Birth tourism is not confinement: telling them apart in the US
Why US searches for a confinement centre return birth tourism packages, how to tell the two apart, and what postpartum care actually looks like in America.
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Confinement guides
Everything we have written on Chinese confinement, gathered in one place. New guides are added as they are researched and reviewed. Not sure where to begin? Start with our overview of what confinement is.
Browse by topic
Confinement
What confinement is, its history and how practice varies across regions.
17 guides
Practices
The month structure, rest, warmth, bathing, hair washing and visitors.
14 guides
Recipes
Confinement soups, herbs, lactation support and week by week eating.
67 guides
Aus Hub
Confinement in Australia: nannies, family, costs and the hospital to home move.
10 guides
US Hub
Confinement in the US: meals, yue sao, costs, and telling care from birth tourism.
1 guide
Planning
Preparing before birth, shopping lists and caesarean recovery notes.
6 guides
Latest guides
Black chicken herbal soup (药材乌鸡汤)
The tonic soup of the later confinement weeks: silkie chicken simmered slowly with dang gui, astragalus, red dates and goji into a deep, restorative broth.
Bringing parents to Australia to help with confinement
For many families the confinement plan is flying a grandmother in. The visa options for parents visiting Australia, how long they allow, and how early to start.
Chinese yam and pork rib soup (淮山排骨汤)
A gentle confinement soup: pork ribs simmered with Chinese yam, red dates and goji into a mild, strengthening broth, kind to digestion from the early weeks.
Nanny, meal delivery or DIY: choosing your confinement support
The biggest confinement decision is who does the work. An honest comparison of a live-in nanny, meal delivery, occasional help and a family-led month.
Confinement foods for milk supply
The traditional lactation foods of the confinement month, from green papaya and fish soup to pork trotters, and what actually drives milk supply.
A 30-day confinement meal plan
What to eat across the confinement month, stage by stage: gentle food for the first ten days, rebuilding dishes next, the richest tonics at the end.
Confinement planning timeline: what to book and when
A trimester-by-trimester timeline for arranging confinement, from booking a nanny in the second trimester to the final fortnight of cooking and stocking.
Does confinement work? What the research says
An honest look at what research says about zuo yue zi: where the evidence supports the tradition, where it is thin, and what seems to do the real work.
Dried scallop congee (瑶柱粥)
A savoury, nourishing confinement congee: soft rice simmered with dried scallops and ginger into a comforting bowl. Gentle enough for the earliest days.
Fish maw and chicken tonic soup (花胶炖鸡汤)
A restorative soup: collagen-rich fish maw double-boiled with chicken, dried scallops and red dates into a deep, nourishing tonic for the later weeks.
Ginger steamed pork patty (姜蓉蒸肉饼)
A gentle, home-style confinement dish: minced pork steamed with ginger and wood ear into a soft, savoury patty. Quick, comforting and kind to a small appetite.
Green papaya and fish soup (青木瓜鱼汤)
The classic confinement milk-supply soup: unripe green papaya and fish simmered into a milky, nourishing broth. Warm, gentle and eaten across the month.
Food safety: Is rice wine safe while breastfeeding?
Rice wine runs through the confinement kitchen, and it is alcohol. What the Australian guidance says, how long it takes to clear, and how to keep the dishes.
Lotus root and pork rib soup (莲藕排骨汤)
A Cantonese confinement soup: lotus root simmered slowly with pork ribs, red dates and peanuts into a sweet, nourishing, quietly restorative broth.
Red bean and longan sweet soup (红豆桂圆糖水)
A warming confinement dessert: adzuki red beans simmered soft with dried longan and red dates into a sweet, blood-nourishing, gently restorative soup.
Rice wine (米酒): the warming spirit of the month
Glutinous rice wine is the backbone of the richest confinement dishes. What it is, why the tradition prizes it, which bottle to buy, and the alcohol question.
Sesame oil pork kidney (麻油腰花)
A Taiwanese confinement classic: pork kidney flashed in black sesame oil and old ginger. Warming and kidney-nourishing, cooked hot and fast for the early weeks.
Snow fungus and peach gum sweet soup (银耳桃胶糖水)
A gentle, silky confinement dessert: snow fungus and peach gum simmered with red dates and goji into a warm, nourishing sweet soup. Soothing and easy to eat.
Diet: What foods should I avoid during confinement?
