Traditional belief gives birth to mothercare industry in China
Private facilities are springing up across the country to look after affluent women and their infants during the first month after delivery
When a beaming Kate Middleton emerged from London’s St Mary’s Hospital just hours after giving birth on the weekend, the question on mainland minds was not the name of the child but how could she be exposing herself to the elements and leaving for home so quickly.
“As a Chinese, I’m deeply shocked,” said one commenter on NetEase, a major Chinese news portal.
“How can she get up from bed less than 24 hours after delivery, and walk in heels with her legs exposed?”
That comment was followed by more than 26,000 others yesterday, reflecting the differences in post-partum care in China and the Western world.
In China, new mothers are believed to be highly vulnerable to cold and fatigue after giving birth and are often confined from the outside world, especially in the first month after delivery.
They are told to stay indoors, not wash their hair and not take a bath to avoid catching a cold. Air conditioning is also prohibited and mobile phones and other gadgets such as iPads are kept out of reach to prevent harm to eyesight and the brain.