Sunday, March 04, 2007

(Solitary) Cofinement

Its not called so for nothing is it?

You are confined until you go nuts.

I had the works for my previous kids - the bitter-sediment-swirling-around jamu, the mummifying bengkung, the wonderful urut for 7 days. No chillies or blackpepper in my food. No cold drinks. Socks on my feet 24 hours a day. And the list goes on.

But NOW living on my own, had to do without all that. I survived on spirulina, chicken essence and jeli gamat. I had my socks on. I breast fed till my nipples bleed (not as bad as having engorged breasts, I tell you).

The weather took a turn for the cold side. It was the time of wind, rain, rain, thunder, more rain with some parts of the world flooding. It felt chilly. I didnt shower for days, voluntarily (normally I would be showering the moment I was sweating) and my baby didnt have his first shower at home until day 15th!

My clips didn't stop hurting until 5 days later.

My baby was an easy baby. Didnt fuss much. Only cried for milk or when his diaper was really really full of poop.

Confinement or no confinement, life had to go on. Husband had to go work. Kids need to be sent and fetched from school. We all need to eat.

My wrists still hurt but maybe there's still water in there so let's wait a little longer. Had to close one eye and bear with the mess in the house, mountains of laundry. Priority is getting baby fed and comfortable so he can g-r-o-w. The rest we make do. And do we did. Just hope that my eagerness to get on with the life we used to know before baby came won't cost me my well-being in later years.



5 comments:

Ms J said...

i think you will be fine - even if you did not practise the malay tradition of confinement. afterall, other women from other parts of the world coped well without these things :-)
glad to know you are doing well and not haing to deal with ngorged lactating boos..it was so painful i felt like choppnig off my boobies!

more pics of baby pls..when you have time of course!

Hot Mama said...

Hahha! True confinement made me half crazy... Its not that aidan was a fussy baby but "someone" who is overly traditional made me crazy..hahaha!!! wear stockinglaa cannot do this laa that laa..hahaha!!!

rafiqaheliza said...

Confinement on your own?! I can never imagine that. Better produce babies while my mum is still around...hehehe...Though she nags a lot, cannot do this and that, wear stocking 24/7, but she's a great help. Really salute you for being able to take care of yourself and baby (plus the older kids + hubby) all by yourself. Never can imagine myself going thru it. After all I have two fussy babies, which makes things worse...Have fun!

Makcik Runner said...

welcome back bakerina! dah habis pantang ke? kesian kena confine on yr own ye. i like confinement period eventho its a boring period for me yelah nak recuperate from giving birth and so on but its the only time i can be pampered a bit with most of the house chores done by hubby and a lil' bit of help from mil with the cooking. sedap ek mak mentua masak confinement dish...yum yum!

eiseais said...

i can imagine i'll be even more hectic after the 3rd one is born. i dont believe in staying at parents' house masa confinement. its all me and hubby...we're in this together. penat-penat pun, at the end of the day, rasa fulfilled sangat because we did this together...