Pantang: Do They Really Work?

Confinement practices, or pantangs, are meant for new mothers to recuperate from the rigours of pregnancy, labour and birth. But some of those practices can be quite tedious to follow and most of us aren’t even sure if they’re really beneficial to the new mother. To find out whether there’s science behind these traditions, we spoke to a Consultant Obstetrician Gynaecologist from Pantai Hospital Ampang, Dr Suhaimi Isa.

- Batrisyia Jay & Sophia Ivy Jo

Body Massage (Urut Badan)

According to the old ways, women who have just given birth are encouraged to undergo traditional massages for at least three consecutive days or longer. The practice is believed to improve blood circulation, expel lochia (vaginal discharge), breaks down fat, lifts the womb to prevent it from sagging, tones and shapes the body and speeds up the mother’s overall recovery.

Dr Suhami : “Medically speaking, urut badan is similar to physiotherapy. When you’ve just delivered a baby, your womb is still big, hence I do not think it wise to exert pressure on your tummy, let alone massage it. Keep in mind that behind the womb lays your spine, when you rub or massage the womb too much, it’ll rub against the spine and may end up damaging it. I also don’t think that it’s wise for a midwife to ‘lift the womb’ as it is against the nature of the body. All of your organs are set to return to its original place after a week of giving birth. A body massage is a safe practise if the abdominal area is left alone. Women who had undergone Caesarean are advised to wait 4 weeks before undergoing this treatment.”

Wrap (Barut)

Barut is the most crucial part of the confinement period. Wrapped tightly on a woman’s waist, this practice of tightly binding the tummy, sometimes also called berbengkong, is said to help regain the mother’s original figure.