Postpartum Rituals In Chinese Culture

There are millions of people that populate our country and within these people there are several cultures. All of these cultures have their own set of values and beliefs when it comes to medial treatment. As nurses it is our duty to understand the specific beliefs of a culture and to respect their culture when giving them care. This paper discusses the specific customs of Chinese culture in regards to pregnancy with specific information on prenatal, labor and delivery, and postpartum rituals. Many of the beliefs Chinese people have are based off Yin and Yang. In this belief “Yin is negative, dark, and feminine and Yang is positive, bright, and masculine. Their interaction is thought to maintain the harmony of the universe and to influence everything within it (Collins English Dictionary, 2012)”. If yin and yang is off balance illness can occur and it needs to be rebalanced in order to get better. Therefore it is very important for mothers to keep this balanced to have a healthy pregnancy. Pregnancy is viewed as an expected outcome in marriage. However, since China is very populated there is a policy, “One Child Only” in which families can have only one child. “ This law often only applied to urban families, while some rural families could get away with having more than one child
The father is not part of the birth, however he is the first to give the baby a bath. When the mother is actually delivering the baby “she should remain quiet because crying out attracts evil spirits to the baby” (Geni, 2008). Before the umbilical cord is cut the infant should have a necklace placed around its neck, this is a symbol of the baby life going from the umbilical cord to the necklace. Unlike the traditional american labor, Chinese woman give birth by squatting because laying on her back does not allow the infant enough energy to come