| Prenatal care has an ancient history, a knowledge | | | | home-care for a new mother up to forty days. |
| that hardly has been appreciated or recognized in | | | | Who does this home-care? Usually parents of the |
| our culture. The common practice of prenatal care | | | | new mother get involved. This timing is believed |
| is impacted by the socioeconomic and cultural | | | | to be crucial for a new mother to stay on her |
| factors governing each family. | | | | own feet in order to care for the baby on her |
| We have to consider proper care for those | | | | own. |
| women who do not have family support. We can | | | | Forty days is a time to heal from inside out. This |
| not ignore a pregnant woman, why? Remember | | | | time period is also believed to be crucial for baby |
| how we see a pregnant woman in our culture. | | | | development. The postnatal care of mother is |
| Mothers considered being two people, one need | | | | another traditionally implicit area. If there are no |
| to nurture the other all the time. | | | | parents, there is always someone who would |
| We Iranian do talk about viar or craving for | | | | come forward and offer help for the mother and |
| certain type of food. There are many narratives | | | | the baby. |
| in relation to accommodation of the food that a | | | | I guess many embassies in Iran have the |
| pregnant woman craves. Lack of that provision | | | | everyday interaction with older Iranian generation |
| believes to be a sin. We believe that some fruits | | | | who apply for visa to go and visit a pregnant |
| and nuts have direct impact on the baby's beauty, | | | | daughter living somewhere out of Iran. Being |
| intelligence, brain capacity, length, gender, and hair | | | | there for a pregnant daughter is absolute |
| quality. Don't we say that apple makes the baby | | | | important for many Iranian families. Mothers are |
| cute or grapes help the new mother to have | | | | believed to be on the edge to the so called |
| breast milk? | | | | paradise. To challenge this notion, we may ask |
| We have this custom back home, when a | | | | whether mothers are not being bribed with the |
| pregnant woman walks down the street, she can | | | | promises of heaven for the hard work they do. |
| many times be offered food with certain type of | | | | Prenatal and postnatal care in our Iranian culture |
| spices or taste. Why do we do that? I guess not | | | | covers every aspect of holding, caring, protecting, |
| every one in those old days like today could | | | | connecting, and attaching to the baby. |
| afford good food. Pregnant women were known | | | | The point again is not to say that everything we |
| as needy of extra nutrition. Elders usually believe | | | | do is the best way, however since there is |
| that a pregnant woman should be around good, | | | | already existing practice for prenatal and postnatal |
| loving, and kind people. Baby in the womb is | | | | care, why not illuminating this perception through |
| taught to pick up those positive traits from | | | | the lens of science? Maybe this is something for |
| people around the mother. | | | | future research. I hope I am clear: I do not state |
| For sure there are some superstitious believes | | | | that we Iranian definitely and hundred present |
| that influence our prenatal care. Many times our | | | | care for our pregnant women. Numbers of |
| culturally flourished attitudes create challenges and | | | | abused pregnant women by abusive husbands are |
| obstacles for pregnant women. | | | | too many. The cruelty against Iranian women |
| Today, in the Western cultures there are large | | | | through the history, pregnant or not, is too |
| scales of research that confirm most of what we | | | | complex. |
| know just by the old anecdotes. Now the point is | | | | The number of pregnant women having been |
| not to boast our ego, we have enough of that; | | | | hanged, raped, or executed in the prisons of our |
| the point is that we should uncover the logic | | | | home country are also too many. With all the |
| behind what has been passed down to us by our | | | | respect to all those pregnant women who died |
| ancestors. What is well-known is that the | | | | with their unborn children, this article tries to |
| psychological caring for a pregnant woman do | | | | highlight the importance of care for our pregnant |
| involves many societal resources. It is believed | | | | women. |
| that a pregnant woman should not be distressed | | | | I guess my point is to not to generalize at all. |
| because the baby will be impacted. | | | | Why not embrace the positive and dismiss the |
| Another old practice in our Iranian communities is | | | | rest? |
| the unrecognized yet, culturally required | | | | |