Midwifery was part of traditional Thai medicine, which combined natural practices with folk beliefs, rituals, and traditions. After birth, the umbilical cord was cut using a small, sharp bamboo blade. In a significant number of cases, newborns developed tetanus from this traditional practice and many died. The importance of hygiene techniques and sterile medical equipment was emphasized and traditional midwives were trained to apply these practices. Public medical developments and regulations have helped reduce neonatal mortality in Thailand. [Source: Thai Medical Guide ]
According to tradition, the mother and newborn had to remain in the birthing room for a month (it took a month for the mother to regain her health), a practice known as "thermotherapy." Thai mothers received herbal remedies, including massage with herbal compresses, known in Thai as "Luuk Prakrop," heating the birth canal area by sitting on salt herb pots, herbal hot charcoal sheets, and herbal saunas to slow the uterine contractions staying and returning after birth I did.
Today, the Yu Fai tradition is still practiced by rural Thai women. A recent phenomenon involving renewed interest in traditional Thai medicine as a natural alternative to modern Western medicine has seen urban pregnant women beginning to use adapted versions of YuFai to fit the modern return to traditional practices by a new generation of mothers.
The importance of postpartum care is being reassessed.
Commentaires