Patient's question:
I recently gave birth and am still in the postpartum period. These past few days, I've noticed my nails have grown a bit, so I wanted to trim them. However, the elders in the family said that nails shouldn't be trimmed during the postpartum period. I'd like to ask why it's not recommended to trim nails during the postpartum period?Doctor's answer:
Mothers can trim their nails while they are in the postpartum period. Although according to old beliefs, it was considered inappropriate to trim nails during the postpartum period, as it was believed that doing so could invite "scissor wind," leading to illness in mothers, this notion has long been proven to be incorrect. Not trimming nails during the postpartum period could also lead to some troubles. For example, long nails may cause bacteria to remain, and more likely, they could accidentally scratch the baby while caring for it, leading to inflammation on the baby's delicate skin. Therefore, it is necessary for postpartum mothers to trim their nails frequently to avoid unnecessary health risks.