Rojina Bajracharya
The arrival of a new baby in the family entails a lot of rituals in the Nepali culture. It is not be only about raising a new kid, but also introducing the newborn into that family according to its norms and values. Childbirth is the time of transition and social celebration in a society in which the health of the mother and the child is seen as an important factor. Women’s progression from birth to childbearing is influenced by medical as well as social practices. Till the newborn is six months to two years old, there are varieties of rituals which are performed by seniors in the family. But the most important part of the new motherhood is postpartum, which is also called ‘sutkeri’ in Nepali culture. The sutkeri period lasts from two months to three months. In this period, both mother and child are given exclusive rest inside a room and pampered by other family members. The mother and the baby are given oil massage twice a day on a sunny day or beside burning firewood. It is believed that the burning of dried sugarcane stems gives more relief to the mother’s body.
Our country Nepal is one of those countries where people strictly follow these postpartum rituals. People also believe after childbirth, the mother’s body and mind pass through various hormonal and psychological changes which need extra care and rest in order to prevent postpartum depression.
During the postpartum period, the mother is massaged to encourage shrinking of the uterus and stimulate production and flow of breast-milk by a midwife.
Among indigenous Newari cultures, new mothers go on a traditional postnatal holiday of two months after the birth. They leave all their works and enjoy two or more months of rest and pampering by other women. They are not allowed to work at home or in the farmlands during this time. Instead, she enjoys daily massages and sunbathing. This period of rest allows the mother to completely recover physically and mentally, adjust to hormonal changes and to her new role as a mother.
During the initial few days after childbirth, the mother is not allowed to receive any guests. After this period, the family hosts a ceremony (machu bu benkyu) on the sixth day of the child’s birth. On this day, delicacies are prepared for Goddess Ajima, known as Goddess of Children. Goddess Ajima is worshipped with these delicacies for the well-being and good health of the new born. Whether it is superstition or just a belief, the family regards this day of macha bu byanka so important that all the family members need to bathe, clean their homes, invite the person who cuts nails (Naucha) and perform purification of the body and surrounding for the baby’s arrival. All the relatives and family members are invited to do the purification rituals and get introduced to the baby. Thus, the baby becomes the new member of the family. People also believe that if something bad happens to the baby or her health degrades without any reason, the feast was not well prepared. But these are only beliefs that have passed down through generations and generations.
The feast also marks the end of the mother’s confinement period. During this ceremony, the baby is bathed in plain water and massaged with mustard oil. It is then wrapped in a clean scrap of cotton cloth. At the end of the ritual, the baby is massaged in oil, its eyes outlined with mascara and its forehead marked with a black tika. The mascara is believed to beautify and clear the baby’s eyes. This is how the baby is formally accepted as a member of the family.
For two months, the baby and the mother are massaged daily. Mother is fed with four meals a day with ghiu—filtered butter—and chaku—a delicacy prepared from cooked sugar molasses. It is believed that ghiu and chaku are good source of carbohydrate and they encourage milk production. The mother is advised not to have food intakes like curd, cold water, refrigerated cuisines, and sour foods that cause cold. Nor is she allowed to wear clothes that expose the body because there is a belief that it can cause cold to mother’s body directly influencing the quality of milk she will be producing for her baby. They say, the baby will not be able to digest such kind of milk and can fall sick. But it is a controversial belief since people in the Western societies do not remain in such boundaries. But to some extent our traditional beliefs have been proven true. Even in my context, I have faced such situations where these traditional beliefs have been absolutely meaningful and true and they cannot be denied. Call it is a game of mind or something else, these guidelines set by old people and seniors in our family have been quite true while most people call it just superstition. Meanwhile these beliefs tend to be scientific as well.
The eating habits of women during postpartum depend mostly upon the socio-cultural practice of food prescription and restriction, and partly upon mother’s own choice of food. Only foods believed to heal the postpartum wound, repair digestive system and develop immune system of baby are allowed. In Newar community, special powder called “qwati” is suggested for the neonate mothers early in the morning and before sleep. This helps her improve the digestive system.
[Rojina Bajracharya is a web-developer and a freelancer. She is a full-time mother, and a blogger at Smart Aama.]