Dirty and 40 days in the wilderness: Eliciting childbirth and postnatal cultural practices and beliefs in Nepal.

Background: Pregnancy and childbirth are socio-cultural events that carry varying meanings across different societies and cultures. These are often translated into social expectations of what a particular society expects women to do (or not to do) during pregnancy, birth and/or the postnatal period. This paper reports a study exploring beliefs around childbirth in Nepal, a low-income country with a largely Hindu population. The paper then sets these findings in the context of the wider global literature around issues such as periods where women are viewed as polluted (or dirty even) after childbirth. Methods: A qualitative study comprising five in-depth face-to-face interviews and 14 focus group discussions with mainly women, but also men and health service providers. The qualitative findings in Nepal were compared and contrasted with the literature on practices and cultural beliefs related to the pregnancy and childbirth period across the globe and at different times in history. Results: The themes that emerged from the analysis included: (a) cord cutting & placenta rituals; (b) rest & seclusion; (c) purification, naming & weaning ceremonies and (d) nutrition and breastfeeding. Physiological changes in mother and baby may underpin the various beliefs, ritual and practices in the postnatal period. These practices often mean women do not access postnatal health services. Conclusions: The cultural practices, taboos and beliefs during pregnancy and around childbirth found in Nepal largely resonate with those reported across the globe. This paper stresses that local people’s beliefs and practices offer both opportunities and barriers to health service providers. Maternity care providers need to be aware of local values, beliefs and traditions to anticipate and meet the needs of women, gain their trust and work with them

Villages in Transition: Elevated Risk of Micronutrient Deficiency

Some researchers have suggested that as villages move from traditional living patterns emphasizing self-sufficiency, to ones featuring economic development, there is a vulnerable transition period in which families of the community are at greater health risk. This elevated risk results from many factors such as employment volatility, changes in food consumption patterns, composition of the extended family, temporary migration, and child rearing behavior. Elevated risk, if present, would strike hard at children who are most vulnerable and readily reflect adverse changes in family status. In this paper, we consider these ideas in the context of data from the Eastern Islands of Indonesia.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/60201/1/Reprint93Transition.pd

Solstice: An Electronic Journal of Geography and Mathematics, Volume IV, Number 2

This document is produced using the typesetting program, TeX, of Donald Knuth and the American Mathematical Society. Notation in the electronic file is in accordance with that of Knuth's The TeXbook. The program is downloaded for hard copy on The University of Michigan's Xerox 9700 laser-printing Xerox machine.The purpose of Solstice is to promote interaction between geography and mathematics. Articles in which elements of one discipline are used to shed light on the other are particularly sought. Also welcome, are original contributions that are purely geographical or purely mathematical. These may be prefaced (by editor or author) with commentary suggesting directions that might lead toward the desired interaction. Contributed articles will be refereed by geographers and/or mathematicians. Invited articles will be screened by suitable members of the editorial board. IMaGe is open to having authors suggest, and furnish material for, new regular features.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/58286/2/sols293.htm