Is it really necessary to do confinement or is it just a Chinese practice?

Maybe not a must -- I know alot of moms, local and foreign, who circumvent some of the superstitions or skip the whole process altogether -- but they do use the few weeks after birth to rest, heal, bond with baby and get help from either moms, in laws or a professional care giver. That, in its own right, is a form of confinement.