Essay On Postpartum Practice

This chapter focused on the postpartum practice and the traditional cultural beliefs among the Malays during the confinement period. Other than that, it included the Islamic postpartum practices and guidelines that should be followed by the Muslim family after the mother giving birth. It also comprised of further discussion on the criteria of appropriate space provision for mothers and babies within the postpartum and confinement period which based on the Malay cultural influence which accordingly to the Shariah Compliance.

2.2 STUDY ON MALAY POSTPARTUM AND CONFINEMENT PRACTICES

In order to study about the Malay postpartum and confinement space, the most important things to understand the Malay cultural practices and belief that influence the suitable confinement surrounding environment.

The Malay woman traditionally will go to her mother’s house during the postnatal (postpartum) period to having the postpartum care and confinement practices (Azuzay, 2001; Sharifah Suraya, 2014). After the childbirth, the mother and her newborn will be placed or quarantine from others family members at a special room. Both of them who still at the unstable state during the confinement and required a special space to adapt with their current condition.

The mother is not allowed to move so much and do lots of house core during confinement. The health of mother and her newborn will be take care nicely by her mother or the midwife called “bidan”. Usually, the bidan will help the postpartum mother undergo the postpartum rituals such as massage, bathing and others. Despite of having the postpartum care for the mother, the newborn also require a special care such as massage and “bekung”. Since the primary food is the mother’s milk, the mother must always be prepared for a better breast feeding to her