No pain, no gain!

So, one of the things that I was not 100% prepared for was the fact that I still looked so pregnant after finally giving birth.  Although I knew that I would not be fit and trim, I did not expect to feel like they left another baby inside me.  And it is now officially one month and I still think I was pregnant with triplets and she is still somewhere lingering inside my belly. 

Therefore, I enlisted the services of Azizah, a Malay lady that works during the traditional confinement period after birth.  In several Eastern cultures, it is thought that the mothers and children need to live in the confinement of their homes for at least 30 days and even more in Muslim homes.  Obviously, that is not the American way but I did want to try one of their traditions of the postnatal Jamu wrap and massage.  The after-birth treatment is an intense session of massages and wraps that ease the transition mother's body back to normal from pregnancy. Massage techniques are used to reduce water retention and revitalise the body. The traditional abdominal wrap, known as bengkung is infused with Jamu traditional spices to tone abdominal muscles.

I got Azizah's name from my nurse at the doctor's office and she was set to come for 7 days to my house to give me a massage and wrap my belly.  Little did I know that a Malay massage was not your typical relaxation massage.  The idea is that the massage is used to purge out "the wind" in your body to promote blood circulation.  Azizah was a funny, little lady that could pack a punch.  She started my massage and as she was going she kept making these belching noises and I swear I thought she was about to regurgitate on me.  After a few minutes of this, she finally told me that it was the wind in my body coming through her.  I can't tell you how relieved I was although anyone that knows me well, knows how I feel about noises.  Anyway, as the days went on, she belched less which meant the wind was leaving my body.  Success!  She also ended each session by wrapping me up in what looked and felt like a corset.  I was to wear it at least 8 hours a day so, of course, I wore it more like 12 hours a day.  And I felt so thin after I was wrapped up!  That is until Caron and I went to get foot massages and they asked me how far along I was.  So, so wrong. 

After 7 days, I can tell you I was ready for it to be over.  I was bruised from head to toe from the massage and the Jamu herbs had seeped into every pore of my house.  She told me I was a strong mama to take on the Malay massage and I just told her I was a vain mama that wanted my stomach back!  I kept telling myself "no pain, no gain" and just to suck it up.  The big question is, did it work?  Well, I don't know 100% but who knows what I would have looked like if I didn't do it!!  So now I'm off looking for the next Asian tradition for weight loss.  They must know or do something since they all look like they could shop in the children's department!