Giving Birth Lao Style

Looking at the many pictures I have from clinics in Laos, I wanted to learn more specifics about why birthing practices such as the “hot bed” are so important to postpartum recovery in Laos.

I found this blog post which excerpted a “Vientiane Times” July 2006 article that sheds some light:
“A grey-haired woman chews betel nut as she puts a pot of glowing charcoal under the bed of her daughter, who lies there weakly after giving birth a few days ago.
The young mother’s body is covered in sweat due to the heat of the fire, which is as hots as the coals on which she normally grills fish.

I asked Mrs. Yad, who is taking care of her daugther Van, why it was necessary for her to lie over a bed of coals.

Mrs. Yad smiled and said that there were two accepted methods of post-natal recovery, referred to as cool or hot.

The “cool” method involves only taking traditional medicine and does not require the mother to lie over a fire. The “hot” method requires the mother to lie in bed over burning charcoal for at least 15 days.

While both these methods are traditional and have been in existence for as long as anyone can remember, almost every young mother without exception follows the “hot” method as requested by her family. This method is the more effective, according to Mrs. Yad.

The fire must stay alight all the time until the mother has completed her recovery, at a date determined by her own mother. This is done because it is believed that the heat of the fire will heal the uterus and birth canal more quickly. ‘If a new mother doesn’t do this, she may develop backache and an aching waist,’ she explained.

Mrs. Yad believes that if mothers can withstand the heat for this length of time, they will be healthier in the long run. The longer they lie over the fire, the sooner they will recover.

During this time, Van will drink several litres of hot water every day, boiled in a cooking pot and containing herbs to ensure that she will produce enough milk to breastfeed her baby. She also has to shower three of four times a day, again using warm water with traditional herbs. This is the Lao way, and it is rigorously adhered to.

The new mother is not allowed to eat normally after giving birth, and her diet is limited to prevent her becoming ill. In the first three days after delivery, she will only eat fried galangal with salt. AFter this she can eat friend meat of a black feathered chicken and of a black buffalo.”