The confinement avoid-list explained: cold and raw food, cooling fruits, caffeine and alcohol, and which cautions are tradition and which are health advice.
What is a confinement nanny (pui yuet)?
The pui yuet or yue sao is the specialist at the centre of the confinement month. What the role is, where it came from, and what she actually does day to day.
Where to buy confinement ingredients in Australia
Where to find old ginger, black sesame oil, rice wine and dried herbs in Australia, from Asian grocers to herbal dispensaries and online suppliers.
A day in the life of confinement
Confinement is less a set of rules than a daily rhythm. Here is what an ordinary day of the month actually looks like, from the night feeds to lights out.
American ginseng (西洋参): the cooling qi tonic
American ginseng, xi yang shen, is the cooling qi tonic, for the confinement mother who runs hot. How it differs from warming ginseng, and how to use it.
Astragalus (黄芪): the qi tonic of confinement soups
Astragalus, or huang qi, is the energy-building root at the heart of confinement tonic soups. What it does, how it pairs with dang gui, and when to use it.
Chinese yam (淮山): the gentle spleen tonic
Chinese yam, huai shan, is the mild, food-like tonic in confinement soups from the first days. Why the tradition prizes it for digestion, and how to use it.
Codonopsis (党参): the gentle everyday qi tonic
Dang shen, or codonopsis, is the mild, food-like qi tonic that flavours everyday confinement soups. A gentler stand-in for ginseng, and how to use it.
Dried scallops (瑶柱): the nourishing umami soup base
Dried scallops, yao zhu or conpoy, add deep savoury nourishment to confinement soups and congee. Why a few go so far, and how to soak and shred them.
Fish maw (花胶): the collagen-rich postpartum tonic
Fish maw, hua jiao, is the prized, collagen-rich delicacy of restorative postpartum soups. Why the tradition reaches for it after birth, and how to prepare it.
Peach gum (桃胶): the plant-based collagen dessert
Peach gum, tao jiao, is the peach-tree resin that cooks into a collagen-like jelly. Why it is a prized nourishing dessert, and how to soak and cook it.
Snow fungus (银耳): the skin-nourishing dessert
Snow fungus, yin er, is the ruffled white mushroom that cooks into a silky, collagen-like dessert. Why it is the poor man's bird's nest, and how to use it.
The emotional side of confinement no one prepares you for
The postpartum weeks are an emotional adjustment as much as a physical one. What confinement gets right about the mind, and when to reach for help.
9 ways partners and family can help during confinement
Confinement only works when the household does, not the new mother. Nine concrete jobs partners and family can take on so she can rest and heal.
What people get wrong about confinement
Confinement is often dismissed as superstition or misread as oppressive. The common misconceptions, and what the tradition is actually doing underneath them.
What to bring a new mum in confinement
Everyone brings something for the baby. Here is what actually helps the mother through her confinement month, from warm food to the gift of a short visit.
White peony root (白芍): the blood-nourishing herb
White peony root, bai shao, is the blood herb known as dang gui's partner in the classic postpartum formulas. What it does, and why it is used with care.
Wood ear (黑木耳): the blood-nourishing black fungus
Wood ear, hei mu er, is the crunchy black fungus of confinement stir-fries and soups. Why the tradition ties it to blood, its iron, and how to soak and cook it.
Angelica and red date steamed pork ribs (当归红枣蒸排骨)
Pork ribs steamed with dang gui and red dates. A gentler way to take the classic blood nourishing herbs than a long boiled tonic soup.
Batch cooking and freezer prep for confinement
Cooking ahead is the single best way to protect the first week. What confinement food freezes well, how much to make, and how to reheat it warm.
Black sesame oil (黑麻油): the signature confinement fat
Black sesame oil is what makes a dish read as confinement food. Why it is used, how it differs from pale sesame oil, and the low smoke point to respect.
Black sesame sweet soup (芝麻糊)
A warm, silky dessert of ground black sesame, gently sweet and deeply nourishing. A comforting way to take one of the confinement kitchen’s key ingredients.
Ginger-braised bean curd with mushrooms (姜焖豆腐)
Golden pan-fried bean curd braised with ginger and mushrooms in a light savoury sauce. A gentle, protein-rich vegetarian dish for any week.
