Chengdu Living

A recap of the most talked-about and well-loved stories on Chengdu Living in 2012, including a best-of list of forum posts.

Chinese mothers are increasingly aware of the potential dangers presented by unsafe domestic products. I procure baby items with my wife for our newborn child.

To understand Traditional Chinese Medicine, one must first understand that ailments are as defined and comprehensible only in the context of its own system. As a medical student, I’m tasked with the charge of understanding both East and Western medical philosophies.

If you think breastfeeding comes natural to a mama, think again. Mother and child have to learn how to move together and that takes some practice. I learn to navigate the path along with my wife in Chengdu.

The institutional coldness of the hospital soon gives way to the cozy quilt of Grammas wisdom and traditional Pig’s Feet and Peanut soup. For a full month after giving birth, Chinese medical theory calls for a strict regime to help mothers regain their strength.

Just as the first barrage of New year fireworks echoed throughout Chengdu, The Notations transitioned into David Ruffin’s Heaven Help Us on iTunes and I watched my newborn son heave a sigh of relief and squirm a bit deeper into his swaddling. This post is about the birth of my first child in Chengdu.

A recent report published by the World Health Organization draws attention to the fact that the number of c-sections performed in China is skyrocketing. Why is this? I take a look as my wife prepares to give birth to our own child.

This is the first part in a series about mamas, babies and hospitals in Chengdu. We’ll talk about choosing a hospital, the business side of the doctor and interesting superstitions.