CNN | 中国女人为啥坐月子？
No showers or going outdoors: Why the Chinese put mothers into 'confinement'
By Tiffany Ap and Shen Lu, CNN
The recent death of a Shanghai woman has put the spotlight on the Chinese traditional custom of "postpartum confinement," a month-long period when new mothers are put on bed rest and advised to keep warm -- even in the heat of summer.
最近上海妈妈死亡的消息让中国“产后幽闭”的传统收到拷问，新妈妈被要求在产后一个月卧床休息并建议保暖，即便在炎炎夏日。
The mother, who was following the custom also known as "zuoyuezi," died from heat stroke after wrapping herself in a thick quilt and keeping the air-conditioning switched off despite high summer temperatures, .
这种习惯叫做“坐月子”，国家媒体报道，这名妈妈因中暑而死，此前尽管高温酷暑，她将自己裹在厚厚的被子里，不开空调。
A similar tragedy several months ago involved a new mother who refused to move and later died of pulmonary artery thrombosis.
类似的悲剧几个月前也有发生，一个新妈妈拒绝移动，死于肺动脉血栓。
Sitting the month
Traditional Chinese medicine purports that women that have just given birth are more susceptible to cold air, so it's not uncommon for mothers to refrain even from washing themselves or their clothing.
传统的中医假定产后妇女更容易受风寒侵扰，所以妈妈们常常不洗澡或不换衣服。
Mothers are and are encouraged to follow a diet of hot soups and avoid so called "cooling" foods.
妈妈们大门不迈、二门不出，被鼓励喝热汤，避免吃凉食。
In fact, the Duchess of Cambridge Catherine Middleton when she appeared with her second child publicly wearing light clothing just 10 hours after giving birth.
五月份，英国王妃凯瑟琳-米德尔顿在中国社交媒体引发大讨论，生第二个孩子后10个小时，她穿一身单薄衣服亮相。
By contrast, when 30-year-old Yang Xue delivered her daughter in a Beijing hospital two days later, she returned home and, following the principles of zuoyuezi, stayed there for more than a month without showering.
与此形成对比，30岁的杨悦（音）两天后在北京分娩，产下一名女婴，她回家后开始坐月子，待在家一个多月没有洗澡。
"It's horrifying to hear that women don't sit the month. I'd rather stick to the tradition," she said. "It was a bit uncomfortable at the beginning but I got used to it later on."
她说：“有女人不坐月子，这简直骇人听闻，我还是严守传统，开始不是很舒服，慢慢就习惯了。”
Yang's parents and in-laws came to help but she also paid 8,000 yuan (US$1,265) for a "yuesao" -- a nanny dedicated to taking care of the mother and newborn.
杨的父母和公婆上门来帮忙，同时还花8000块请了月嫂，专门照顾妈妈和婴儿。
As a new mother, Yang was served a special meal plan. The yuesao cooked fish soup and pig feet soup for her every day, which was supposed to help her produce more milk.
作为新妈妈，杨有特别的食谱。月嫂每天熬鱼汤和猪蹄汤，这被认为有助于下奶。
Changing attitudes
But there are signs that attitudes are changing as some of the ways confinement is practiced can lead to unhygienic conditions and even become dangerous.
这种态度有转变的迹象，有些坐月子的方式不很卫生，甚至还很危险。
For example, in July, one traditional Chinese medicine doctor who talked about adapting the practice for modern life.
七月，中国一家地方报刊原因一位中医大夫的话，提到让坐月子适应现代生活。
The doctor said mothers should still steer clear of all drafts by keeping windows and doors closed but said if need be, they can use air conditioning or a fan, so long as it wasn't aimed directly at them. Not brushing teeth or washing hair however, "has entirely no medical basis," the doctor warned.
医生说妈妈还是要关上门窗避免招风，但如有必要，可以使用空调或电扇，只要不直吹。不过不刷牙、不洗头没有任何医学依据。
Some mothers like Du Fei, a Beijing native who lives in Shanghai, have completely abandoned the tradition.
想杜菲（音）这样的妈妈彻底摒弃了这一传统，她时住在上海的北京人。
Du had her child in June and did everything she was not "meant" to do as a new mother, like taking her baby outdoors the first week after birth.
杜7月生了孩子，做了所有禁止做的事，她分娩第一周就把婴儿带到了户外。
"I just didn't see the point of zuoyuezi," Du said. "I've never thought of childbirth as a big deal. The only thing I didn't do during the initial week was cooking, because I felt weak after childbirth."
“我不觉得要坐月子，生孩子有什么大不了，我头一个礼拜只是不做饭，因为生完孩子身体还是虚弱。”
Du said although most of her friends don't practice traditional Chinese postpartum care, they do hire a yuesao to help around the house.
杜表示她的多数朋友都不坐月子，不过她们都雇了月嫂来帮着打理家务。
Confinement centers
For others, confinement can be a big business opportunity. Hundreds of maternity centers have popped up across China, Hong Kong and Taiwan -- some even offer plush environments and services not unlike a luxury boutique hotel.
对不少人而言，坐月子是个巨大的商机。成百上千的月子中心在中国、香港和台湾冒了出来，其中一些环境奢华、服务一流，好比豪华的精品酒店。
Gwo Dreyer twice stayed at a maternity center in Taiwan after giving birth to her two kids. She didn't particularly care for traditional Chinese medicine concepts but said she found the Asian approach to postpartum care much more supportive to parents.
Gwo Dreyer生了两个孩子，两次都住在台湾的一家月子中心。她对传统中医理论不大感冒，可她觉得亚洲式的产后关乎对父母帮助很大。
"I didn't grow up in Asia and my husband is not Asian. We're not that traditional," Dreyer said.
“我不在亚洲长大，我老公也不是亚洲人，我们不遵循那些传统。”
"It's a lot of focus on the baby [in the U.S.]. In Asia, not only is it taking care the baby but also the mother," she continued.
“在美国人们更关注婴儿。在亚洲，不仅关心婴儿，还有妈妈。”
"Maybe you don't have the right support or maybe your family members don't know how to do it right. It's having adult supervision for the first month, basically from people who take care of not just one child but 50 babies at once," Dreyer said.
“可能你需要正确的帮助，或者你家里人不知道该怎么做。在这里，孩子在头一个月有成年人监护，这些人可能不止带过一个孩子，而是一次带50个。”
Such confinement centers can be a huge help, especially in light of the changing Chinese family unit, which no longer sees multiple generations living together under one roof, and with respect to the country's one-child policy, meaning nearly all parents are first-timers.
月子中心大有助益，特别考虑到中国家庭结构改变，三代人不住在一个屋檐下，还有中国的独生子女政策，几乎所有人当父母都是头一遭。
"You might get a midwife to come help you at home as opposed to a center but it's like home-schooling or school. Home school works very well for some people," Dreyer added.
“你也可以找个产婆来家里帮忙，而不住在月子中心，这就像家庭教师，在家里对某些人来说更合适。”Dreyer说。