. Following the same principle, it is believed that life starts from the right side but the Gum Jul created before a new birth in the house is woven from left to right. According to some commentaries, this is done to “confuse entities” and create unfamiliar territory for life occurrences which usually start from the right i.e. the new baby will be protected. Even further back in history, it was believed that entities would pass by or the roughness of the rice straw rope would block them from entering.

The rope contains a few small pieces of charcoal to absorb microbes and toxins and fresh pine stems to symbolize new life and freshness. Also, as a basic formulation, red chilli peppers were added for a baby boy. Materials varied by province – in South Korea seaweed (specifically its salt component) was added to ward off bad luck and sometimes white rice paper was included to scare and confuse night spirits.

The Caution line was hung for 21 days, a crucial time for new babies and mothers who both have weak defense mechanisms and need to have their innocence protected. Also around 3 weeks after birth, the umbilical cord of a new baby will be dried and healed and to some degree the mother’s health is feeling stronger and restored. Now relatives and neighbors can come to visit the new baby and mother to congratulate them. Balls of silk thread (blues for boys and pink for girls) are given to wish a long life for the baby. Traditionally, giving birth to a son was preferred to ensure the continuation of the family line. The eldest son inherits the family leadership and wealth; he also has the responsibility of caring for the parents.

A new mother cannot have an actual bath or shower for a month and she should have absolutely no exposure to wind and cold. The mother is always kept in a warm room where she drinks warm water, tea and soups and is confined to her bed most of the time where she eats and sleeps and nurses the baby.

During this time, the mother eats lots of seaweed soups made from clams, fish, or beef that are believed to support the mother’s breast milk flow. To reduce swellings in the body, a broth is made using pumpkin and honey to nourish the essence. If the mother is feeling weak, a fresh water fish soup is made including herbal formulas to support the Yin weakness and help new blood and the flow of blood.

This cultural event was developed a long time ago and unfortunately there are few records kept and many of these rituals are slowly being forgotten. In primitive times in Korea, when the medical system was under developed and general hygiene levels were very poor, there was a higher incidence of infant deaths. Usually if a baby survived more than three months, it was believed the baby would stay alive. Even today in Korea, the first celebration for a newborn baby takes place after 100 days and their first birthday is celebrated one year after.

COMMON COMPLICATIONS FOR WOMEN FOLLOWING CHILD BIRTH: From a Chinese medical perspective

1. Deficiency of Qi/Obstruction of LU Qi:
Signs and symptoms includes fatigue, physical and mental exhaustion, weak or soft voice, shortness of breath, pale face, often soft weak cough with clear sputum, easily sweats, low resistance to common cold

Dietary Recommendation: In Chinese medicine, the Lu organ relates to the color white. By the signature of the law, any vegetable that has a white color can nourish LU.
Vegetables: Radish, turnip, kohlrabi, taro root, fresh lily bulbs, carrots, mustard green, sweet potato, yam, dill, fennel, horseradish, basil, and anise.
Fruits: Asian pears, apple, apricot, blue berries, blackberries, cherries
Grains: Rice, oats, buckwheat.
Meats: All kind of meats are acceptable except lamb (lamb is the most Yang meat in the Chinese diet and is permitted in moderation ie. once every 2 week).
Legumes: All legumes in small amounts are allowed

Also, eat pungent food to stimulate LU qi including spearmint, rosemary, scallion, garlic, onions, cinnamon bark, cloves, fresh or dried ginger, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg. These are warming and pungent and suitable for someone who feels cold. Use maple syrup and honey to sweeten food.

Nuts and Seeds: Pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, chestnuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and flax seeds.

Herbs: Elecampane root (Inula helinium), Spikenard (Alalia racemosa, A. calofornica and related species), and licorice (Glycerrhixa glabra and related species) can be used separately or in combination. E.g.; ½ part of Licorice and 1 part of elecampane or spikenard combination.

HERB PREPARATION: Add 6 cups of water in a pot (ceremic, clay or stainless steel) to bring to the boil then simmer for 45 min. to make approximately 2 cups. Drink 1 cup in the morning, 30 minutes after breakfast or even on an empty stomach and 1 cup in the evening.

Avoid:
- Dairy products which will produce phlegm and congealed energy for the Lung and Spleen organs.
- Refined sugar products.
- Oranges, pineapples, mango, and papaya etc fruits that have excessive contained sugar.

2. Deficiency of HT Qi; in Chinese medicine HT Qi comes from the LU Qi and LVR blood. Inner Classic says: Liver blood engendered Heart Qi and Lung qi circulates the blood.
(Inner Classic is the classical Chinese text that every Chinese doctor refers to)

Signs and Symptoms include palpitation, shortness of breath especially upon exertion, excessive sweating in day time, facial pallor, suffocating sensations in the chest, emotional distress, fatigue, dizziness, poor circulation, weak spirit, depression, scattered and confused mind.

Dietary Recommendations:

Lots of food that involve the color red, the law of signature says the color red relates to blood production and red foods engender the Lung Qi and Spleen Qi. Inner Classic says: The Spleen produces red substances (blood products), the Heart finalizes blood and the Liver stores blood.

Meat: Beef, pork, chicken, organic animal liver meat.
Vegetables: Red beets, carrots, yams, sweet potato, taro root, turnip root, kohlrabi, broccoli, artichoke, mushrooms, sugar peas, snap peas, cabbage, brussel sprouts, squash, zucchini, pumpkin, all kinds of young leafy greens including sprouts that are rich in chlorophyll, seaweed in general which is rich in iron will help to build blood.
Fruits: Pit fruits in general including all kind of berries, cherries, dark grapes, apricots, apples, pears, and figs. Especially, blueberries are good for blood production and soothe the Liver
Legumes: Aduki beans, mung beans, black eyes, any small sized beans are all acceptable
Grains: All complex carbohydrates such as millet, quinoa and brown rice
Fish: Tuna, salmon, mussels, and oysters.
Nuts and Seeds: Chestnuts, almonds, pistachio nuts, pine nuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds.
Herbs: Dang Gui/Angelica Sinensis, Peonia white or red (red peonia has a blood nourishing and moving quality), Rehumannia root raw or processed (Raw Rehumannis have the quality of moving and cooling blood). Can be used equal parts of each in dosage of 6-9g cooked together. Drink 2-3 times a day between meals.

* All herbal recommendations should be taken in moderation. All foods are good except excessive eating. For extreme conditions, you should consult with your physician regarding your health.

Email This Post - Subscribe to this feed - Save to del.icio.us -
February 13th, 2007 | Permalink