Thai Postpartum Customs

[cm das]

Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere. My wife is due to give birth in 2 months, and as part of the preparations we've been discussing traditional Thai customs for what the mother should/shouldn't do after giving birth. Mostly what I'm talking about here is yu fai - the practice of the new mother staying close to a fire, not going outside, not washing her hair, using special herbal compresses, etc. I am very open to respecting the local customs on this... so long as there is no threat to the well-being of the mother. My wife has lived abroad and does not blindly accept the dictates of Thai custom. On postpartum practices though, she is adamant that they are necessary for the future health of the mother. I've searched here & on google for any kind of medical study of the effectiveness/risks associated with Thai postpartum practices, but haven't been able to find much. There are lots of studies about attitudes towards these customs, or about perceived effectiveness, but I haven't found any clearcut scientific studies recommending for or against.

Both my wife and I are pretty reasonable people - if there's no harm then I will respect what seems to me like an unnecessary & kind of unpleasant ritual, or if there's a proven risk then my wife will rethink her plans. So I'm just looking for data. References to scientific studies would be appreciated, but anecdotal comments are welcome as well. Thanks in advance.

[Sheryl]

http://rc.racha.org.kh/download.asp?file=/.../postpartum.doc

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/a...543-4/abstract#

http://qjmed.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/91/2/93

The above not specific to Thailand but discuss the practice of heating ("roasting") aftyer delivery.

Main risks are dehydration/electrolytye imbalance in the mother, in extreme cases hyoperthermia , and delays in breast-feeding or nonexclusive breast-feeding of the infant.