Cultural Aspects of Childbirth and Parenting - Essay Example

?Cultural Aspects of Childbirth and Parenting Child birth is an important event for individuals, families and, therefore, the communities they belongto. It involves the interplay of several socio-cultural variables that its incidence could effectively depict the norms, beliefs and traditions of a given society. For example, the birthing process renders the woman in labor a passive agent that her dependency makes her a convenient target of subjugation especially in deeply male-dominated cultures. The process can also reflect the familial relationships or how it fosters closer and extended kinship. There are so many dimensions to it that studying its dynamics could provide deep insights for health care professionals. This paper will examine the case of child birth and care in Kalahari, South Africa. It is expected that the discourse can further highlight the argument that the idiosyncrasies in various culture are especially prominent in pregnancy, child birth and parenting and that an understanding of such could empower health care professionals to be effective especially in decision-making stage when working with a highly diverse population. Kalahari is a region in southern Africa that covers parts of South Africa, Botswana, Angola, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Bushmen have thrived in the region for at least 20,000 years. Children and parenting among them are treated much the same way in Western societies. Babies are indulged and cared for until their survival is ensured. Sigelman and Rider (2011) noted that “babies are touched 70% of daytime hours, are breast-fed whenever they want (usually 20-40 times a day), and may not be weaned until the age of 4.” (p. 124) The way mothers and families rear their young – with the attention and importance given to this enterprise - is fundamentally the same with how Western communities and families care for their children. They are loved, protected and provided for. The Bushmen, however, practices a unique birthing culture. A very important aspect of it is how the Kalahari women aspire and value the manner of giving birth to her child unaided. At least this has been true in the case of the Bushmen tribe of Ju|’hoansi. According to Selin (2009), this is quite common across this group because solitary child birth is widely seen as an opportunity to prove one’s worth as it is considered part of the rites of passage wherein women can display their ability for self-control, in addition to the ritualistic beliefs entailed in ethnic rites of passage. (p. 17) The implication of this cultural practice is that it exposes mothers and infants to several risk factors; the most serious of these is death. This practice appears so different from the Western idea about the entire birthing process. In most western societies such as in the United States, pregnancy and child birth is an opportunity for family, relatives and friends to lend support. They are equated with the procreation processes and, hence, are extremely important for many individuals beyond the family. In addition, anthropologists consider kinship relationships in the West as fundamentally connected with acts of birth and human understanding of procreation. (Stone 2009) And so pregnancy and birthing are considered an event of extreme interest. Rites, beliefs, myths, among other cultural practices that our community have made all feature the requirement of support and closer ties. It is normal for us to see assistance, especially those by women who possess authoritative knowledge on the process, as one with great survival value for birthing mothers. This is the reason why today both the health professional such as the doctor or the midwife are actual partners in the pregnancy and the birthing enterprise. Another interesting aspect about child birth in Kalahari is the environment. Desert covers much of the area and this claimed an important impact in the childbirth beliefs and behaviors of the Bushmen. Unlike in our society, for instance, the Bushmen did not have the luxury of water for birthing. Women have to squat to deliver their baby in the sand. This is dangerous because water can help bathe, clean and soothe child birth wounds, keeping it from being infected. The lack of access to medicines and hospitals also made the indigenous groups in Kalahari highly dependent on herbal medicines and the expertise and experiences of their elders and their midwives. According to Workman (2009), over time, the Bushmen learned from their elders what plants could help or hurt them in which ways, say, which herb is good for menstrual cramps or which plant can provide a childbirth lubricant. (p. 93) The Western experience is unarguably like a different life, compared to what the Bushmen have to endure. Pregnant women are pampered with the comforts that are readily available to them. Child birth becomes easier with the availability of medicines and medical experts who ensure the safe and painless delivery. While the birthing practices of the Bushmen are dangerous and have to be changed primarily because they are so primitive, there are instances wherein people in the West, especially healthcare professionals could learn some important insights and perhaps apply them to practice. The most important of these is the way mothers take control of the pregnancy and birthing process in Kalahari. In our community, healthcare professionals are used to mothers delivering a baby as very passive, which continues after giving birth, extending until the early months of parenthood. After childbirth, mothers leave everything, even their basic needs such as food, fluids, and rest, to be administered by others. What this means is that nurses are heavily relied upon regarding activities and care and do assume that their roles in this period are exactly like that. This norm, however, can be inappropriate in some culture for some ethnic minorities as demonstrated by the birthing culture of the Bushmen. Some mothers of different ethnic origins may not take kindly to being pampered, spoon-fed or treated as weak and unable to care for herself. There are cultures that value self-control and strength and that care providers such as nurses are better off being aware of this kind of cultural idiosyncrasy. Another important variable that must considered in the context of the Bushmen birthing culture is how some people may rely on other authorities besides professionals such as herbalists and medicine men. We may be tempted to consider this as ignorance but this is actually punctuated by deep cultural roots that cannot simply be eradicated through education. There are taboos and other beliefs that must be respected. The experience of the Bushmen can enlighten us in this aspect because what they practice in child birth, however crude; have worked for them for years. We may not approve of the methods but the patients are bound to have believed in them – a variable that is very important in healing. In regard to the child birth culture of the Bushmen in the Kalahari region, there are unarguably several critical practices that must be prevented from the nursing care perspective. Women need professional support during child birth. The process is a matter of life and death and cultural beliefs should not get in the way especially when such care is readily available. But being informed about cultural idiosyncrasies can make the job easier and more effective. Knowledge can enable a nurse to address culturally sensitive situations effectively because an understanding of culturally-related child birth behaviors can help them make decisions and responses that are acceptable and do not conflict with the healing process of the patient. In addition, it will prevent nurses from stereotyping and, instead, adopt a more open perspective that would make them attuned, sensitive and responsive to the patient’s needs. These variables are crucial especially if a woman will deliver her first baby and she knows nothing about the healthcare system. References Selin, H. (2009). Childbirth Across Cultures: Ideas and Practices of Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Postpartum. Berlin: Springer. Sigelman, C. and Rider, E. (2011). Life-Span Human Development. New York: Cengage Learning. Stone, L. (2009). Kinship and Gender: An Introduction. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Workman, J. (2009). Heart of dryness: how the last bushmen can help us endure the coming age of permanent drought. Bloomsbury Publishing. Read More