After delivery, a new mother has to warm herself by staying in a warm place eating a lot of meat cooked with pepper and ginger in order to heat the body. She is usually advised not to wash her hair for one month after delivery because her body might not be about to stand the cold. In the old days, new mother had to warm themselves by the fire for at least seven to nine days. Each day a midwife would come to help lift the womb back to its place. She is not allowed to do hard work for at least on month after the baby is born. No matter what the beliefs and rules are, it can be easily noticed that woman are very well cared for during pregnancy and at childbirth.
New born babies are believed to be under the care of certain spirits. If he is smiling and laughing during his sleep, a spirit may be playing with him. If he is not well and cries a lot, the spirits may be punishing him. If he is “naughty” and does not sleep during his usual rest hour, it may be because he is taken care of by a monkey spirit on that day. If he sleeps well and is nice and calm, then it is a hermit spirit who takes care of him.
When the baby is a month old, there is a small celebration in the home. In the old days, relatives and friends were invited to a big feast, especially if the baby was a boy. Today, there are no longer big feasts, but homage to ancestors at home is still performed. This is a way of introducing a new member of the family to the ancestors’ spirits. Certain dishes are prepared to worship the ancestors and distributed to relatives and friends to announce that a baby is born to the family. The usual dishes are Iew Peung, which is glutinous rice cooked with port and dry shrimps, boiled eggs that are stained red and cakes made from glutinous rice flour moulded into the shape of tortoises with filling made from mungbean paste. People receiving such food normally return the plate with some money gift wrapped in red paper, uncooked rice and a few fresh eggs to with the newborn baby good luck.