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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Step-by-step instruction of traditional bengkung style

This entry is dedicated to mommies waiting to deliver. A traditional bengkung consist of a loooonnnnggggg cloth (approx 7 metres long and 6-7 inch wide). I got mine from the Mustika Ratu set I bought for my confinement and my mom made me the other one. (Illustration on pics below is using the one that my mom sew)

There are lots of modern bengkung style nowadays. I've tried my hands on a few and all I have to say is, BACK TO BASICS. No modern bengkung can offer the flexibility and the tight comfort as traditional bengkung. Sure, it can be daunting to wear, but once you get the hang of it, you should be able to do it with your eyes closed. :)

Note : I use a square cloth tied loosely to protect my bengkung from all the ointment and jamu I put on my tummy.

Firstly, take a deep breath and suck all your tummy in. While holding your breath, tie the beginning knot at the base of your uterus (if you start to wear your bengkung as early as the next day after your birth, you can actually feel the "batu meriyan" (I seriously have no idea what this is, but that's what my mom call it. I think it's the cervix?) and keep it mind, you MUST tie the first knot under this thing to help your uterus return to its normal position (menaikkan rahim yang dah jatuh). This first knot is important to hold everything in place.
Next, hold the short end straight upright (seek help from somebody OR if you are alone, try biting the end of the cloth to make sure it stays upright).

pardon the messy bed ;p

Take the long end, cross it with the short end and pull both ends simultaneously while still holding the short end upright. Then, double back on the other side and repeat the process until you reach the end of the long cloth.
Note : My bengkung only reaches half my tummy during the first few days but slowly, I was able to reach the waistline towards the end of my confinement. I wore a corset on top of the bengkung to help keep it in place.

I don't know if I did a good job explaining the details or not but I hope the diagram helps. I wore bengkung twice a day, only opened them during bath time and although my tummy is not exactly washboard tummy, it doesn't bulge out or offer any unsightly figure.

Abdominal exercise is also necessary to help tighten the tummy area which in my case is often neglected so up till now, I still have the mummy tummy *sigh* which I proudly wear as my badge of honor. Heh.

12 comments:

kamya said...

hi...this is really interesting. It has been a week since my baby was born, and I have been tying my stomach just round and round. I your way after reading your blog, but it seems to bunch up a lot. What kind of cloth are you using? I tried using something fairly thin. Is that the reason it bunched up? I seemed to have more space with my belly bulging in between. Any suggestions?

pHatMuMMy said...

Hi...the one that is shown in the picture is made by my mom using about 2.5 metres of normal cotton cloth (cut into 3 strips and sewn together making the total lenght approx 7 metres)

however, for the first few times, i've tried the binder we bought in local store. that is made from linen and is much easier to wear.

i guess the most suitable kind of cloth to wear as binder is linen type. because of its hard and callous texture, they don't tend to slip and thus, resulting to a tighter grip on the tummy.

I too, have bulging tummy in between the binder the first week i tied it on. but, slowly, the binder will help tighten all the bulge and you can see the difference from day to day.

Oh, it would help if you put some sort of hot oil to ur tummy before binding it.

hope this help. :) and, congratulations on your newborn :)

Hanz Jamaludin said...

Dear, mine is Amway one, very long indeed..from bottom of boobs till bottom of butt. I hardly breathe but ah, for the sake of beauty I suppose..hehehe..moms also sewn us the 3 sisters bengkung but we prefer the bought ones.

TakingChancesLovingLife said...

Would this work for me? I'm having baby #4.

HANI said...

Thank you so much for the tutorial! It really helped me figure out how it's done. I did it twice a day: it doesn't just help hold the womb up, it provides good exercise for a new mummy! (Anyone who thinks tying 7 meters of cloth around your waist doesn't tire you out has never done it!) My tip to handle 7 meters of cloth: turn yourself around instead of moving the cloth!

Thanks again!

E. M. Thomas said...

Thanks for the directions. I am still pregnant but want to try this once baby is here. Where can I buy one as I live in the US and have dificulty locating stores, even online, that offer the bengkung. Or, how can I make one?

Thanks

SimplyLena said...

Would you consider doing a video for this?? I am having a hard time with my research, understanding exactly how this is done by ones self. Thank you!

Unknown said...

Hi
Great post!
Ive featured your post on http://www.mothershape.com/blog/

Have a look!

Unknown said...

Great post Ive featured it on http://www.mothershape.com/blog/

Have a look!

Unknown said...

If you are in the US, go to a fabric store & get muslin. You'll need about 10 yards to get good binding from bust to hips. If you want it to extremely effective, you should consider an herbal body wrap in conjunction with the binding. I offer my doula clients the It Works "Ultimate Body Applicator" along with the binding got optimal results. You can get a box of herbal wraps in my website: http://NikiaLawson.myitworks.com & use with the binding. I'd love to get testimonials on my fan page at www.Facebook.com/doulabirthblessings

Amy said...

How do you take your pants up and down to go to the bathroom?

pHatMuMMy said...

Amy, I had to take out the binder each time I go to the bathroom *__*

But on the positive side, it helps me to tone my arm muscle? :)

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