Childbirth - Around the World

Having been fortunate to be a host mom to students from all over the world has opened my eyes to so many differences in various cultures.  The one I will use for this posting is the research I found on health benefits and practices among Arab women.  Then I will add in what I found from hosting a terrific young girl from Oman this past year and what she told me about her beliefs.  This subject came up because one of her sister’s found out she was pregnant with her second child while she was staying with me.

I am sure views are different depending on which country and/or region the women of Arab decent are from but according to Kridli (2002), in the Arab culture the bride’s status in her husband’s household is technically not very stable until she gives birth to her first baby and proves she is fertile.  Afterward there is pressure to have a second child because of fear that an only child may die and leave the parents childless.  Once this happens the pressure diminishes unless both children are female.

Sons are highly valued in the Arab culture because they are a source of economic security for the parents in their old age and also provide physical security for the extended family as well as political strength and social prestige.  This high value on sons, however, can affect the Arab woman’s health status because she is expected to continue getting pregnant until she delivers one or more sons (Kridli, 2002).

Excessive planning can be seen by the Arab woman as negatively affecting the future so attending prenatal classes is not usually something they do.  Prenatal knowledge is usually gained from women in the family such as mothers or mother-in-laws.  The pregnant women also do not plan ahead for their labor and delivery.  Planning in this culture is seen as defying God’s will and is capable of bringing the “evil eye” to the mother and/or the baby.  The evil eye is believed to be brought on by an envious person who wishes to cause harm to another who receives something positive, such as having a healthy baby or delivering a son.  Therefore, in the Arab culture the baby shower occurs only after the baby is born, to avoid planning and the evil eye (Kridli, 2002).

Although, according to Kridli (2002), pregnancy is considered a healthy occurrence and a natural process, Arab culture dictates that pregnant women need to pay special attention to nutrition.  The women are expected to eat well and utilized all five food groups.  However, they are not supposed to eat spicy foods or any foods that may upset their digestive systems or foods that are sour.  The Arab culture believes that the baby is connected to the mother, strong-tasting food may hurt or cause discomfort to the baby since he or she will experience the same discomforts experienced by the mother.  Arab women who are pregnant are also exempted from daily fasting during the holy month of Ramadan (even though some women do choose to do so) (Kridli, 2002).

Some Arab women tend to go to the hospital as soon as the first contractions are detected, fearing that something may go wrong to jeopardize the life of the baby.  Also, finding out the sex of the baby before birth is not usually done for religious reasons based on the Quran’s statement that “no one knows what is in the womb but God.”  Because of this those women with a strong religious background may ask the healthcare worker not to inform them about the sex of the baby (Kridli, 2002).

In my discussions with my student this past year (whom I consider another daughter) I found out that a babies age is counted as soon as they are conceived.  Her sister also did go get an ultrasound which showed that she is having a second girl.  I was told that this would mean another baby at some point in order to have a son.  The diet of her sister fits in with the research done by Kridli (2002) as do a lot of the beliefs about prenatal classes, etc…  There was reluctance to bring back gifts for the unborn baby, I am assuming it is because of planning so far ahead is not really part of the process as Kridli (2002) stated.  Though once we started looking at the baby items, I swear she bought out the store.  I also made a baby blanket for the baby even though they typically only use swaddling blankets for the babies. 

I learned so much about the differences in the cultures where pregnancy and childbirth are concerned.  I believe an understanding of these differences is really important for all of us but especially healthcare workers here in the U.S. as it will help with forming a positive bond and allow the proper prenatal care to be obtained.  Positive support systems from all sides are essential and will hopefully put an end to pre-conceived ideas about this culture and others.

Reference

Kridli, S. (2002). Health beliefs and practices among Arab women. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing, 27(3), 178-182. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.