Chinese woman wrapped in large plastic bag after hospital discharge post-childbirth – but why?
New mothers in China follow post-partum ‘sitting the month’ tradition for rest and recovery
A woman in China was seen wrapped in a large plastic bag after being discharged from the hospital following childbirth, a sight that quickly gained traction on mainland social media.
Her story has reignited a debate about traditional health practices for post-partum women.
On December 10, a woman, already dressed in a long and thick down jacket, was filmed by a passer-by as she covered her body from head to legs with a huge plastic bag while walking outside to shield herself from the wind, as reported by Tide News.
The hospital, located in Dalian in northeastern Liaoning province, was experiencing temperatures below 5 degrees earlier this month.
“I just gave birth to a baby and I am quite weak. I don’t want to be blown by the wind,” the woman was quoted as saying.
“My mother thought of this idea of using the plastic bag to keep out the wind. It is such a good choice because it is cheap while it works well in shielding the wind,” she added.
Preventing new mothers from being exposed to the wind is one of the traditional caring practices in China during the one-month-long post-partum period.
