Birthing traditions Chinese and American 寶寶來了!

The newest member of our home group at church has arrived! And he is very well-behaved. He doesn't cry much or even seem to frown. After waiting the appropriate month for 作月子 (there is really no appropriate word for this in English), the mother brought the baby out for a first viewing.

His cousins, daughters of the mother's little sister were giving this foolish photographer snapping photo after photo the "look," so I wisely stopped after I got a couple of good ones.

The Chinese have a tradition of mothers waiting at home for one month after birth to restore their health and give time for the baby to strengthen. The mother's mother will make all sorts of special soups and foods for the new mother. When families are separated by an ocean, there are月子 中心 that are set up to care for the new mothers and their children. Some of them are quite elaborate and customize their care depending on where in the Chinese world the mothers come from. Mostly, they give the mother a chance to rest up in a peaceful setting during that 1st month. So, the date after that month, 滿月, is actually quite an important milestone.

Having said all this, our friend relied on family and friends mostly. I know my wife brought a Cantonese-style vinegared pig foot 醋豬腳, which tastes quite good and is something she ate after the births.

By contrast, most of my American friends seem to focus on getting back to work quickly, whether to a job or household work. The emphasis seems to be on a quick return to self sufficiency. Many jobs require going back to work 3 weeks after a birth and I can remember mothers bringing their babies out for us to see as soon as a week after birth. I can still remember a joke by a friend that he had to reserve a slot for his daughter in a local day care center 托兒所 before she was born. It is similar to the differences in worldview noted by earlier commentators between Japan and the West. The West views babies as dependent, a bad thing, and have to be trained to be independent as early as possible.