Unconfined-ment!!

Disclaimer: Warning!! The below post that you are about to read contains unconventional, nontraditional and some might even call it unorthodox methods of doing confinement. So if you are very traditional and insist that confinement must be carried out in a certain manner, you are advised to skip this post and come back in a week or two.

I think the Mrs is really glad with her decision to do our own confinement instead of staying with either her mum or mine. She has all the freedom in the world to do whatever she likes.

Take showering for example. She took one after being injected with the Antibiotics and while waiting for Dr N to break the water bag. She took another one the next morning and since then once a day everyday.

Since the Mrs is already showering on a daily basis, naturally she has no excuse not to help with the dishes right?! No, I'm kidding. It was strictly on a volunteering basis. I try and do most of the washings but sometimes while I was busy with work, she will help do the dishes.

So much for not wetting yourself huh?!

I understand that most women on confinement really look forward to their next Gynae or Pediatrician visit. And their mothers or mothers-in-law will probably wonder why the doctors' visits seem to get more and more frequent and these visits also seem to get longer as well. In the beginning their daughters and daughters-in-law will only be gone for a quick hour or two. By the time the confinement is coming to an end, they will take the entire half a day or even longer.

This is not the case for the Mrs because for the last 15 days, we have been out for no less than 4 times and only twice were legitimate. That was our visit to Isaac's Pediatrician and a follow up blood test for Isaac's jaundice level. One of the other outings was to Ikea in Tampines to meet our friends for lunch. My sis had just collected her car so she took us out for a spin. Another trip was back to the Mrs's office. She had to return because during her absence, her capable colleague decided to quit. She wanted to meet her to try and retain her. Since we are without a maid and we cannot let our parents know, Isaac came along for the ride each time.

I remembered this friend that we met for lunch at Ikea was a little taken aback when we asked to meet for lunch. His reaction was the usual i.e. "On confinement right? Can come out meh?" My retort was during our second day at the hospital, Dr N knowing that the Mrs was a little bored, asked her to change and go to Paragon for coffee and shopping. I also added in that how is it different from going to see the Gynae or Pediatrician? Guess what his reply was? He said we are supposed to go out when necessary and to make it a quick one. He added that based on my thinking, we might as well go to Bali for our vacation during this confinement period. Not a bad idea if you ask me.

I am not saying that what we did was right or wrong and neither are we trying to be defiant. I guess we see ourselves as the younger generation and we compare ourselves to our European and American counterpart. They do not practice confinement and you can usually see them out with their newborn having a nice cuppa at Starbucks after a few days rest.

One of the reader of this blog also pointed out that these older generation always preach that women on confinement should do this and this and avoid doing that and that but how many of them are really living a life without backache or rheumatism at their old age now? I hope I do not come across as mean but seriously by sticking to these old wives tales, they are not exactly spared these old age problem also.

I think the only thing that we are doing "right" is on the food department. My sis was very nice in buying my mum a confinement cookbook and the Mrs had benefited greatly from it. For about 2 weeks now, my mum had yet to repeat any dishes for our lunch and dinner. I was truly amazed that confinement can have this many variety and can taste this good. If it is not due to the use of ginger and sesame oil for most of them, one can't really tell that these dishes are actually confinement food.

My mum and dad are kind and nice enough to prepare lunch and dinner for us on a daily basis. So all I had to do was to swing by their place and pick it up twice a day. Usually they will prepare a set of "normal" food for me and confinement food for her but I always end up eating both types. So much so that I feel heaty these days already. I seem to be having constant sore throat and I think it all started during the Mrs’s hospital stay where I ate both my share of the hospital food and her confinement food.

Yes, Mount Elizabeth serves confinement food for mummies now and no, I’m not a big eater. Its just that the food portion for husband is a little small.