Any local customs after giving birth?

[Newbie_hk]

Are there any local customs to observe once you've had a baby?

My husband noticed that a colleague at work treated the entire department (staff of 20) to lunch when his wife gave birth. Is this customary or was this just an enthusiastic father who was just happy to treat his co-workers?

I will give birth in a few days so my hubby was wondering what's the local practice here. We're happy to go by what's customary as we think it's nice to do something that's done by the locals.

Being an Irish/Australian/Filipino couple, we don't do anything special except send birth announcement cards home.

 

[howardcoombs]

There are a lot of superstitions regarding eating bananas, washing hair and similar.
There is also the interesting custom of Confinement but I'm not aware of buying lunches/dinners/cigars and similar.

HC

 

[Gracey]

Traditionally, you are to host one party at 30 days and another at 100 days. The protocol is similar to a Chinese wedding or any other sort of banquet -- you pay the bill for the meal, but people usually give laisee or gifts back.
In our family, the 30-day meal is for immediate family -- just the baby's parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents. The 100-day one is bigger and includes extended family.
Socially, it is probably not expected for an Irish/Australian/Filipino couple. You can do it if you like, but I doubt people would consider it an obligation for you. And even some Chinese couples are cutting back on what is a big expense.

 

[Gracey]

Yet other families will only do the 100-day one, instead of doing both.

 

[hongkongcic]

I believe this is called a red egg party or red egg and ginger party. It's a way of announcing the baby.

After I gave birth, my husband's work actually gave him laisee, his colleagues gave gifts and our local friends gave gifts and brought a Chinese soup that promotes milk production - we didn't have a party.

 

[lesliefu]

normally within the first couple months the new parents will make "ginger, egg and pigs knuckle" in black vinegar to pass to friends / family. and then there will be a banquet for the baby at 100 days (OR for some at 1 mth) - it's normally either or now. if the occasion(s) is for family only, then the new parents will normally treat their colleagues to lunch...because normally his/her colleagues will give gifts to the new born and it is a way to repay the generosity and to thank everyone for their generosity.

 

[evgreen]

my mother says she's supposed to bathe me in ginger water after giving birth. i've never heard of this before!!!

 

[taysty]

my mother says she's supposed to bathe me in ginger water after giving birth. i've never heard of this before!!!

I have heard of it and in fact MIL "force" me to use those ginger water when I want to take a shower after back from hospital.

 

[lesliefu]

the ginger is supposed to take the excess "air" out of your body so that you will not develop rhematism when you get older. they actually charged $1000 for ginger water at Matilda (which for me was ridiculous!) and to make matters worse for my MIL I took a shower - washed my hair and all 3 hours after the birth! you're not meant to wash your hair for a month - for the same reason!

 

[taysty]

@lesiefu

I am surprise that Maltida such an expat popular hospital have ginger water and so expensive too.

I also did something that dismay my ILs. They said my hand can't touch/contact with any unboiled water. Well, that means I can't wash my hands after going to washroom? LOL