Here this link does say Japan NO shower for 30 days after birth

http://www.hawcc.hawaii.edu/nursing/RNJapanese03.html

Japanese Traditional.

One woman stated that she was advised by her mother NOT to Shower for the First Month post partum. Instead, sponge baths were encouraged. Grated ginger root was rubbed on the skin to promote healing

my mother also say that No shower for 1th month after birth but you can sponge bath like wipe your skin wipe your body by a very warm to hot cloth.

Thank you for the link to the other site, as I stated I only found one site with info on the topic, but most of it is based in tradition and probably not written down on the internet.
I would think that it would benefit you more to bathe , we have a lot more illness than before in history. You live in Canada right, not China, so it would probably behove you to bathe a bit more frequently unless you actually have all your family around you to help you take care of your newborn like the rest of the tradition says, because otherwise you will feel awful very quickly after you give birth. I agree with the other members in the fact that our bodies are designed to give birth and heal quickly from it. I was up and at the mall walking around shopping 3 days after my daughter was born and feel that my getting up and around was what was responsible for my healing and getting back into the swing of things quicker.
Side note don't you ever notice that when you have the flu or are sick you usually feel better after you take a nice hot shower and wash all that sick, been laying in bed all day and night feeling off, I would think the same premise applies to giving birth.
I am not in disagreement of tradition and if that is what you desire then you follow it, it is your family not mine and are free to chose whatever method suits you guys best. :)

Still thinking about this here...and I'm learning more and more each time I come back. Thanks for the links everyone!

I got to thinking today...maybe...just maybe...the tradition of "not bathing for 30 days" is meant literally. No filling of the bathtub and emersing a post partum body into deep water. Maybe it's a belief that the "scum" (pardon the phrase for lack of a better one) that sheds from a new mother's body is thought to be "unhealthy" if it somehow gets up into the brand new mother's birth canal. Ergo, the reason why CP's mother said to ONLY wash with a cloth.

It's an ancient tradition...right? And showers were unheard of back then, as far as I know. So, it could be passed down from a medical stand point. If this is indeed the case...I see no reason why a shower wouldn't be an appropriate alternative to an actual bath. I mean...ewwwwwww...some of the things a body can expel during/after childbirth isn't some of the most fragrant or especially soothing oozes...huh? I'd be shocked if I did this according to tradition and still had family or friends within 20 feet of me after 5 days...let alone 30! I don't mean to make light of tradition...but there's some powerful odor and ooze after childbirth (from sweating and from the afterbirth, and bleeding and possibly feces being pushed out) that I doubt I could even stay in the same room with me!

Though, I'm still leaning towards the prior reason I stated. Ancient Chinese woman's secret...to keep hubby at bay till we "feel up to" sex again! The first known birth control!

I have to admit, this is a damn interesting thread!

LixyChick

In the Ancient time, where there is no metal shower head for us to shower, but we use Bouget to shower. It was still a shower from head to toe in the ancient time. you use the Bouget to shower one by one and sit in the wood tub just exactly like European in the ancient time. right?

But the thing is, when it comes to birth time, the mother couldn't wash themself from head to toe like the regular days. Can only wipe by the wash cloth.

Yeah I think this topic is very strange to the Western. But in Asia it is very normal to them.
I remember I talk to my Korean friend about Western mother take shower after birth. Then my Korean friend was open her eyes so huge and shock and put her hands on the chest and say "WHAT??? are they insance?" I told her, hey they are not insance. It is the same as the theory different between Western medication and Eastern medication. A lot of Eastern medication theory are so much different from the Western medication. For example the West did not have Acupuncture until now. But Acupuncture treatment is our Eastern mediation. We don't like taking oral medication unless we really need it. We avoid oral stuffs. Western world, we have so many oral medication. whenever you got a headache, you head to Tyleno, Advil and etc... but for us we head to essential oil(Chinese oil) we apply on the head and the area we need. Then the pain is gone in a few min. We don't like oral medication, we afraid of the long term side effect you might get like addiction and etc...

I usaly dont post
 

I'm a big fan of the board aspecialy the advice section i dont often psto but i thoght i had to in this case.

I'm a person whol do alot of reading on reproductiv ceremonis, customs and traditions, and i had heard of this one before but i had to admite i did not know it was still being practised so i hav to apolagice about that.

And please i have no intention to come down on Asian traditions i'm all for a varaity.

Many cultures ahve had simular traditions where washing or bathing was not alowed or dicuraged after childbirth some belive that awowering after childbirth was a sign of regecting the child and thereby being an unfit mother, others where rooted in that it was a gift from god and thereby a sign of disrespect to clean that of yourself.

In truth from a medical stand point it's important to keep yourself clean after childbirth, becase of the birth a woman is exstreamly seseptabul to all kinds of infections so as long as you keep yourself warm (do not get to cold becase agine your imune system is slightly down) it more then ok to take a shower.

I'm just a guy and i dont know alot about all this, but i remember clearly that when my borthers baby was born first thing she did was to get the nurses help her go take a shower.

That is my take on it any way... i hope i ahve not put any offence towards the Asian traditions if so i deeply apolagice.

Hello Admiral! I'd say Welcum...but as you pointed out, you've been here a while...and so the reason I felt compelled to say I am glad to see you posting. Cultural traditions are very interesting. Especially knowing the root of the tradition. I'm pretty sure Chinese Pussy won't take offense from your post. If it were me...I'd be honored that you took a moment to comment on my thread for your very first post!

Hope to see more from you around the forums!

Admiral

LixyChick is right, I won't feel offensed from your posts. But I must thanks for your time to read this thread. I guess it won't hurt to learn from each other the different culture thing and different medication thing.:)

Is it just me or is there something wrong here?
 

Now having watch my wife give birth to our son 6 yrs ago, I can tell you that she showered everyday like normal. I think that most women as much as guys too, like to keep there pubic area clean and tidy. I tell you one thing, there is nothing worse than eating a smelly pussy! Seriously though, after a women has given birth the best thing she can do is shower, not bath. That way she is able to clean out her system and as the body goes back to normal. I mean most guys wouldn't even touch there women if she smelt bad. So it's just common sense to keep clean. It's like a respect thing, not only to your body but also to your partner, and of course vice versa.

The natural healthy by-products of the birthing process do not cause a "smelly pussy" and to be honest, this has nothing to do with what a man would or would not touch. We have been discussing post-natal customs. None of which are right or wrong but simply tradition.

To clean or not to clean
 

Ok Lilith just to clear one thing up, sorry if I upset you. Ok I'll define what I meant about a smelly pussy. I wasn't talking about after birth. I was talking about those girls who don't have any sense of basic hygiene. I have known some girls who's bits and pieces just smelt bad! I did tell them in a nice way that they may have a yeast infection/urinary infection and get it looked at/treated. That is why the rest of my thread made sense about to respect ones body.

Your body, your hygiene
 

Well I just wanted to add one more thing here Chinese pussy. Remember it is your body not somebody else's. If you feel yucky and need to have a shower, then do it. When my ex gave birth to our son she had a shower as soon as bub was settled. In fact, the mid-wives encouraged her to do so.

I honestly think that both cultures could learn alot from one another. In particular when it comes to medicine. What's more is, the percentage of Doctor's who are asian are usually much smarter than there counterparts. Of course I mean no offence to any medico's.

History speaks for itself on the life of man. Year's ago (1900) people were dying because they were sick from not having a shower/bath. Now things are much different.

Hope it helps.