Pampering after child birth

It’s been years since I was pampered. The last time I was pampered was 23 years ago.
Well that was the last time I gave birth to my youngest son.

The pampering I had in those days is like going to a SPA, minus the beautiful decorative settings by today's standards. If only the Malays know how to market their klnowledge of traditional practices in those days, the Malays would be Millionaires today.

But Alas, the Malays did not have the marketing expertise like the Chinese and the Westerners. TheMalays are very creative by nature, but their creativity has been exploited by others, while the Malays just look. It is such a shame.

Look at the demand for SPA services, mushrooming everywhere. What they are doing at the SPA are just practicing what we have been practicing hundreds of years ago.

I remember how wonderful it was to be massaged, tungkued (point pressured using heated rounded river stone on the abdomen), given a hot bath, wrapped around the waist and abdomen, before you are allowed to eat. Those were the days when I felt so relaxed and enjoyed every moment of my confinement days every time I gave birth. I had the opportunity to enjoy it six times.

My daily menu was strictly controlled by my mother. She will make sure I do not eat too much, lest my tummy expand and I become fat. I can only drink hot water with all sort of heaty spices added inside but no sugar or salt added to it. I used to feel quite grumpy about the whole process. But my mother always assured me that it will be good for me. So I obliged.

Every morning before breakfast, a women would come in and heat the tunku ( a roundish river stone specially selected for the process) on the stove. It will be left to burn for about half an hour until the tunku become red hot. She will then take it off the stove and wrapped it inside an old but clean used sarong. She would fold the sarong 4 or 5 time before spreading it on the floor and used it to wrap the tunku. A few Mengkudu leaves will be spread between the cloth and the tunku before tying it. She then used it to press all over my body. Of course she will make sure that it will not burn my skin. She will begin on the back, neck, legs and other parts of the body that had suffered the torment and torture of child birth.

The concentration will however be on the tummy. This, according to her is to make the womb shrink quickly and I will recover quickly too.

Each tunku session will last about 30 minutes and I had to be tunkued three sessions every morning. After she had completed the tunkuing process she will continue with the next session which is massaging. She will do this for another hour or so. During this session I will normally fall asleep.

I will only wake up when the hot water bath is ready. This is called mandi tersap. This bath is very refreshing and rejuvenating because a lot of leaves with medicinal properties is added during the boiling process.

After that I had to lie down again for the next step. This is the wrapping process whereby my tummy will be rubbed with black sticky substance……..before a big corset-like piece of material which my mother had prepared, will be tied and wrapped around my tummy until it is hard to breathe, but for beauty's sake I tolerated it.

When everything is ready only then will I be permitted to eat my breakfast. The breakfast usually consist of a small portion of white rice, grilled dried fish and a dash of black pepper powder. No chicken, no egg, and no vegetable. No second helping is allowed. And of course a glass of spiced drink which my mother referred to as "air sepang kederang". It is red in color but tasteless. Sometimes the drink will be made from rempah ratus (hundred spices) and the taste is horrible. But I have to take it anyway.

As for dessert I will be given the “kueh dadu”……..?which is also made of spices.

I had to adhere to this regime for at least forty four days.