Party of "9" Please

Last week, our family of 5 was joined by my mom, dad and brothers, Johnny & Teo (a.k.a. My) from Cali. This was their first time in Oklahoma so they had lots to see and do. OK...so probably not too much to see and do but they did make time to explore Tulsa and surrounding areas and for the guys, Twin Peaks. Aleia and I were on house arrest so Mylani and Will took on leading the city tour.



While in OK, my parents prepared multiple meals for us...but it wasn't the Vietnamese home style cooking Will and I were so anxiously awaiting. Being that my mom is super traditional when it comes to afterbirth care and foods, she only made postpartum safe dishes: fish and pork stew (ca/thit kho), steamed veggies, and rice.

In addition to a strict diet, here are some other "Traditional Asian" rituals/remedies necessary afterbirth and according to mom, should continue for at least 6 to 8 weeks:

• Avoid anything with citric acid or sour tasting to avoid bladder control issues.
• Rub eucalyptus or kwan loong oil on arms, legs, and back in the morning and before bed to prevent joint and muscle pains later in life.
• Drink postpartum Laotian tea 5 or 6 times a day to help flush out "bad" blood in uterus.
• Drink postpartum herbal medicine from Chinese Herbal Store 2 or 3 times a day to replenish lost blood from labor.
  
• Avoid anything cold to eat or drink and raw foods to help flattening of belly.
  
• Avoid use of fans other than house A/C to prevent aches and pain.
• Avoid exposure to sun to prevent sun spots and bad skin.
• Put hot water bag on stomach after meals to help flatten belly.
• Avoid touching too much water and frequent baths/showers (I don't remember the reason for this...but its not good for you).
• Use vapor bath with Chinese herbs to cleanse body, tighten and tone face and body skin. After bath, rub body with peppermint cure.

My mom asked that I make sure to pass these instructions onto my younger sisters when they give birth, so I thought I'd include what I learned on a blog for other family and friends as well. I'm not sure how true or relevant these remedies are, but they were practices my great grandmother passed onto my grandmother and from my grandmothers onto my mom.

We closed out the week by celebrating Mylani's 9th birthday. With family in town and new baby, we decided to avoid a big shin dig this year. Mylani didn't mind keeping things simple for her big day, especially after she received a razor scooter from mom and dad. It's a pretty neat scooter that goes approx. 15 mph. Seeing her on the scooter reminds me a lot of the mopeheads in Vietnam...those were much more difficult to ride though.

Lastly, for those interested in updated photos of Aleia...here she is at 4 weeks old.