As a woman, is it okay to touch cold water after confinement?

Pregnancy and childbirth can be said to be a major turning point in a woman's life. The period after giving birth is commonly known as the confinement period, and taking good care of the confinement period is the top priority of this turning point. It is said that if a woman’s confinement period is well taken care of, it is like nirvana. For this purpose, there is a special profession called confinement nanny, which shows how much importance people attach to confinement. There are many things involved in the confinement period, covering all aspects. The most well-known issue is that you cannot touch cold water during the confinement period. So what is the relationship between the confinement period and cold water? Let's take a look.

1. The impact of using cold water on the body during confinement

1. Affects joints, making it easy to suffer from arthritis, joint pain and other joint diseases after middle age.

2. Affects the body's recovery. After childbirth, the joints and pores are open, the body is relatively weak, and when cold air invades, it causes various functions to decline, affecting the body's recovery speed.

3. It causes irreversible damage to the body. If you don’t pay attention during the confinement period, the damage caused to the body is irreversible. Parents must pay attention.

Having said so much, the most critical point has come. You should wait at least 42 days after giving birth to use cold water. Why is it 42 days and not 30 days? Here is the answer:

42 days is what is medically known as the postpartum period. What we used to call "confinement" is 30 days as the name suggests. The reason for 42 days is that it takes about 6 weeks for a woman's reproductive organs to return to their original state after giving birth.

From a medical point of view, doctors recommend that the best time to touch cold water after delivery is 56 days. This is because childbirth is very physically demanding, and coupled with excessive bleeding and sweating, the mother's qi, blood, muscles and bones are very weak and are easily attacked by wind and cold. If you come into contact with cold water too early, you may easily get postpartum disease and suffer from joint pain.

If special circumstances make it impossible to persist for 56 days, at least persist for 42 days. It takes at least 6 weeks for the body to recover after childbirth. Although the traditional confinement period is 30 days, it does not mean that everything will be fine when the time is up. The body needs a buffer period, so it is necessary to persist for 42 days.

2. Can I touch cold water after confinement?

Generally, you can touch cold water after you leave the confinement period. But don't touch too cold water for too long or too frequently. If the woman has undergone cesarean section, the time she is exposed to cold water should be extended appropriately. It is better to wait for half a month after the confinement and wait until the body has fully recovered before contacting cold water.

1. How long after the confinement period can I touch cold water?

Due to heavy bleeding during childbirth, sweating, back pain and abdominal pain, the mother's physical strength is greatly depleted. Her qi, blood, muscles and bones are very weak. She is easily attacked by wind and cold at this time and needs some time to recuperate. A natural birth requires 30 days of rest, and a caesarean section requires an extended rest of more than 40 days. During this period, you should avoid catching a cold or chilling a fever, or exposing your joints to wind, cold, and dampness. Therefore, the bath water temperature for postpartum mothers should be kept at around 35℃-37℃. Even in summer, they should not take a shower with cold water to avoid poor discharge of lochia, which may cause abdominal pain, irregular menstruation, body pain, etc. It is usually necessary to wait for 40 days before slowly using cold water.

2. Why it is not advisable to contact cold water too early

Postpartum women's bodies are deficient in Qi and blood, their vital energy is depleted, and their pores are loose, so wind and cold air can easily invade the female body, causing poor circulation of Qi and blood, which can easily lead to poor discharge of lochia, abdominal pain, and future symptoms such as irregular menstruation and body pain. Therefore, within one month after delivery, do not touch cold water. Even in summer, you need to use warm water to wash things.

3. What happens if you touch cold water too early?

If you just touch the cold water occasionally and the mother is in good physical condition, it will not cause much harm. However, if you frequently use cold water and come into contact with cold air, you may easily catch a cold, which may induce postpartum rheumatism, resulting in symptoms such as soreness, pain, numbness of limbs or joints, chills, sweating, and fatigue.

4. How to avoid cold water

After giving birth, women should try to use warm water when washing their hands, face, and clothes. Some housework can be done by family members. If you must come into contact with cold water, you should also take care to protect yourself. You can wear rubber gloves to reduce direct contact with cold water, and be careful to shorten the contact time.