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Why British Chinese mothers won't go out after giving birth
Published on: 2017-11-15
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054"Postnatal confinement" - where new mothers do not leave the house, have visitors or shower for a month after giving birth - is said to be widespread among the UK's Chinese community. Experts warn that few in the medical profession know this occurs.
 

"Being confined in your flat is important," says Ching Ching Turner, from her home in London that she has not left since giving birth 28 days earlier.

050Ching Ching Turner believes confinement is good for the baby's health

Mrs Turner argues confinement is an important process as traditional belief is that the mother and baby's immunity is very low.
 

She is of Chinese ethnicity, and says: "For us, if you don't practise it you're kind of disadvantaging yourself."
 

Confinement is common across Asia and in China there are special hospitals where mothers stay confined for a month, sometimes only seeing their babies once a day.
 

It is carried out because traditional Chinese medicine purports that women who have just given birth are more susceptible to cold air, and becoming ill as a result.
 

Mrs Turner, who believes she has "done confinement in a modern way" by still showering for example, says her wishes came as a surprise to her husband, who was born in the UK.
 

"I don't think he realised that [confinement] came with a whole set of rules," she says. "It was a bit difficult for him as he wanted to show off his baby. "But now we've nearly completed the month, he sees the benefits."

051Dr Wu worries confinement will exacerbate postnatal depression

Dr Kit Wu, a neurologist at King's College Hospital, says postnatal confinement is a tradition so engrained in Chinese culture "that even I did it".
 

"Some of the very strict rules are that you shouldn't drink cold drinks during the month, you shouldn't really shower, hair washing isn't allowed and obviously not going outside the boundaries of your house.
 

"Some ladies who are very strict don't actually get out of bed for the first two weeks, and then do very minimal exercise after that," she adds.
 

Dr Wu is particularly concerned about the effect confinement has on British Chinese mothers who experience postnatal depression.

052Eddie Chan says the language barrier means many elderly Chinese people are left isolated

"New mums can often be left in isolation and it can be difficult to cope," she explains, adding that many will also hide the symptoms from health professionals because of the pressure within Chinese communities for giving birth to be seen as a time of happiness.
 

She also worries that "when mothers have medical problems, they try to deal with them themselves and that can be detrimental to the health of themselves and the baby".
 

In Mrs Turner's case her mother travelled from Singapore to be with her daughter.
 

Public Health England said: "Health visitors and midwives are specially trained and skilled in various cultural traditions and how to respect them while safeguarding the needs of the family.
 

"If a more tailored programme of support is needed then that will be agreed with the family."
 

Dr Wu says many in the Chinese community are also being "overlooked" by mainstream health services as a result of the cultural aversion to seeking help.
 

When contacted, the Royal College of Midwives, the Institute of Health Visiting and various maternity mental health charities said they had very little, if any, expertise in healthcare for the British Chinese.
 

Dr Lip Lee, a clinical oncologist at Christie's Hospital, says there is also a tendency for members of the UK's Chinese community to put on a "brave front" - including when it comes to cancer.
 

"Even when the doctor asks if they're in pain, they may deny it. They feel that, 'if I have cancer, it's a given, I should endure the pain' or, 'let's just treat it with traditional Chinese medicine'."
 

Experts also suggest that the decision not to ask for help is also harming elderly members of the UK's Chinese community, who are living alone in old age.
 

"There are a whole generation of first generation migrants now living in the UK and they are very isolated," explains Eddie Chan from the Chinese Healthy Living Centre in London.
 

"They will find it very hard to find any mainstream services that cater to their needs," he says, explaining that this is in part because of the language barrier.

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