What is the best way to take care of your baby during the summer?

After giving birth, it takes about 40 days for the mother to recover. Whether she can be well cared for during this period will determine whether she will suffer from any disease after the confinement period. Especially for mothers who are in confinement in the summer, due to the hot weather and the need to take care of the baby and breastfeed, they will inevitably feel irritable and upset, which will affect their recovery. So, what is the best way to take care of yourself after childbirth in summer? Let’s take a look at the things you should pay attention to during childbirth in summer.

1. Can I use air conditioning during confinement in summer?

The answer is yes. During the summer confinement period, you should avoid postpartum heat stroke and other symptoms such as high fever due to high indoor temperatures. If the indoor temperature is too high, you should use air conditioning appropriately. Generally, it is enough to lower the room temperature to 25-28℃. Also, be careful not to blow it directly at the mother and newborn, and maintain the indoor humidity.

2. Do you need to “cover up” during confinement in summer?

The older generation believes that women should not be exposed to the wind during the confinement period and should keep themselves warm. During the confinement period, some women often close doors and windows or cover their heads with quilts, which actually seriously hinders the dissipation of body temperature and causes local temperature rise. Especially in the hot summer, it is very easy to cause heatstroke and is not conducive to postpartum recovery.

3. Can I take a bath and wash my hair during confinement in summer?

Generally, 3 to 7 days after delivery, the mother can bathe in warm water at 28 to 30 degrees Celsius. In the hot summer, if you don't wash your hair or take a bath for a month, it will easily lead to bacteria accumulation, which is not only unhygienic, but may also cause skin inflammation and prickly heat; not taking a bath can also cause perineal wound infection. The mother should clean her body frequently and use warm water when bathing. She should not take cold baths. She should dry herself completely and immediately after bathing and avoid leaving moisture on the skin to avoid catching a cold. In addition, mothers who have undergone cesarean section should decide when to take a bath based on the recovery of their wound.

4. Can I eat fruit during confinement in summer?

Fruits contain a lot of vitamins, which are very beneficial for the mental recovery of postpartum women. The water, cellulose and pectin in fruits can effectively prevent constipation. Eating some fruits appropriately during the summer confinement period can also prevent heatstroke. But be careful not to eat fruits that are particularly cold in nature. When eating fruit, it is best not to heat it or leave it for a long time to avoid loss of nutrients.

5. Can I eat cold drinks during confinement in summer?

After childbirth, the body is deficient in qi and blood, so you should eat more warm and nourishing foods to help restore qi and blood. Eating raw or cold food after childbirth will be detrimental to the replenishment of qi and blood, easily lead to spleen and stomach digestion and absorption dysfunction, and is not conducive to the discharge of lochia and the removal of blood stasis. Moreover, raw and cold foods have not been sterilized at high temperatures and may contain bacteria, which can easily cause gastroenteritis in postpartum women after eating. During the confinement period in summer, if the mother sweats a lot and feels thirsty, she can drink mung bean soup and tomatoes, or eat some fruits to cool down. It is best to stay away from ice cream, frozen drinks, etc.

6. How to arrange food, clothing, housing and transportation during the summer confinement period?

Clothing: Don’t treat the mother as a patient. Don’t dress her like an ordinary person and cover yourself with as much clothes as possible. Otherwise, she will sweat profusely, have a high fever, and may become dehydrated and faint. If the mother's clothes are wet with sweat, they should be changed in time. She should dry herself after taking a bath and avoid taking cold showers.

Food: Childbirth often causes physical weakness due to blood loss, so in daily life you should pay attention to supplementing protein and eating iron-rich foods and fruits, which can help the uterus recover. The amount of food a mother eats during the confinement period may be more than before, so she can eat small and frequent meals.

Accommodation: The place where the mother lives should be sunny and well ventilated, because the mother's lochia has not yet stopped during the confinement period, and living in a humid place can easily cause fungal infection. The bed of the mother should be ventilated frequently and the bedding should be exposed to the sun more often to prevent tissue infection and arthritis.

Action: Mothers should not do heavy work during the confinement period, but they can do some health exercises according to their physical condition. One week after the baby is born, the mother can go out to relax, have some proper entertainment, and exchange parenting experiences with other mothers, which can also help to improve her mood.