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| Welcome to Belly Up! |
| Cover Story
Tell me what to do!
What is the difference between teaching decision making and giving advice? |
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| Featured Articles
Great web design
Is your web page
weighed down with butterflies, babies
and cherubic angels? Just how much is it
working hard for you?
Make sure that you
are getting the most from your website!
Culture Vulture
What happens in
other parts of the world? Broaden your
horizons and discover how others "do"
birth. |
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| Regulars
A Doula asks
What do you do when your family is not taking your work seriously?
The Bottom Line
What's new in research and news?
CBI News
What's happening at Childbirth
International?
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| Childbirth International
provides training programs for doulas & childbirth educators.
The leading provider of home based learning across the world,
Childbirth International provides you with this free newsletter
to keep you up to date and help you develop your skills and
knowledge. |
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Culture Vulture
Bali is an island paradise in Indonesia. A popular holiday destination it is commonly referred to as Island of the Gods. The majority of people in Bali practice a form of Hinduism. As with all things Balinese, every life event is celebrated. Pregnancy of course is no different. |
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Bali
is an island paradise in Indonesia. A
popular holiday destination it is
commonly referred to as Island of the
Gods. The majority of people in Bali
practice a form of Hinduism. As with all
things Balinese, every life event is
celebrated. Pregnancy of course is no
different. Sex before marriage is a
completely acceptable practice although
it is expected that couples will be
discreet. In many ways it is to be
encouraged since it is important to know
whether or not a couple can conceive
before they get married, given the
importance of family life in Bali. Only
a son or daughter can carry out the
necessary rituals when someone dies so
without children, a man or woman would
effectively have nobody to ensure their
safe passage into the afterlife. Divorce
can be granted if a woman is childless
or a man impotent, and ogres are thought
to punish those who have not had
children. This is thought to be done by
hanging the person upside down from a
tree and beating them - particularly
distasteful to the Balinese since the
head would then be in contact with the
ground which is considered dirty.
When a woman becomes pregnant and begins
to show signs of pregnancy (the usual
cravings and nausea for example) she is
said to be "ngidam" (pronounced knee
darm). Rather than being viewed as
already pregnant, people see this as a
sign that her body is ready to accept a
baby, and plans for a wedding (upacara)
can begin. Pregnancy is then said to
last 6 months, avoiding the whole issue
of whether or not she was pregnant
before the marriage takes place.
Single parenthood is definitely frowned
upon, leaving a women whose boyfriend
refuses to marry her in a very difficult
situation. Abortion is not legal and
there are no people lining up to adopt
babies. This leads to the tragic cases
of young girls abandoning their babies
and many infants ending up in poorly
funded orphanages. When a women has a
child without a husband she is said to
be unclean and is referred to as a janda
(unmarried mother). As a result of being
a janda, she is unable to take part in
any village ceremonies, resulting in her
being cut off from a significant part of
her culture. As Balinese social events
are religious and take part in family
and village temples, resulting in a
single mother being effectively
ostracized from her community.
When a pregnant woman begins to show
(about 3-4 months) a ceremony takes
place where both the mother and father
are cleansed with offerings and holy
water. The father allows his hair to
grow during the pregnancy and does not
cut it until after the baby is born and
the umbilical stump has fallen off. The
umbilical cord, together with spices are
placed in a palm-leaf basket and placed
at the end of the baby's crib. Above the
crib, facing
Mount
Agung (the most holy of
the volcanoes in Bali)
is an offering table where offerings are
placed each day until the child loses
his first tooth. The offerings are made
to the son of Siva, the God of the
infants. The umbilical cord is later
placed in a necklace which is worn by
the baby to guard off evil spirits and
witches.
Once the baby is born a ceremony is
performed for the placenta (ari-ari).
This is usually carried out on the day
of the birth, or as soon as possible
afterwards. It is the father's
responsibility to wash and prepare the
placenta before burying it. He washes it
carefully with flower-scented water and
places it inside a coconut shell. He
then adds Chinese coins (uang bolong)
that have been wrapped in white cloth
which represents purity of heart. Other
items are placed with the placenta -
items that are believed to affect the
child's future so much thought is put
into choosing them. They may include red
silk to symbolize bravery, yellow
flowers such as jasmine and hibiscus to
represent luck, a pencil for
intelligence, perfume for keeping a
person smelling nice, and different
currencies for prosperity. The placenta
is thought to be the twin of the child
so items of the baby's clothing may also
be included to "dress" the placenta. A
few drops of the mother's breastmilk may
also be placed on the placenta. The
container is then wrapped and buried by
the father beside the front door of
their home - to the right for a boy and
the left for a girl. If the family ever
move, the placenta is dug up and buried
at their new house. A black rock is
placed on the top and a pandanus tree is
then planted to protect the child. The
father is considered unclean (sebel) for
three days when he is then cleansed in a
further ceremony.
When a child is
conceived it is believed that he or she
has four brothers or sisters that take
up residence in the child's body. They
are the amniotic fluid, the blood of the
uterus, the vernix (the white, waxy
substance found on a newborn) and the
placenta. The four siblings will stay
with the child through their life,
protecting them and accompanying the
spirit to heaven. They will testify and
testify to his or her good karma. It is
important that the siblings are treated
with respect to ensure they can offer
the degree of protection needed, hence
the importance of the ritual surrounding
the cleaning and placing of the
placenta.
The baby is given its name 12 days after
the birth, when it is believed that the
baby's soul has now completely anchored
itself within the child's body. At 42
days, an elaborate ceremony takes place
where the baby is fully welcomed into
the family. At this time the mother is
no longer considered unclean (sebel) and
can again take part in normal village
life.
At 3 months of age a child is said no
longer thought to be a divine creature.
A large family ceremony takes place
which allows the infant to now enter a
temple. At 6 months of age (one Balinese
year) the child celebrates his or her
first birthday. The first haircut is
given to symbolize the release of
energy. The haircut is done from 5
different directions to remove any
impurities that are present from
previous lives, and the hair is then
thrown into the river or buried.
Babies are carried for the first six
months of their lives and are not
allowed to touch the ground at all. It
is common to see all family members
carrying the baby in their arms or in a
simple sling made from a sarong during
this time. Seeing the Balinese approach
to family life is refreshing - a gentle
form of parenting, where everyone in the
extended family takes part |
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Childbirth International and cultural
diversity
Childbirth
International is a truly diverse international
training organization. With students in
56 countries, from every corner of the globe, we
celebrate the differences, similarities and
uniqueness of each culture, religion and race.
We believe that with knowledge of different
cultural groups, particularly in the field of
pregnancy, childbirth and parenting, we can all
learn from each other and eliminate intolerance
and prejudice.
In Culture Vulture
we seek to explore different birthing practices
and beliefs from around the world, opening up
our understanding and bringing the rest of the
world a little closer.
Childbirth
International courses explore cultural
differences and different value systems,
enabling students to become more aware of the
rich variety of women and families that they
will be working with.For more information on
training with Childbirth International, take a
look at our
website,
or
contact us.
Childbirth International
offers training programs for Birth Doulas,
Postpartum Doulas and
Childbirth Educators. From September 2008 we will
also be launching a Breastfeeding Counseling
course.
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