Sitting the month or Zuoyuezi (ZYZ) refers to the Chinese cultural practice of postpartum care. Rooted in Chinese medical and dietary thought, ZYZ shapes how women experience recovery and infant care, but it also marks a critical life stage of transition into motherhood This paper uses ZYZ as a lens to explore the intersections, and negotiations, of cultural tradition, embodied health practices and care work in families as women navigate this transformative period. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Hong Kong, including participant observation in postpartum nanny training and interviews with mothers, caregivers and health professions, this paper examines how postpartum knowledge is constructed and care organised within Hong Kong’s unique sociocultural context. Food and bodily practices during ZYZ are not only health interventions but also expressions of cultural identity and mechanisms of social reproduction, where caregiving labour is distributed across generations, global borders and social classes. The local discourses around breastfeeding and the prevalent culture of pumping reveal how maternal bodies are governed by global health norms that valorise exclusive breastfeeding, yet neoliberal parenting ideals frame feeding as a site of control and moral responsibility. By foregrounding postpartum as a transitional life stage, this work showcases how health and feeding practices, care work and the reproduction of family life are interlinked and shaped by broader social and cultural forces. Reflexive attention to the researcher’s positionality highlights how narratives are co-produced during the research encounter. This interdisciplinary study contributes to cultural studies, medical anthropology, sociology and women’s studies.

Authors:
Georgine Leung, University College London, United Kingdom

About the Presenter(s)
I am part-time PhD student at the Institute of Education at University College London, and my thesis explores the postpartum practices and infant feeding practices of women, as well as the organisation of care work in Hong Kong Chinese society.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgineleung/

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