Braised chicken with chestnuts (栗子焖鸡)
Chicken slow-braised with sweet chestnuts, old ginger and shiitake until tender. A homely, warming main for the settling and rebuilding weeks.
Broccoli with white fungus and goji (雪耳枸杞西兰花)
Crisp broccoli tossed with silky white fungus and goji berries in a light ginger glaze. A pretty, nourishing vegetable dish for any week.
Teeth: Can I brush my teeth during confinement?
Some households discourage brushing during the confinement month. Where the rule comes from, why dental care matters after birth, and the warm water compromise.
Brown sugar ginger tea (红糖姜茶)
The everyday drink of the confinement month: old ginger simmered with brown sugar and red dates into a warm, sweet tonic. Simple, warming and made in minutes.
Bathing: Can I shower or bathe during confinement?
Tradition limits washing during the confinement month. Where showers and baths differ, what wound care requires, and the warm routine most families settle on.
Aircon: Can I use air conditioning or a fan during confinement?
The keep warm rule collides with hot weather. How to stay comfortable and safe in a warm climate without abandoning the reasoning behind confinement.
Phones: Can I use my phone, read or watch TV?
Confinement discourages straining the eyes. What the rule is protecting, what actually happens to vision after birth, and a workable middle ground.
Hair: Can I wash my hair during confinement?
Tradition says no hair washing for the confinement month. What the rule means, where it comes from, and the warm middle ground most families use today.
Chicken in rice wine (鸡酒)
The Cantonese confinement staple: chicken simmered with old ginger, wood ear and glutinous rice wine. Deeply warming, and a dish for the later weeks.
Chinese angelica (当归): the blood herb, used with care
Dang gui is the most used blood tonic in Chinese medicine. Its role in confinement, why it waits until bleeding settles, and why a little goes a long way.
Coix and job’s tears rice (薏米饭)
Everyday rice cooked with job’s tears and red dates for a gently nourishing staple. A simple way to bring a traditional grain into daily meals.
Planning confinement after a caesarean
A caesarean is major surgery as well as a birth. What to plan for recovery, movement, food and support during confinement, alongside your care team.
Confinement and the Australian maternity system
How Chinese confinement fits alongside Australian postnatal care: the short hospital stay, midwife home visits, the child health nurse, and the six week checks.
Confinement compared: China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and beyond
Confinement is not one practice. How the month differs across northern and southern China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, and what stays constant.
Doing confinement in an Australian summer
The confinement rule to keep warm was written for cold homes, not a 35 degree Australian summer. How to honour the intent behind it without overheating.
Confinement in Australia: doing zuo yue zi far from home
How to observe Chinese confinement in Australia when the village is overseas: fitting it around the local health system, and the help available here.
Confinement meal delivery and soup packages in Australia
How confinement meal delivery and pre-measured soup packages work in Australia, what to look for, and what they cost. Take the daily cooking off your hands.
Confinement mee sua with egg (月子面线)
Fine wheat mee sua noodles in a warming ginger and sesame oil broth, topped with a soft egg. A quick, comforting one-bowl meal for any time of day.
Confinement nannies in Australia: cost and how to hire
What a confinement nanny (pui yuet) does, what they cost in Australia, why they are in short supply, and how to find and vet one.
Confinement rules explained: 8 customs and their reasons
The main rules of Chinese confinement, and the thinking behind each one. What every custom is actually protecting against, and how families adapt it today.
A confinement shopping and stocking list
What to have in before the birth: the pantry staples the confinement kitchen runs on, plus the household and recovery items that make the month easier.
Confinement without the village
The hardest part of confinement in Australia is doing it without the family it assumes. How to rebuild that support when your mother and relatives are overseas.
Five-spice braised pork belly (五香焖五花肉)
Pork belly slow-braised with old ginger, star anise and dark soy until meltingly tender. A rich, warming dish for the later weeks of the month.
Ginger and sesame minced pork (麻油姜末猪肉)
A fast weeknight confinement dish: minced pork stir fried with plenty of ginger in black sesame oil. Fifteen minutes, one pan, freezes well.
Ginger and spring onion steamed chicken (姜葱蒸鸡)
Chicken steamed with ginger and finished with a sizzle of spring onion oil. Clean, gentle and warming, a lighter chicken dish for any week of the month.
Ginger asparagus with white fungus and goji (姜炒芦笋银耳)
Asparagus stir-fried with ginger, soft white fungus and goji. A light, colourful vegetable side that still keeps to the warming palette.
