The 3 stages of postpartum recovery

Our soup package is set out in three stages, in the order Chinese confinement has followed for generations. Below, we go through each stage: what is happening in your body, what soups to take, and why.

Scroll to follow the progression

How Chinese medicine sees the body after birth

Pregnancy and labour use a great deal of qi (energy) and blood. Traditional Chinese Medicine describes a new mother's body in three ways, and you can see each of them in how the soups are ordered.

虚

Depleted xū

Qi and blood are spent through labour and blood loss, and breastfeeding keeps drawing on both. The whole month is built around replenishing them.

寒

Cold and open hán

The body is seen as open and easily chilled after birth. Everything is eaten warm, and warming herbs such as Roasted Ginger and Chinese Angelica Root appear from the first day.

瘀

Stagnation yū

What remains in the womb still needs to clear. That is why the first soups move blood, and the rich tonics wait until later.

先排后补

Why the soups come in this order

The traditional rule is 先排后补: let out what needs to leave before building up. Rich tonics taken too early are thought to hold in what the body is trying to release. So the first soups move blood and help milk flow, and the richest blood tonics wait until the middle of the month.

Dried confinement herbs on a plate with a Golden Month tea pack

Stage 1 · Days 1 to 10

Release & Repair清 · 催

The first days are about letting the body clear and helping milk begin to flow, with warmth at every meal.

What your body is going through

Line drawing of a mother standing, with points to tap on the body

Tap a point on the body

Shrinking back down

Your uterus starts around navel height and drops about a finger-width a day. Bleeding (lochia) is heaviest and brightest in the first few days.

What helps: Sheng Hua Postpartum Tonic, with Chinese Angelica Root and Ligusticum Rhizome to keep blood moving so lochia can clear.

Recovery through a TCM lens

This is the time to warm the womb, keep blood moving so lochia can clear, and open the milk. The stage takes its name from two actions: 清, to clear, and 催, to encourage milk. Gentle qi tonics come in early to lift your energy, while the heavy blood tonics are held back for now.

生化Sheng Hua, the name of the first soup, means "generate and transform": make new blood and transform what is left behind.

“Having warm, nourishing soup every day helped keep my body warm and made me feel so much more energised.”

Sai T.A., Victoria · verified buyer, 30-Day Soup Package

The soups that lead this stage

Sheng Hua Postpartum Tonic生化汤

Move blood · Warm womb · Clear lochia

The classic first soup of confinement, made with Chinese Angelica Root, Ligusticum Rhizome, Peach Kernel and Roasted Ginger.

Papaya Rice Paper Pith Lactation Soup通草催乳汤

Promote lactation · Unblock flow · Warm middle

A Cantonese lactation soup for the days your milk comes in.

Qi Boosting Astragalus Soup北芪补气汤

Boost qi · Strengthen spleen · Support defence

Lifts energy without being heavy, for the most tiring days.

Blood Enriching Notoginseng Soup田七活络汤

Invigorate blood · Clear stasis · Unblock channels

This is where traditional practice moves from clearing to repair. Notoginseng Root settles any remaining bleeding while keeping blood moving.

Herbs doing the work

Chinese Angelica Root当归

The most important herb for women after birth. It replenishes blood and, because it also moves blood, helps lochia clear.

Ligusticum Rhizome川芎

Keeps blood moving in Sheng Hua Tang so the uterus can clear lochia.

Peach Kernel桃仁

Part of Sheng Hua Tang on the first day, helping the uterus clear lochia and easing cramping. Used only briefly, at the start of recovery.

Roasted Ginger炮姜

Roasted until blackened to warm the womb and ease cold, cramping afterpains.

Rice Paper Pith通草

A classic herb for opening milk flow when milk is slow or ducts feel blocked.

Dried Papaya番木瓜

A Cantonese soup classic for new mothers, traditionally believed to help with milk supply.

Notoginseng Root三七

Used as the first week ends to settle remaining bleeding while keeping blood moving.

Red Sage Root丹参

Keeps blood moving at the end of the first week as the uterus recovers, with a calming effect on a restless mind.

Curious about every herb in your soups? Explore the Herb Library

Dried fruits and nuts on a plate with a Golden Month pack

Stage 2 · Days 11 to 20