坐月 explained: the confinement month, and how to do it well in the UK
What 坐月 is, where its customs come from, and how to keep the parts that help — rest, warmth, good food, support — alongside NHS advice on hygiene, movement and checks.
For many Hong Kong families, the month after a baby arrives has a name: 坐月 (zo jyut, "sitting the month"), also called the confinement month. It's a period of rest and recovery for the mother, often with a 陪月 — a confinement nanny — who cooks, helps with the baby and keeps the household running.
If you're having a baby in the UK, you may be the first in your family to do 坐月 far from grandparents, with an NHS team whose advice doesn't always line up with what your mother or mother-in-law expects. This guide explains the tradition and how to make it work here.
Where 坐月 comes from
坐月 has roots in traditional Chinese medicine and centuries of custom across China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. The thinking is that pregnancy and birth leave the body depleted and "cold", so the first month should restore warmth, blood and energy. Rest, warming food and protection from wind and cold are the three pillars.
Practices vary a lot between families and regions, and many have changed over the past generation. Most families today keep the spirit of 坐月 — rest, nourishment and support — and relax the stricter rules.
Common customs
- Rest at home for around 30 days (some families keep 40), with visitors limited.
- Warming food: ginger, sweet black vinegar, sesame oil, rice wine, fish soups and slow-cooked meats. See our guide to ginger vinegar and chicken in rice wine.
- Avoiding "cold": no cold drinks or raw food, staying out of drafts and air conditioning, wearing socks and layers.
- Not washing hair or showering — traditionally for the whole month, to avoid "wind" entering the body.
- Help with the baby, so the mother can sleep and recover.
Keeping what helps, adapting what doesn't
Rest and support: keep it
This is where 坐月 shines. Recovering from birth — whether vaginal or caesarean — takes weeks, and broken sleep is exhausting. Having someone cook, do the laundry and take the baby between feeds so you can sleep is genuinely valuable. The NHS encourages new parents to rest when they can and accept help.
Warm, nourishing food: keep it, with balance
Soups, fish, eggs and slow-cooked meat are good sources of protein and fluids. Balance richer dishes with rice, vegetables and fruit, drink plenty of water (especially if breastfeeding), and go easy on very sugary or fatty dishes. If you're breastfeeding, the NHS suggests considering a daily 10 microgram vitamin D supplement in autumn and winter.
Washing: adapt it
Keeping clean after birth helps prevent infection. If you have stitches, the NHS advises a daily bath or shower with plain warm water; change maternity pads often, and keep a caesarean wound clean and dry. Nothing in NHS guidance suggests avoiding washing or hair-washing. If you want to honour the tradition, many mothers compromise with warm showers, a warm bathroom and drying hair straight away with a hairdryer.
Staying in bed: adapt it
Lots of rest is good, but lying still for long periods isn't. Gentle movement — getting up, short walks around the home — helps circulation and recovery, and reduces the risk of blood clots after birth. The NHS suggests gentle exercise — walking, stretches and pelvic floor exercises — as soon as you feel up to it. Check with your GP at your 6-week check before high-impact exercise; after a caesarean or a complicated birth, recovery takes longer, so ask your midwife, health visitor or GP first.
Keeping warm: for you, not the baby
Wrapping up yourself is fine. Babies, though, can easily overheat, which is a risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome. Keep the baby's room at a comfortable temperature, don't over-bundle them, and keep their head uncovered when sleeping. Read our guide to safe sleep for newborns.
Your NHS appointments still matter
坐月 doesn't replace postnatal care. In the first weeks you'll usually see:
- Your midwife, at home or in clinic, for the first days after birth.
- A health visitor, usually from around 10–14 days, who checks on you and the baby.
- Your 6–8 week postnatal check with your GP, for you; the baby has their own physical check at 6–8 weeks too.
Keep these appointments even if it means leaving the house during the month. They're how problems like infections, heavy bleeding or postnatal depression get picked up early.
Where a 陪月 fits in
A good 陪月 handles cooking, laundry, bathing and settling the baby, night feeds if you're bottle-feeding or expressing, and teaches you routines — so you can rest. They're not a substitute for your midwife or GP, and a good one will encourage you to keep your appointments and follow safe-sleep advice.
When you're choosing one, look for experience, references, a DBS check and paediatric first aid. Our guide to choosing a 陪月 has the questions to ask.
Talk about it before the baby arrives
The most common source of stress in 坐月 isn't the food or the rules — it's family members disagreeing. Before the birth, agree as a family which customs matter to you, which you'll relax, and who has the final say. A 陪月 who has worked with UK families can help you find a middle way.
Sources
Disclaimer
- Our articles are general information only. They are not medical, legal or other professional advice, and they don’t replace advice from your midwife, health visitor, GP or another qualified professional who knows your situation.
- Postnatal Link is not a healthcare provider. Carers on Postnatal Link offer practical postnatal support; they don’t replace your NHS midwife, health visitor or GP.
- We check articles against NHS and other official UK sources at the time of writing, but guidance changes. Check the latest advice, and never ignore professional advice or delay getting help because of something you read here.
- Traditional confinement practices and foods are described as cultural information, not as health claims.
- Links to other websites are provided for information; we aren’t responsible for their content.
- In an emergency call 999. For urgent medical advice call NHS 111 or go to 111.nhs.uk.
Keep reading
Your body after birth: what's normal, and the signs that need help
Bleeding, afterpains, stitches, a caesarean wound, tiredness and emotions in the weeks after birth — what to expect, how to look after yourself, and when to call your midwife, 111 or 999.
Safe sleep for newborns: keeping baby warm without overheating
The UK's safer sleep advice in plain words — back to sleep, a clear flat cot, the right room temperature — and how to square it with the traditional instinct to bundle babies up.
Baby blues or postnatal depression? Looking after your mind after birth
How to tell the baby blues from postnatal depression, why it's common and nothing to be ashamed of, the rare emergency of postpartum psychosis, and where Hong Kong families in the UK can get help.