baby “to remove dirt,” then push it back, tie the cord in two places with a special cotton string, and cut the cord in between the two fastened places. the cut cord is then burned, and placenta is buried, usually by the father. woman's rite of passage after a woman gives birth to her first child, she is considered an adult. she then undergoes the yu fai when she must "lie near fire" for an odd number of days, usually around 11 days, so that her uterus will shrink back to normal size. after each following birth, the number of days spent near fire may be decreased. also, a wooden box with a fire pot may be placed on the woman's stomach to serve the same purpose. fire is also said to scare off evil spirits, especially combined with the lemongrass aroma. after a yu fai, a woman is allowed to move out of her parents' residence, where she would live before and during the pregnancy, since she is now a mature adult. postpartum diet and behavior as with the pregnancy diet, warm foods are encouraged, such as hot curries. a woman's diet must consist of rice and vegetables in the first few months after pregnancy; meat, with exception of fish, must be avoided. from a traditional thai medicine perspective, "sour tastes not dry out the body, but built up water; egg too cooling; jackfruit in wind ; glutinous rice and the sugar of sweets wet the uterus; fruits not give strength and excessively cooling". herbal teas (naam puu loey) should be consumed, and showers with herbal water (naam puu loeyand naam bai paw) should be taken daily without washing hair the first two weeks. postnatal care and maternal leave household duties would be taken care by female relatives, and older children. traditionally, female relatives would also check on the new mother. within 4 to 8 weeks a woman must attend a health clinic for a check-up and to register her child's birth. labour protection act of 1998 guarantees women to have three months of maternity leave, to retain the job a woman had prior to pregnancy, and to temporary change duties with a doctor's letter. in practice, labor rights are very weak in thailand and these laws are not generally enforceable. labor activists are prosecuted, migrant laborers are exploited, and trafficked workers in the sex and fishing industries are common. newborn traditional rituals there are many variations in tradition across thailand most include the beautification of the child. central thai people say the baby is tog fag (falls on bamboo) when he or she is born. after mo tamaye cuts the umbilical cord, she washes and beautifies the baby with yellow and white powder. on the third day after birth, the lon dek nai kadon rite (translates to "rock the cradle in which a new born baby is sleeping") is carried out. a baby is placed into a basket with a pencil and a notebook (for brightness) and money (for richness); girls are also given knives (to cut and comb hair) (attagara 1968, p. 103) and cooking utensils. the basket with the baby and instruments is then handed over to "a respectable man in the village". this means that the baby became his adopted child temporarily, which reflects that the parents expect their baby to be rich and respectable like the adoptive.” another tradition includes making offerings at a temple (wat) on the third day after the baby is born to obtain a blessing from a monk. the "fire shaving ceremony" takes place when the child reaches the age of one month and one day, which involves cutting of the baby's hair. as a precaution, babies must be kept away from the rain. circumcision is not very prevalent in thailand; only 13% of thai male population are circumcised. it is not specified when the newborn period ends. there is also no information on the significance of vernix, the baby's rest, activity, and movement, as well as meconium and handling of the urine and feces. care for the baby for the first month of the baby's life, the mother must stay very close and "breastfeed the newborn on its slightest demand". babies are also sometimes given a mixture of banana, honey, and water to prevent diarrhea. if the baby cries too much and cannot sleep, it is believed that the baby's guardian spirit, mae sue, is teasing the newborn too much. usual interaction with mae sue is normal, during which the baby will play and laugh by itself. naming traditionally, a name is given to the child on the fourth or fifth day after birth by the father, however, there are variations in this practice across thailand. today, both the mother and father can take part in deciding on a name. a child may not hold the same name as royalty. twins there is a variation in the view of twins. while some view twins as needing more resources and being too demanding on a family, others see having twins as lucky, since it is convenient to take care of them at the same time. modern newborn care an infant is examined in the first week of life followed by six examinations in the first year. there are three examinations during the second year, and six examinations every other year until the child turns six. vaccines coincide with the exams, but are not obligatory except for the bcg for tuberculosis prevention.