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Lying-in is the term given to the European[citation needed] forms ofpostpartum confinement, the traditional practice involving longbed rest before[1] and after giving birth. The term and the practice it describes are old-fashioned orarchaic, but lying-in used to be considered an essential component of thepostpartum period, even if there were no medical complications duringchildbirth.[2]
A 1932 publication refers to lying-in as ranging from two weeks to two months.[3] It also suggests not "getting up" (getting out of bed post-birth) for at least nine days and ideally for 20 days.[3][4] Care was provided either by her female relatives (mother or mother-in-law), or, for those who could afford it, by a temporary worker called themonthly nurse. These weeks ended with the re-introduction of the mother to the community in the Christian ceremony of thechurching of women. When lying-in was a more common term, it was used in the names of severalmaternity hospitals, for example theGeneral Lying-In Hospital in London. Until the 1970s, standard NHS postpartum care involved 10 days in hospital, with the newborns taken to the nursery overnight, ensuring the mothers were well rested by the time they returned home.[5]
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Acaudle was a hot drink, well documented inBritish cuisine, particularly in Victorian times, as suitable for invalids and new mothers. So much was it associated with the visits of friends to see the new baby that "cake and caudle" or "taking caudle" became ametonym for postpartum social visits.
Women received congratulatory visits from friends and family during the period; among many traditional customs around the world, thedesco da parto was a special form of painted tray presented to the mother inRenaissanceFlorence. The many scenes painted on these trays show female visitors bringing presents, received by the mother in bed, while other women tend to the baby. Equivalent gifts in contemporary culture includebaby showers andpush presents.
No fixed term of lying-in is recommended in Renaissance manuals on family life (unlike in some other cultures), but documentary records suggest that the mother was rarely present at thebaptism, which in Italian cities was usually held within a week of the birth at the localparish church, normally a few minutes' walk from any house.[6]
In art, the immensely popular scene of theBirth of Jesus technically shows the Virgin Mary, who reclines on a couch in most medieval examples, lying-in, but in famously non-ideal conditions. More ideal images of lying-in in well-off households are represented inBirth of the Virgin andBirth of John the Baptist. These are generally given contemporary settings, and differ little from other images that are purely secular, especially those ondesci da parto.
Seclusion before and after childbirth; confinement.
CHAPTER XI[:] THE LYING-IN PERIOD [...] The Time for Getting Up.—How long a woman should stay in bed after the birth of a child is a question which has given rise to prolonged discussion. The majority of obstetricians adhere to the traditional ten days; but there are advocates of a longer period and advocates of a shorter one. The generalizations of many writers upon this subject are too sweeping, for exceptions may be found to any rule. Each patient is best counselled when the advice given is based upon her own condition and particularly upon the progress made in the involution of the uterus, which does not advance with the same rapidity in all cases.