Friday, April 22, 2005

The Work of Nestle

A couple of weeks ago I was with the midwife as she was interviewing this Lady with a 2 years old son, she was 20 weeks pregnant at the time.
One of the Questions mothers-to-be are asked is: whether they will breast feed or bottle feed.

This lady smiled and said ill breast feed. Great news for everyone, healthy child healthy mother. healthy community.

The midwife told me afterwards that this lady suffered a lot with her first baby because her husband and her mother in Law were dead against breast feeding.
I could not understand. It is one thing for a woman not want to breast feed for many reasons, but for the husband to be against it knowing that it will benefit the child and the mother as well. I don’t understand it.

The midwife’s best guess was it’s because of the way the society looks at women who breast feed.
I thought to myself our society is blessed; no one would frown upon a mother breastfeeding her child in Oman provided she is not showing flesh.

I made a simple comparison in my mind. when people in the west talk about Breast feeding in public they assume that they will see some flesh, where as, when we talk about it , our imagination is of a woman who is wearing head scarf or a veil and she can cover herself and her child and feed him without being frowned upon.

This is an over simplified view but its an example of how a simple issue like breast feeding can be used to highlight social variations between 2 societies with different dressing codes and traditions.

I talked about how the way women dress could contribute to the difference in our perception, but imagine including things like, life style, having a maid, extended family, being a single mother etc. all these can be used to compare the 2 societies with breast feeding at the centre of it.

Needles to say while we are not that concerned about it in Oman, the National Health Services NHS in the UK has to set a whole campaign to encourage mothers to breast feed.

“Breast is Best”

2 comments:

iamnasra said...

Well I agree with you breast feeding is the best for the child health..They say even for women's health...(Im not sure how is that true)..

I guess this family who objected the idea...sometime you feel you reach a level of being morden..that you tend to think certain things are starge..(maybe thats who they looked at it)..

iamnasra said...

I think this artile about breast feeding was your best article or point view that I have seen...

Hey if you get chance come and visit my blog...just to be away from medicie...you know how poetry does for doctors