The puerperium refers to the period of six to eight weeks after the delivery. The organism needs longer careful recuperation because it is in a state of weakness and blood stasis due to the qi consumption and blood loss during the delivery.

1. Regular daily life
Adequate rest for recuperation is beneficial to the restoration of physiological functions. The living environment should be clean, quiet, warm, comfortable and well-ventilated. It is advisable for the parturients to keep warm in winter and not to shut the door and window tightly or wear very thick clothes in case sunstroke should occur. However, it is not advisable to lie in the draught in case pathogenic wind should take advantage of the physical weakness to attack the body. More information, please read Women Pregnancy and Puerperiuln.

It is not suitable to work hard and bear a heavy load too early so as to avoid puerperal metrorrhagia, hysteroptosis, etc. The parturients should not lie supine long to avoid retroversion of uterus. Generally, they may get up to move about 24 hours after the labor in case of normal labor, and gradually enlarge the space of activities to promote smooth lochial flow, uterine restoration, peristaltic restoration, smooth urination and defecation. This is beneficial to the recovery of the body. More information, please read TCM Women Viscera.

2. Reasonable diet
Tonification should not affect the stomach and leave blood stasis during the supplementation of nutrients. The diet should not only be bland, delicious, light, and easy in absorption, but also contain rich nutrients, sufficient quantity of heat and water. The parturients should abstain from greasy diet, uncooked and cold fruits as well as the pungent and hot-natured foods consuming body fluids. The new parturients of one to three days after the delivery may eat millet gruel, soft rice, stewed egg, soup of lean meat, etc. Later on, they may ingest all egg, milk, meat, bone soup, bean products, coarse food grain and vegetables.

Simultaneously, the parturients should be supplementarily treated with the dietary therapy. For instance, the patients with asthenia of the spleen and stomach may ingest Huaishanyao Biandou Jingmi Gruel (Gruel of Rhizoma Dioscorease, Semen Dolichoris and Semen Oryzae Sativae)；the patients with lumbago due to renal asthenia may take Zhuyaozi Caimo Gruel (Gruel of Ren Suis and Minced Vegetable)；the patients with lochiorrhagia may take Danggui Shengjiang Yangrou Soup (Soup of Radix Angelicae Sinensis, Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens and Mutton) or Yimucao Hongtang Liquid (Decoction of Herba Leonuri and Brown Sugar), etc. More information, please read Women Qi and Blood.

3. Keeping the vulva clean
Parturients should take sponge bath and shower regularly, and pay attention to keeping the vulva clean to prevent infection. They should wash and air the underclothes and sanitary belt regularly, abstain from sexual life within one hundred days. They cannot take tub bath during the four weeks after labor. More information, please read TCM Women Meridians.