Postpartum 30:

Thirty Days to a Nurtured Fourth Trimester

A Balance of Traditional Chinese and Modern Postpartum Care

by Kristal Lau, MBBS

Order Now From Any Book Retailers!

Or visit your choice of online retailers below:

For bulk purchases of 20 copies or more, please email kristallau@bridgesinhealth.com for bulk discounts!

If you're unable to order the book online or want to support your local bookstore instead, use the ISBN numbers below for the bookstore to order a copy for you:

ISBN-10: 1954801572

ISBN-13: 978-1954801578

Benefits of Reading 'Postpartum 30'

Release Your Guilt

Give yourself permission to have a postpartum recovery specific to your needs and wants. Especially when you plan to follow the Chinese postpartum practice of Zuo Yue Zi or confinement!

Live Your Modern Life While Following Tradition

If the practice of Feng Shui can evolve and find a place in our modern world, so can the Chinese confinement practice! Learn how to personalise a confinement month that fits with your modern life.

Preserve Tradition

Learn more about this traditional Chinese postpartum recovery practice and have the confidence to pass this rite of motherhood down to your children!

About the Book

Are you a mom-to-be feeling overwhelmed with the idea of postpartum care?

Do you like the idea of traditional Chinese confinement practices, but want to incorporate modern health care for the best possible outcome for you and your baby?

Look no further than "Postpartum 30" by Dr. Kristal Lau—a comprehensive guide for navigating the first month and beyond as a new mom of one or more children.

With this book as your guide, you'll learn how to plan your own postpartum care that suits your individual circumstances and ensures your health and wellness during the all-important fourth trimester.

Dr. Lau, a medically trained professional who bridges modern and traditional health practices, offers advice and insights that will help you experience a postpartum journey filled with bonding, serenity, and love.

Featuring endorsements from experts in the field of perinatal care, "Postpartum 30" is a must-read for pregnant and new moms who wish to find the perfect blend between traditional Chinese confinement practices and modern Western postpartum care.

Whether you're looking for a guide on how to do confinement at home or simply seeking to learn more about this important period of motherhood, this book is an invaluable resource for the modern mom.

Early Reviews and Testimonials

profile-pic

An extremely well-balanced book

I found it was an extremely well-balanced book, encouraging solutions and suggestions for relationship between traditional and modern medical practices postpartum. It encouraged personal preferences for families with different cultures and gave some ideas for problem-solving in the postpartum period.

Shayne Wells , Ex-Midwife
profile-pic

I do wish I’d had access to this book when I was pregnant

As a very western Caucasian growing up in Australia, I had never heard of a confinement month until I was pregnant with my first child. I do wish I’d had access to this book when I was pregnant. It would have helped me understand better some of the suggestions from my in-laws, and given me help finding that middle ground of respecting elders and their traditions whilst still acknowledging my own autonomy.

Kristal does an excellent job of explaining traditional confinement practices in terms of social and cultural norms, and traditional Chinese medicine understandings. Then she takes this one step further and measures these up against modern lifestyle and modern Western medicine.

The result is an easy read which ultimately gives the reader enough information to be able to pick and choose confinement practices that would suit them.

profile-pic

Ideal for expectant parents and families with different cultures on how to manage postpartum

This book would be ideal for expectant parents and their respective families with different cultures on how to manage postpartum. What I enjoyed was the inclusion of the male spouses and partners during this time which during traditional times, they were excluded.

The author gives excellent explanations and modern medicine during postpartum period and the changes between them with suggestions on how to manage this time. It has personal stories which includes recipes, menus, support suggestions for the partner, spouse, Dad and family. It is easy to read and easy to make references whenever you would need to.

profile-pic

I enjoyed how you're challenging the ancient philosophy of “controlling your emotions”

Your tips to modernize confinement practices; I really loved your suggestions and ideas in each of the sections. I enjoyed how you are challenging the ancient philosophy of “controlling your emotions..etc.” I think this is a really powerful chapter and I’m happy you are speaking up about this.

profile-pic

If you are looking for a guide on how to do confinement at home, this book is a great resource for the modern mum!

