Chinese man uses cash incentives to encourage wife’s post-partum recovery walks

In an unusual attempt to support his wife’s post-partum recovery, a man in Jilin City, China, urged her to walk by dangling cash prizes for each step. His wife had undergone surgery three days prior and faced struggles to start exercising due to severe pain from her wound.

The incident was filmed in a facility dedicated to the recuperation of post-partum women and soon captivated the attention of the social media community. The husband, wanting to help his wife in her recuperation process, devised an unconventional method. He accompanied her during her hospital walks and for every step the wife successfully took, he rewarded her with a 100 yuan (485 baht) note. He said…

“I know she is in tremendous pain, so I had to think of a way for her to combat it. The simple mention of a reward seemed to motivate her significantly.

“She was able to walk for a solid 20 minutes that day.”

Although he did not disclose the total amount he rewarded his wife on that day, the husband’s unique approach to encouraging his wife’s recovery elicited widespread admiration in the social media sphere, reported Sanook.

Blogger Qian Yi Qiang Wei, who is also an apprentice doctor in a Beijing hospital and has an expansive following of 1.2 million on Weibo, China’s answer to Twitter, voiced his support for such a practice. He mentioned doctors’ typical recommendation for women to start walking two days after surgery, to aid blood circulation and prevent blood clotting.

“In our department, we witness a few patients every month suffering from blood clotting because they fear the pain of walking post-operation.”

Emphasising the medical urgency of initiating early, light post-operation exercise, especially for women post-childbirth, the blogger validated the husband’s unconventional yet caring approach. This particular story highlights the necessary creative lengths one may resort to, to help their loved ones overcome discomfort and accelerate their recovery journey.