Bizarre Post-natel 'rite'

[El Taco Loco]

About a month(?) after my baby was born my wife's mother shaved the baby's head. Anyone else have this done?

No, but a few days after wife came home, I walk in the bedroom and I see Buffy (mother in law, long story) putting something in her eyes. I ask tilac <deleted>, and she says, oh, Isaan people believe mother milk good for eye!

[Gumballl]

About a month(?) after my baby was born my wife's mother shaved the baby's head. Anyone else have this done?

Yes, me! My mother, who is far from being thai, had me go thru this with the hopes that my hair will grow back thicker. It worked.

As for in thailand, it is done during the buddhist "baptism" ceremony. My daughter's hair was shaven off after she reach 6 months of age.

[Neeranam]

They wanted to shave my daughter's hair when she was a baby. I said 'no way' and now she has plenty of beautiful hair.

How many of you get your kids baptized as a Buddhist? I don't and have some very strong opinions as to why - Buddism or any other religion until they are older.

[Ricardo]

In the UK, it is recommended that you do not recommence sexual relations until your 6 week post natal check up. The odd thing is though, that almost immediately following the birth, a specially trained nurse/midwife comes round to talk about contraception It has been my experience that most of the new mothers on the receiving end are just so shagged out they glance in the bassinet beside their bed and grimace. That is the only contraception you need. The thoughtr that 30 seconds of horizontal jogging could produce another of those!

Our pre-natal classes, in the UK, explained that by the time you start to think about contraception some several weeks later, it is already too late in many cases.

So, to take precautions, immediately.

I guess that a certain head-of-steam might well have built-up, on the husband's part, towards the end of pregnancy.

[qualtrough]

OK, spoke with the wife just now. It was some years ago so the details were a bit hazy in my mind. She had an older woman come here and build a little tent that my wife laid down in. She gave her a massage and the tent was heated by steaming herbs. As I noted earlier, my wife does not come from an Isaan background, so this is not restricted to those from that area. My wife graduated from University, but this is something she said that many Thai woman still do. As I was leaving to write this she called out to me that this is only for natural childbirth, not a caesarian, confirming what some forum members had written. Would be interesting to know if any studies have ever been conducted to see if there is any demonstrable benefit?