Hot , Cold, Depleted or Deluded?Mothering knowledges and babies’ bodies in the interstices of Chinese and Western medicines

Kelly Dombroski

“Our attempts to improve complementary feeding practices by promoting ‘scientific infant feeding’ (kexue weiyang) were met with resistance from many mothers, even though we emphasised adding only locally produced or otherwise easily available foods. Although the mothers could learn and cite the better weaning practices, they did not always follow them.”

Nutritionist Georgia Guldan, 2000

“For all women with milk, it is blood and vitality that are transformed into milk…

Regarding her happiness, drink, food, and all other restrictions, it is appropriate to restrain carefully. If she is unrestrained and uncontrolled, and nurses a child in such a state, the child will contract an illness.”

From the Song Dynasty (960-1279AD) text A Thorough Discussion of the Hygiene of Small Children (cited in Hsiung, 1995)

Wood Fire Earth Metal Water

Yang Organ

Liver Heart Spleen Lung Kidney

Yin organ Gall bladder

Small Intestine

Stomach Large intestine

Bladder

Senses Eye Tongue Mouth Nose Ear

Tissue Sinews Blood vessels

Muscles Skin Bone

Climatic qi

Wind Heat Damp Dryness Cold

Flavours Sour Bitter Sweet Pungent Salty

Emotions Anger Joy Worry Grief Fear

Traditional Chinese Medicine cont.Table 1: Sample of inter-relating concepts and processes according to TCM

Source: Author, after Men and Guo, 2010

“Health and disease are directly associated with the balance of yin and yang

… yin represents the passive and receding aspect of nature whereas yang represents the active, advancing aspects of nature. It is believed that yin and yang exist at the emotional, physical, interpersonal/ societal, and ecological levels

… the two forces are thought to be interdependent, and the imbalance between them results in disease.” (Chen and Swartzman, 2001: 391)

Traditional Chinese Medicine

“How can the relations between multiple knowledge practices best be engaged with?”

Multiple knowledge practices in Northwest China:

How do mothers and others come to 'know' about their babies' feeding needs?

And how do these knowledges change over time, space, and through connections with other places and people?

“At one time, breastfeeding my baby, it took the whole night, she could not stop. At that time we didn’t have any money. We have meat, pork, and she had serious diarrhoea. Mutton and beef are extremely good.

I told her father, ‘could you buy some mutton, the baby does not have enough. It hurts a lot when she sucks my nipple’. Then he bought some mutton for me, he bought three jin! (1.5 kilograms)

That day, when I asked my husband to buy some mutton, after I had the mutton soup — I had it over three or four meals — then the breastmilk was so good. So good. Just in the right way.”

“Our attempts to improve complementary feeding practices by promoting ‘scientific infant feeding’ (kexue weiyang) were met with resistance from many mothers, even though we emphasised adding only locally produced or otherwise easily available foods. Although the mothers could learn and cite the better weaning practices, they did not always follow them.”

Nutritionist Georgia Guldan, 2000

“With family members, um, her mood… sometimes, she will be anxious.This child,she has become a mother to, in one fell swoop become a mothertransforming her role.This child — she becomes aware of this child.It seems perhaps she cannot take care

of a childIt could become sick— could this child become sick?Could it have heart disease?She is worried about things like this,dispirited.”

“Or her relationship with her Mother-in-Law is not harmonious

that is, her Mother-in-Lawher husband’s mother,the relationship between them…That is, because of financial difficulties Or (differences in the ways in which)To feed a child— therein may lie some problems,it can reveal a conflict.”

“If there is still none, we have some Chinese medicine…

Chinese medicine can produce a bit more (milk)?

Hmm, right Milk-flowingA 'letdown' kind, this oneA letdown kind of Chinese medicineShe can drink those Pangolin scales (in

soup) or there is some Chinese medicinal herbs

Also can put those pig's trotters incan put them inCrucian carp can go inShe can stew it upCan drink the soupThis is a kind of diet therapy method”

“But then there are some patients, but I haven’t surveyed how many, there are also some patients who don’t achieve good results.

One said her milk only equals five millilitres, each time only two or three mouthfuls. Then she has run out of breastmilk. She tried herbal teas and other ways but she still has limited milk.

Things like this do happen. In this circumstance, she still breastfed for five or six months, each time only two mouthfuls here, two mouthfuls there, as necessary. In this kind of circumstance, [the mother] can still persist.”

HNZ “Hm, probably this kind of situation was because at the time I as extremely fachou”

K “fachou?”HNZ “It means getting worried, aiya! So

much money, what to do! What to do? What to do?”

K “Yes, it’s stressful.”HNZ “Mm, it’s stress. Because my milk was

obviously less! We have also noticed that with our patients’ relationships with their loved ones, husbands, mothers, mother-in-laws, uh, if they have a sudden argument, they have argued , and that night she can’t fall asleep, after the argument she is so angry, then the next day there is no milk, the letdown is reduced.”

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