Pà-dung kan Pà-dung = to nurture, to maintain Kan = belly, womb
Prenatal and postpartum care of the mother and child, as well as medical childbirth assistance.
Midwifery has a long-standing tradition in Thailand, playing a crucial role in the healthcare system. Historically, midwives were highly respected and sought after for their expertise in assisting women during childbirth. They were responsible for providing prenatal care, attending deliveries, and offering postpartum support to new mothers.
Midwives in Thailand were trained in traditional practices and techniques passed down through generations.
Practices included massage, herbal remedies, and specific positions during labor.
Midwives also played a significant role in promoting maternal and infant health and in educating women on nutrition, hygiene, and breastfeeding. Today, while modern medical facilities have become more prevalent, midwifery still holds an important place in Thai culture, with many women choosing to give birth with a midwife’s assistance. The traditional knowledge and skills of midwives continue to be valued, ensuring safe and holistic care for expectant mothers and their babies.
Midwifery is a part of Traditional Thai medicine that combines natural practices, folklore, rituals, and legends, and extends well beyond the day of birth itself.
Before Western hospital births became the norm in Thailand, the mother and newborn remained inside the birth room for one month to complete the Traditional Postpartum practice called Yu Fai. This practice relates to the concept of “recapturing the heat,” which holds that fire and heat scare off evil spirits. Methods included consuming hot drinks, lying by the fire, adhering to specific dietary restrictions, abdominal binding, taking warm herbal baths, and other activities that prevent heat loss, such as sexual abstinence, continually keeping the body covered, and avoiding the weather.
During this month, Thai mothers receive other herbal services, including massage with an herbal compress known in Thai as “Luk Pra Krob,” heating the birth canal area by sitting over a herbal hot charcoal seat, abdominal salt herbal massage, and herbal sauna steam treatments.
Today, the Yu Fai tradition is still practiced by women in Thailand’s rural countryside. It has also made a comeback in urban settings and is gaining popularity in the West. As a “natural” alternative to Western-based medicine, Traditional Thai medicine has gained interest among pregnant women in urban areas, who are beginning to use a modified version of Yu Fai to cater to a new generation of mothers. Today in Thailand, there’s a continuous effort to integrate Thai Traditional Medicine into the national healthcare system, combining modern, contemporary methods with traditional knowledge.