Goji and chestnut steamed pork ribs (板栗枸杞蒸排骨)
Tender pork ribs steamed over sweet chestnuts and goji berries. A gentle, nourishing dish that suits the middle weeks of the month.
Goji berries (枸杞子): the eyes and the kidneys
Goji berries appear throughout confinement cooking. Why the tradition links them to the liver, kidneys and eyesight, and how to add them without overcooking.
Green beans with wood ear (木耳炒四季豆)
Green beans and black wood ear stir-fried with ginger and garlic. A quick, crunchy vegetable dish with a blood nourishing note from the fungus.
Green papaya (青木瓜): the confinement lactation food
Green papaya soup is the classic confinement dish for milk supply. What green papaya is, the tradition behind it, what the evidence says, and how to use it.
The history of zuo yue zi: where confinement comes from
Confinement is older than the thirty day rule suggests. Where zuo yue zi came from, how long it once lasted, and how it survived migration and modernity.
Hong zao chicken (红糟鸡)
The Fuzhou confinement signature: chicken braised in red rice wine lees with old ginger, deep red, savoury and warming. A festive dish for the later weeks.
Structure: How are the 30 days of confinement structured?
The confinement month is not one flat stretch of rest. It moves through three stages, each with its own focus, food and level of activity.
Rest: How much rest do I need, and can I leave the house?
Confinement asks a new mother to stay in and rest. What that means in practice, why complete stillness is not the goal, and when going out is fine.
How to prepare for confinement before the birth
Confinement goes far more smoothly when the groundwork is done in advance. What to sort out before the birth: food, help, the home and supplies.
Longan and red date tea (桂圆红枣茶)
A warm, naturally sweet tea of dried longan and red dates. A gentle blood nourishing drink to sip through the day in place of cold water.
Longan and red date glutinous rice (桂圆红枣糯米饭)
Sticky glutinous rice steamed with dried longan and red dates, lightly sweet and warming. A comforting confinement treat for the settling weeks.
Longan (龙眼): sweetness that nourishes and calms
Dried longan sweetens confinement teas and soups and carries its own traditional role, nourishing blood and calming the spirit. How to use it and buy it.
Millet congee (小米粥)
The quiet staple of the confinement month: golden millet simmered soft with red dates. Warm, easy to digest and gentle on a recovering system.
Old ginger (老姜): the warming engine of confinement
Old ginger is in almost every confinement dish for one reason: warmth. What makes it different from young ginger, its role in TCM, and how to buy and use it.
Paid parental leave and confinement in Australia
How the government Paid Parental Leave scheme maps onto the confinement month, including the partner days that let a partner be home to help.
Peanut and pork trotter braise (花生炆猪手)
Pork trotter braised slow with peanuts until sticky and tender. A traditional dish for milk supply, distinct from the vinegar trotter of the first days.
Pork trotter in ginger and black vinegar (猪脚姜)
The Cantonese confinement classic. Trotters simmered for hours in sweetened black vinegar and old ginger, and the one dish worth buying the right vinegar for.
Pumpkin with dried shrimp (虾米焖南瓜)
Soft, sweet pumpkin braised with savoury dried shrimp and ginger. An easy, comforting vegetable dish that suits any week of the month.
Qi, blood, cold and wind: the TCM ideas behind confinement
Almost every confinement rule follows from a handful of TCM concepts. What qi, blood, cold, wind and damp mean, and how each rule descends from them.
Red date and goji tea (红枣枸杞茶)
The everyday drink of the confinement month: warm, faintly sweet, and made in one pot. What goes in it, why, and how to keep a flask going all day.
Red dates (红枣): the confinement blood tonic
Red dates appear in almost every confinement soup and tea. Why the tradition treats them as a blood tonic, how they harmonise a dish, and how to prepare them.
Red rice wine pork (红糟肉)
Pork belly braised in red rice wine lees with old ginger, deep red and savoury. The Fuzhou companion to hong zao chicken, for the rebuilding weeks.
Sesame edamame with wood ear (麻油毛豆炒木耳)
Edamame and black wood ear tossed in black sesame oil and ginger. A quick, protein-rich vegetable dish for the middle and later weeks.
Sesame oil chicken (麻油鸡)
The Taiwanese confinement signature. Chicken browned in black sesame oil with a mountain of old ginger, then simmered in rice wine until deeply savoury.
