Cultural considerations in postnatal dietary and infant feeding practices among Chinese mothers in London

Zuo yuezi (ZYZ)—which, by direct translation, means ‘sitting the month’ or sometimes ‘doing the month’—is a traditional Chinese practice of confinement and convalescence for women for a full month after giving birth. During ZYZ, the new mother is expected to follow a collective set of ‘restrictive prescriptions and proscriptions’ (Pillsbury, 1978: 11). The origins of ZYZ date back millennia and the practice broadly follows the logic of classical Chinese medicine and folk traditions, to restore the body's ‘imbalance’ during pregnancy and childbirth through the diet and daily hygiene practices, as well as a preventive measure against future ailments (Pillsbury, 1978). Fok (1996) explained that perceptions of health among Chinese people are based on the ‘yin and yang’ health theory, informed by the Taoist concept of balance.

When a woman gives birth, her body is believed to be depleted of the ‘hot’ element through blood loss and inner energy (‘chi’), placing her in a ‘cold’ state for around 40 days while her womb heals. This is generally regarded as the first and second stages of the postpartum period (Romano et al, 2010). As a result, the new mother is advised to observe certain restrictions to her diet and movements, to keep her body warm and rest as much as possible. The consumption of confinement foods of the ‘yang’ properties is seen as particularly important to restore the woman's lost energies through birth and balance, alongside restricted consumption of ‘yin’ foods, based on five categories (Fok, 1996):