A wife wants to spend her postnatal confinement at her parents' home. For how long, and who pays?

It is permitted with the husband's agreement and is usually very helpful; the length and costs should be agreed in advance, and the costs of the wife's and baby's needs remain the husband's responsibility.
Maintenance, including needs after childbirth, is obligatory on the husband according to his means (al-Baqarah 2:233, at-Talaq 65:7). The wife's parents who look after their daughter during confinement are doing a kindness; the husband should contribute to household costs, confinement food and help such as a masseuse or helper, and visit often or stay with them if possible. The usual period in Malay society is about forty-four days, but the Shariah does not fix it; postnatal bleeding ends when the blood stops. Avoid harmful taboos such as cutting down on drinking water. If the husband has more than one wife, his rota is rearranged fairly during this period. See the question on childbirth costs.