Postpartum 30: Thirty Days to a Nurtured Fourth Trimester

by Kristal Lau

Are you a mom-to-be feeling overwhelmed with the idea of postpartum care? Do you like the idea of traditional Chinese confinement practices, but want to incorporate modern health care for the best possible outcome for you and your baby? Look no further than "Postpartum 30" by Dr. Kristal Lau—a comprehensive guide for navigating the first month and beyond as a new mom of one or more children.


With this book as your guide, you'll learn how to plan your own postpartum care that suits your individual circumstances and ensures your health and wellness during the all-important fourth trimester. Dr. Lau, a medically trained professional who bridges modern and traditional health practices, offers advice and insights that will help you experience a postpartum journey filled with bonding, serenity, and love.


Featuring endorsements from experts in the field of perinatal care, "Postpartum 30" is a must-read for pregnant and new moms who wish to find the perfect blend between traditional Chinese confinement practices and modern Western postpartum care. Whether you're looking for a guide on how to do confinement at home or simply seeking to learn more about this important period of motherhood, this book is an invaluable resource for the modern mom.


“I wish I’d had access to this book when I was pregnant. It would have helped me understand better some of the suggestions from my in-laws, and given me help finding that middle ground of respecting elders and their traditions while still acknowledging my own autonomy.”


—Dr. Sarah Tedjasukmana, MBBS BSc (adv) (Hons I) DCH FRACGP, GP and co-founder of Sydney Perinatal Doctors



Benefits of Postpartum 30 Book


● Combine traditional Chinese confinement practices with modern Western medicine for optimal postpartum care.
● Plan your own postpartum journey that suits your unique circumstances.
● Learn how to prioritize your own physical and emotional well-being while honoring Chinese tradition.
● Gain insight from a medically trained professional who bridges these two worlds.

219 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 11, 2023

Reviews

[Alethea]

As a very western Caucasian growing up in Australia, I had never heard of a confinement month until I was pregnant with my first child. I was at work (as a GP) one day, and a patient who was also a white woman married to a Chinese Indonesian man asked me, “So, has your mother-in-law planned your confinement yet?” You can probably imagine my response - a combination of “what on earth are you talking about?” and “I’m a grown woman, I plan my own things” especially when they relate to my body, my health, and now my children. Thankfully, no one expected me to last a month without washing!

I do wish I’d had access to this book when I was pregnant. It would have helped me understand better some of the suggestions from my in-laws, and given me help finding that middle ground of respecting elders and their traditions whilst still acknowledging my own autonomy. Kristal does an excellent job of explaining traditional confinement practices in terms of social and cultural norms, and traditional Chinese medicine understandings. Then she takes this one step further and measures these up against modern lifestyle and modern Western medicine. The result is an easy read which ultimately gives the reader enough information to be able to pick and choose confinement practices that would suit them. I love how Kristal makes it clear that it doesn’t have to be an all or nothing dichotomy - there really is scope to plan a confinement that truly suits your own circumstances. It would seem that the ultimate goal of even the most traditional confinement month is supporting the mother and ensuring her and her baby’s health. With her own cultural experience and her medical knowledge, Kristal is able to distil down this goal in each aspect of the confinement, which is where she really gives you the power to decide what would be best for you. I can see this being of benefit to new Asian mothers around the globe, and to women like myself, partnered into the culture.

As a General Practitioner with a special interest in perinatal care, I look forward to recommending this book to new mothers who are considering options for their confinement month.

[Andread Krug]

I read this book because I have friend in Malaysia who was pregnant and I wanted to learn more about Chinese confinement practices. Having grown up in the West in a white family, I frankly did not even know that confinement was a thing. This is why I loved Kristal‘s book. It provides a gentle introduction not only to confinement and confinement practices but also to the concepts around it, the traditions behind it and how it can work very well with modern medicine.

The structure of the book is great and it has a very hands-on approach with practical tips, recipes, things to be aware of and events that might catch parents off guard during and after the pregnancy. It is clear that Kristal takes a holisitic approach to health, which includes mental health topics that are extremely important but people might shy away from.

What I also loved about this book was Kristal‘s honesty about her own journey to becoming a Mom. It‘s hard to imagine what birthing a child is like when you‘re a man but this book made me better understand the extreme efforts that go into it. It gave me a great appreciation for my Mom and wider family and I highly recommend this book to everyone.

[Grace C]

'Postpartum 30' is a thought-provoking and educational read for new mums or mums-to-be who wish to find that perfect blend between traditional Chinese confinement practice and modern Western postpartum care in the fourth trimester.

Kristal enthusiastically engages the reader in a conversational manner not unlike that used by an older sister or auntie. There is a deliberate absence of medical jargon in the text and Kristal speaks to you through the pages deeply from her own upbringing and experiences.

The text carefully simplifies difficult concepts of TCM and postpartum physiology to make them digestible to the layman mum, and the subsequent chapters are purposefully layered to incorporate these concepts making them easy to recall on a practical level. The book also explores cultural nuances and social constructs of gender roles specific to the Malaysian-Chinese population.

If you are looking for a guide on how to do confinement at home, this book is a great resource for the modern mum!

