Exhausted and unconscious, I’ve
awoken at the hospital. I hear movements around me. All I can see is the white
walls surrounding me, and the light beaming directly into my eyes. I could
hardly open my eyes. The nurse had requested me “stay lying down and do not move.”
I grasp for air and cry out, “where is she?” “Is she ok? Kal, my husband came
and stood on the side rail and whisper to me, “ She’s beautiful and healthy. I’ll
have the nurse bring her in.” I’ve just had a C-section and have not gotten a
chance to see my daughter. The nurse brings in my baby girl and holding her for
the first time was an experience that I would never be able to describe. I felt
bless and excited, but really overwhelm altogether.
After holding my daughter for what
seem like only 10 minutes, my mother walks through the door. On her left hand I
see a blue cooler with a white lid on top and on her right hand holds stainless
steal thermo mug. She immediately lays them down on the table. She then came up
to my bed and sat down on the side of my bed, she took Scarlett and held her in
her arms. She then looked at me and ask me “Are you ok?” I replied, “Yes, Mom.”
She then conveyed to me, You need to eat honey, you look really pale.” I responded
back yes. She handed Scarlett to Kal. She went to the table where the cooler
was sitting and took out the freshly made warm rice and boiled chicken with
herbs. She commanded me to eat so I can get my strength back. I think to
myself, “Great, here starts my 30 day chicken diet.”
In our tradition Hmong culture, Hmong women follow a very strict
diet after childbirth. It consists of freshly made warm rice, boiled chicken in
broth with herbs and lemon grass, and of course warm or hot water. The herbs
are not your usual herbs like cilantro, basil, rosemary, etc. They are special
herbs that are planted and used solely for this purpose. The only seasoning is
salt. Cold water is not recommended. Icy cold water is a big No-No. Women
should eat 3 meals a day made freshly from the hot stove and she may not eat
anything else. The warm food and herbs is supposed to help cleanse the uterus
of the leftover blood, thus making a woman heal faster from childbirth and will
help with the body once getting older. Many Hmong women have followed this
strict diet for hundreds of years. A woman is required to follow this chicken
diet after she has a baby for 30 days.
After arriving home and eating the
chicken diet for the first week, it was easy. I was fine. I was too worried
about the baby to really eat. All my concentration was on the baby and healing
myself from the surgery. The second week was intense but I push myself
everyday, trying to keep the tradition. I often talk to myself, “No, you got to
keep it up, just push hard, force yourself.” The third week was dreadful. I was
always hungry all the time. I would skip a meal because the chicken was tasteless
to me. My stomach rumble a few times wanting more food, but disciplining myself
I told myself not to cheat. My friends and family would come over to visit and
would scold at me to eat more chicken throughout the day. I look at them and think to myself, yeah
right. Let me see you try. Everyday I would look in the mirror and I can tell
that my weight is shedding off slowly, but I was so pale and didn’t look strong
at all. I wanted to eat more but I knew
that I would break the tradition. I also wanted to lose the weight so I concentrated
hard.
The fourth week was tremendously cruel. I did a count down. I couldn’t eat any more
chicken. I pull out the white flag in my head and told myself that I surrender.
The thought of boiled chicken made me sick to my stomach. I wanted to vomit
when I had the boil chicken in front of me. All I ate was the rice and the warm
chicken broth that last week, I didn’t even touch the chicken breast. My mind
was playing tricks on me. I wanted to cheat. I felt trap and depress. I wanted
to scream. I question myself several times telling myself that I didn’t have to
do this to myself. Why am I torturing myself?
Day 27 comes around, did I cheat,
yes I did. I had chicken nuggets’ from McDonalds the last three days of the
chicken diet. Through this month process of eating chicken I had weigh myself
and I actually lost all my baby weight. I was back to the same
size before I had my baby. I was happy but of course I didn’t feel well. I felt
drained, wipeout, and exhausted. I
question myself, “If I would do this again?”
