Column: Embracing the Mexican cuarentena after I gave birth

I’m Mexican … of course my mother had me do the cuarentena after giving birth. La cuarentena, which translates to quarantine is usually a tradition that makes mothers take care of themselves for the first 40 days after giving birth. 

For my mother it was crucial that I had time to rest, recover and really focus on learning how to breastfeed my son, Levi, while she helped with household chores and any kind of support that my partner and I needed.

The traditional cuarentena makes you avoid cold showers, makes you drink lots of hot soups and milk, makes you wear a postpartum faja, abstain from having sex and lastly, it forces you to always be fully clothed with pants, socks and a sweater, because if you don’t “Te entra aire, and it’s bad for you.”

Postpartum experiences in the U.S. can differ for every woman, but many cultures around the world still honor postpartum traditions to this day. As a new mom, I did embrace my own version of the cuarentena.

I’m not really a believer of all these things but for my mom it was important that I followed the cuarentena and I honestly couldn't complain about it, because in all reality I think every new mom needs this type of support after giving birth, especially after having a C-section.

I didn’t enjoy being fully clothed or covered all the time and I would sometimes take off my sweater. I also didn’t enjoy having socks all the time but my mother kept putting them on me because my feet were still swollen. They were so swollen that she would massage my feet with hot water and arnica.

Although my mom didn’t stay with me for the whole 40 days, she did stay with me for a whole week and would visit me very often. Every morning she made sure to make me oatmeal so that I would produce more milk for my baby. I was producing plenty of milk but for my mother it was important that my breast milk “No se secara.”

It was also crucial for me to eat plenty of vegetable soup or “caldo de pollo,” so that my baby can eat healthy and not be affected by colics. And if you're an experienced mom reading this then you probably know it's not a pleasant experience.

When it came to wearing the faja everyday, I actually didn’t complain about it. I felt like it really helped with supporting my stomach after having a C-section. I would take breaks here and there but it made my recovery easier and faster and most importantly it helped me to walk around without feeling major pain in my incision.

The cuarentena tradition asserts that new moms should avoid sex for the first 40 days but that’s pretty much aligned with the modern doctor recommendations. Most doctors will suggest that you first get cleared by a health provider at your first or second postpartum check up. The reason why they enforce this after giving birth is because the uterus is susceptible to postpartum infections in the first few weeks after giving birth and could possibly lead to complications. For the most part I know many moms can agree that no woman is trying to have sex after just giving birth.

If I ever decide to have another baby, I think I would still continue the tradition of the cuarentena. Not just for the physical care but also for the emotional support that my mom provided with me. It's truly a bonding moment with your mother, a true mother-to mother moment.