postpartum confinement refers to a traditional practice following childbirth. those who practice it typically begin immediately after the birth, and it lasts for a culturally variable length: typically for one month or 30 days, up to 40 days, two months or 100 days. this postnatal recuperation can include "traditional health beliefs, taboos, rituals, and proscriptions." the practice used to be known as "lying-in", which, as the term suggests, centres around bed rest. in some cultures it may be connected to taboos concerning impurity after childbirth.