双语：为什么中国女人生完孩子要坐月子

kobe

千百年来，中国已经形成了独特的月子文化。现在很多年轻人拒绝坐月子，她们认为，西方人都不坐月子，生完孩子出了院就去上班，我们中国人也没有必要坐月子，坐月子是中国传统文化的糟粕。事实真是这样吗？




　　Postnatal confinement - where new mothers do not leave the house, have visitors or shower for a month after giving birth - is said to be widespread among the UK’s Chinese community. Experts warn that few in the medical profession know this occurs.

　　“产后月子”-在英国的华人社区中，新妈妈们在分娩后一个月内既不能出家门，也不能淋雨,同时也不见访客。专家称在医学界很少有人知道这回事。

　　Being confined in your flat is important, says Ching Ching Turner, from her home in London that she has not left since giving birth 28 days earlier.

　　“产后坐月子十分重要，” Ching Ching Turner在伦敦的家中说，自从28天前她分娩后，她就没出过家门。

　　She speaks to the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme via video call, as visitors are not allowed.

　　她通过视频电话与BBC的维多利亚.德比郡节目进行对话，因为这个阶段她不能见访客。

　　Mrs Turner argues confinement is an important process as traditional belief is that the mother and baby’s immunity is very low.

　　Turner夫人认为，坐月子是一个很重要的过程，因为传统观念认为，这个阶段母亲和婴儿的免疫力很低。

　　She is of Chinese ethnicity, and says: "For us, if you don’t practise it you’re kind of disadvantaging yourself."

　　Turner夫人是一名华裔，她说:“对我们来说，如果你不这样做，那么你就是在自己伤害你的身体。”

　　Confinement is common across Asia and in China there are special hospitals where mothers stay confined for a month, sometimes only seeing their babies once a day.

　　在亚洲和中国，坐月子是很常见的。有专门的月子医院可以让产后母亲在那里呆一个月，有时一天只看一次孩子。

　　It is carried out because traditional Chinese medicine purports that women who have just given birth are more susceptible to cold air, and becoming ill as a result.

　　这是由于传统中医声称刚生完孩子的妇女更容易受到冷空气的影响，并因此而患病。



　　Mrs Turner, who believes she has "done confinement in a modern way" by still showering for example, says her wishes came as a surprise to her husband, who was born in the UK.

　　Turner夫人说，虽然她仍是作为案例参加了这次（视频）采访，但是她认为她已经通过现代的方式坐月子了。即使这样，她的做法仍是让她出生在英国的丈夫感到惊讶。

　　I don’t think he realised that [confinement] came with a whole set of rules, she says.

　　“我觉得他不知道坐月子的具体完整规则，”她说。

　　It was a bit difficult for him as he wanted to show off his baby.

　　“这对他来说有点困难，因为他急于展示他的孩子。”

　　But now we’ve nearly completed the month, he sees the benefits."

　　“但现在我们几乎已经度过了月子阶段，而他也看到了好处。”