'Postpartum 30' is a thought-provoking and educational read for new mums or mums-to-be who wish to find that perfect blend between traditional Chinese confinement practice and modern Western postpartum care in the fourth trimester.

Kristal enthusiastically engages the reader in a conversational manner not unlike that used by an older sister or auntie. There is a deliberate absence of medical jargon in the text and Kristal speaks to you through the pages deeply from her own upbringing and experiences.

The text carefully simplifies difficult concepts of TCM and postpartum physiology to make them digestible to the layman mum, and the subsequent chapters are purposefully layered to incorporate these concepts making them easy to recall on a practical level. The book also explores cultural nuances and social constructs of gender roles specific to the Malaysian-Chinese population.

If you are looking for a guide on how to do confinement at home, this book is a great resource for the modern mum!

Dr Grace Cham, MBBS (Hons.) , DRANZCOG Obstetrics and Gynaecology Trainee
profile-pic

Would have help me when I was pregnant

Writing the draft from your personal perspective allows readers like me to relate to you and how this book will help me. I really like how you have divided the book into different areas of your house. I understand most people don’t have access to cook or other people cooking for them during this time, so be able to prepare stuff before hand really helps. The book volume isn’t overwhelming, and it doesn’t feel like a novel to read through it. Having professional opinion like mention this doctor said this or this TCM said this, is also really good.

Anna Zheng , Early Reader
profile-pic

Manageable, realistic, and clear

I read the early draft in a day and it was easy to follow. Even as someone who has never had children, I felt that it made sense. As far as I know of Asian culture and mixed culture relationships, I felt that you were respectful of all even with modernization. The explanations of why TCM might have developed were interesting.

Tara a.k.a Om Sun Hui (OSH) , Editor & Early Reader
profile-pic

Create a postpartum journey filled with bonding, serenity and love

No matter how much planning you do, you can’t control what happens when you give birth. But what the amazing Dr. Kristal Lau so brilliantly teaches, is that you can control what comes next. Having a medically trained professional who bridges modern and traditional health practices by your side, you’ll be able to create a postpartum journey filled with bonding, serenity and love. I only wish I’d had Kristal in my own early journey of motherhood.

Meet the author

Dr. Kristal Lau

Rebranding herself as a 'Physician-turned-Postpartum Wellness Consultant', Kristal definitely didn't waste all that medical training and experience after choosing to leave clinical work in 2017.

She did scientific research for a year growing stem cells from children's milk teeth then finished medical school in Australia. Then she practiced medicine there, spending most of her time looking after elderly patients.

She also completed a Master of Public Health degree when accompanying her husband at a military duty station in the USA.

Now, Kristal runs a small business, called 'Mama's Wing Woman', offering postpartum support to new moms and their growing families.

Kristal grew up in Malaysia where it's common for people to use modern medicine alongside traditional medicine.

She frequently applied this concept when managing her patients and their families as long as the medical treatments and traditional or home remedies don't clash and cause harm.

She believes that the future of health lies in combining our past and present knowledge about healing to meet the needs of our constantly evolving society as we move into the future.

Kristal practiced confinement after her first child with her mom as her confinement person. She's since completed her second confinement practice with her husband as her support person.

Why This Book Matters To Me

Building Bridges

Modern medicine "versus" traditional medicine. Cultural practices "v.s." public health advancements. "Us v.s. them".

Why be divisive when we can embrace both?

My book strengthens me as an advocate of adapting traditional medicine and cultural practices with our modern life towards the goal of achieving better health.

Transformation

Whether we're a first-time mom or an experienced mom who is having more babies, there's always a transformation of self and purpose after each birth.

But some of our traditions may not encourage us to embrace the chaos of this transformation.

My book allows me to challenge this aspect of the traditional Chinese postpartum practice respectfully.

Heritage and Legacy

As a 3rd-generation Malaysian, my Chinese heritage is mostly lost in translation. And I refuse to keep feeling shame about that!

Writing this book is an exploration of my heritage in English.

I've become better positioned to pass down this unique rite of motherhood to my daughters if they want to follow confinement in the future.

>