Sesame oil pork liver (麻油猪肝)
A classic blood nourishing confinement dish: pork liver flashed in black sesame oil and old ginger. Quick to cook, and eaten early in the month by tradition.
Sesame oil pork with wood ear (麻油木耳炒肉片)
Sliced pork stir-fried fast in black sesame oil and ginger with black wood ear. A quick, warming everyday plate for the middle and later weeks.
Sesame straw mushrooms with ginger (麻油姜炒草菇)
Straw mushrooms tossed in black sesame oil with plenty of old ginger. A quick, warming, umami-rich vegetable side for the middle and later weeks.
Cold food: Should I avoid cold food and cold drinks?
Warm food and drink sit at the centre of confinement. Which foods count as cooling, the reasoning behind the rule, and how to eat well while keeping it.
Binding: Should I wear a belly binder after birth?
Belly binding is a fixture of confinement across Asia. What it is traditionally for, what it can and cannot do, and how to use one comfortably.
Slow-braised beef with carrots (萝卜炆牛腩)
Beef and carrots braised slow with star anise and ginger until tender. A warming, blood nourishing dish for building strength in the later weeks.
Braised daikon and carrot (炆萝卜红萝卜)
Daikon and carrot braised soft in a light savoury sauce with mushroom. A gentle, comforting vegetable dish that carries the flavour of whatever it cooks with.
Steamed barramundi with angelica and red dates
A delicate fish fillet steamed with a little angelica root, red dates and ginger. Gentle and nourishing, an easy way to bring herbs to the table.
Steamed chicken with dried lily flowers (金针蒸鸡)
Chicken steamed over dried lily flowers, shiitake and goji until just cooked. A light, gentle main for the middle weeks of the month.
Silky steamed egg custard (蒸水蛋)
The gentlest confinement dish: eggs whisked with warm broth and steamed to a soft, savoury custard. Easy to digest and kind to a delicate first week appetite.
Steamed fish with ginger and goji (枸杞蒸鱼)
A light, quick confinement dish for the early weeks: white fish steamed with ginger, goji and a little rice wine, finished with hot oil and spring onion.
Stir-fried kai lan with ginger (姜炒芥兰)
Warm greens for the confinement table: Chinese broccoli blanched and tossed with plenty of ginger and garlic. The side the rich dishes need.
Stir-fried lotus root with ginger (姜炒莲藕)
Crisp-tender lotus root stir-fried with ginger and a little sesame oil. A light, mineral-rich vegetable dish that balances the richer confinement table.
Sweet vinegar eggs (甜醋煮鸡蛋)
Eggs simmered in sweetened black vinegar with ginger, from the same tradition as the pig trotter vinegar. A warming, blood nourishing dish of the early weeks.
Sweetened black vinegar (甜醋): a Cantonese confinement staple
Sweetened black vinegar is the base of the famous pork trotter dish. What it is, why sweetened not plain, which brand to buy, and the pot it must not touch.
10 things no one tells you about the confinement month
Ten things about the Chinese postpartum month that surprise most first time families, and the thinking behind each one.
What confinement costs in Australia
A realistic breakdown of what a confinement month costs in Australia, from a do-it-yourself budget to full live-in care, so you can plan what fits.
What happens to your body in the first 30 days after birth
A week by week account of postpartum recovery: lochia, the uterus, milk, hormones and healing, and the warning signs worth knowing at each stage.
What is yue zi bing, the confinement illness?
Yue zi bing is the lasting illness a poorly kept confinement month is said to cause. What it describes, why it drives the rules, and how to think about it.
Exercise: When can I start moving and exercising again?
Gentle movement starts in the first days; real exercise waits. How to rebuild after the confinement month, and the signs that say slow down.
Visitors: Who can visit, and how do I set boundaries?
Confinement limits visitors for a reason. Who tradition lets in, what modern guidance says about newborn infection, and words you can actually use.
Emotions: Why am I told not to cry during confinement?
A traditional rule discourages crying during the confinement month. What it is protecting, why tears are normal after birth, and when low mood needs real help.
An introduction to Chinese confinement (zuo yue zi)
Zuo yue zi, the Chinese confinement month, in depth: the 30 day structure, the TCM reasoning, foods week by week, and what the evidence supports.