[Carmen Yee]

“ "Postpartum 30" by Dr. Kristal Lau is a comprehensive guide for new mothers navigating the first month and beyond with their newborns. “ - Absolutely
As a Malaysian that does not know how to read or write in Chinese, I do worry that I would loose the essence of what to do during the confinement period. I’ve always had some sort of knowledge at the back of my head (something like drink ginger chicken wine) but never something solid as to WHY we do it. I’m glad to finally keep a copy of this book to support my knowledge other than what my mothers tell me, so this book definitely is a great help for us “bananas” to understand confinement practices better and put it into action.
Dr Lau then takes this one step further and takes into account most of us will be working mothers/ use more Western medicine and guides us through the works of how to make an informed decision based on our needs.

Overall a good read, easy to digest & opens a whole new world to those who are ready to explore more traditional way of confinement practices. 👍👍👍

[Charlotte Lee]

A must read for new parents who would like to embrace the traditional Chinese confinement and incorporate the modern postpartum care.

I remember struggling to understand the old rules imposed by my elder relatives after I had my first born. The critical period where I should focus on my recovery quickly turned into a “battle ground” and that’s the worst thing you want at that time. I wish I had access to this book beforehand so at least I could understand the logic behind some practices, because a lot of those traditions do make sense and it can be tailored to suit our needs. I think this book will be a great guide for new parents to make informed decisions on how they would like to plan for postpartum recovery by incorporating the Chinese traditions and western medicine/health care. Finding the middle ground / balance between respecting cultural traditions and embracing your own needs is the key to supporting the speedy recovery of your body and MIND.

[Reigene Teo]

To quote from the book, "Matrescence is indeed a journey in itself", this line truly resonated with me, validating that it is okay to do life at your own pace and it is okay to feel how you are feeling. Reading this is a warm embrace to the soul.

The book addresses what would be still a taboo to some to talk about it, to their family or even their own health specialist, "postpartum depression", or even some may not recognise that they are experiencing it. This book is an eye opening read to the journey in postpartum. The contents are honest and heartfelt, a good read for women at any stage in life.

[Roy Yeoh]

This book highlights an important role to assist a woman during postpartum, a "confinement support person". Other than a mother in law or a helper assuming this role, a husband can also pay a crucial part and the key take away here from this book that stucked to me is to "listen, listen, listen" and be patient. Postpartum is an imperfect perfect journey and as a husband, it's something we men can make it more pleasant for our other half even in the most simplest of task by picking up the chores, giving her space, creating a clean safe environment for her to heal and recuperate. A good read for expecting husbands to manage their expectations on their own postpartum journey.

[Xu]

Brilliant read! Having only a Western perspective on postpartum care, this book gave my husband (he is Caucasian and I am of Chinese Malaysian descent) an excellent insight on what modern Chinese postpartum care would look like for me/us. Content was eloquently written, chapters well-structed and methods easy to implement (which came in handy during those late night/early morning reviews). Great baby shower gift too for any families wanting to implement or bridge both Western and Chinese postpartum care! Highly recommend, 5 stars!

[Reader]

Just had my second child and this book has definitely helped me in my fourth trimester especially living abroad and not having a proper “Confinement Lady” hire to help me out. This book has also given me insights about what I was always wondering when I went through with my first child and why it’s especially important for a mummy to rest and recover after giving birth in the current world where both east and west meets! Totally recommended if you are expecting a child and interested to know the modern “confinement” for mummy’s road to recovery!

[A F]

I love how the author blends modern day postpartum care with traditional postpartum care. The confinement period was not something I knew about when I had my children, but it is something I would consider in the future after reading this book. This book has great information for both mothers-to-be as well as fathers-to-be because the postpartum period has a lot of "blessings" that aren't normally talked about, and I liked how the author addresses these challenges. It's a great book, and I highly recommend for expecting parents and for those planning to start a family in the future.

[Anna Zheng]

I read this book while my baby was 1 years old and wish I had read it earlier! It really allow me to reflect a lot of things that I wished I had done postpartum and how to heal after birth. The book is a great blend of modern west meets traditional east and how to blend the two to have a well rest and meaningful 4th semester. I would recommend this book to any soon to be mother and new mothers. It is full of information, advise and great relatable stories!

[Reader]

Easy to read and informative. Outline the potential scenarios many might counter during post partum period in all perspectives, and that include the transition of physical and mental state as well as managing family dynamic and how modern mom perceive/embrace traditional confinement in this modern era.

[Queena Roquemore]

I was very excited about this book because it focuses on how to balance the traditional Chinese philosophy of 30-day confinement and modern Western postpartum care. It was a book I didn't know that I needed, and very much appreciated.

There were some parts that I thought could be edited a bit more, but I flagged a lot of pages that I'm sure I'll refer back to when this baby (finally) arrives!

[Marcia]

I was not the intended audience. Not what I had been expecting. There were definitely good tips, but even with the background chapters it still assumed a specific cultural viewpoint.

I'd summarize it as "you can have a modernized confinement period if you want. Find and talk to a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner. And keep your modern health care provider in the loop."

[Tracie]

Easy read for any new parents

In-depth and concise information for any new parents to be able to lead both traditional and modern confinement style without breaking the rules in the family tradition. This is a must read for any upcoming new parent or under-going fourth trimester.

[Jose W]

Awesome. A Best Gift & Wonderful Resource for families that also helps keep a traditional practice alive.

[Shanice Bryce]

I bought this book as a gift for my sister. She is really happy and grateful for the in debt guidance.