Amy Drake and Dr. Charles Nuckolls, Department of Anthropology

Nearly a decade ago, India held one of the world’s highest rates in both infant and maternal mortality. Attention from the Indian government and the implementation of health programs have contributed to the significant improvement seen in the past ten years. While both rates have dropped substantially, maternal and infant health continue to be concerns in India. Pregnancy, delivery, and infant health complications can all be found at surprising frequencies throughout the country. While public health interventions and education campaigns strive to spread western medical methods, Indian women continue to embrace traditional practices of pregnancy and infant care. The purpose of this research project was to more fully investigate the cultural beliefs and attitudes of Indian mothers that affect the health of a child’s first year of life. Using simple interview methods, information was gathered from the women in Visakhapatnam in southern India. Women in suburban, urban, and rural areas were included in the interviews.

As I met with and interviewed many women in southern India, it became obvious that westernized medicine had taken a back-seat to traditional care. Recently, the Indian government’s interventions have stressed institutional deliveries (delivering in a hospital). And while many Indian women now deliver in hospitals, they believe healthy deliveries are ensured through the traditional methods practiced during pregnancy, rather than any westernized method.

For example, my interviews found that pregnant women can increase their chances of delivering a healthy baby if they follow traditional guidelines passed down from mothers, grandmothers, and other elders. These guidelines include a strict diet forbidding papaya, pumpkin, bitter gourd, pineapple, jack fruit, sesame seeds, and garlic. Consuming papaya during pregnancy, as noted by nearly every woman I interviewed, is the number one cause for abortion. Other guidelines to guarantee a healthy child include things such as avoiding all negative feelings and refraining from shouting.

These traditional methods continue to play a role after the child is born. Yet the idea remains the same: traditional methods are clung to in order to keep the baby healthy. For example, rather than rely on medication to treat illness, or sanitation to prevent disease, Indian women use markings and jewelry to ward off disease and evil spirits. The most common marking is the bottu. A bottu is a large black circle, drawn or painted onto the infant’s forehead. Other bottalu are placed on the child’s right hand, the sole of the right foot, the right temple, or on the chest over the heart. Kajal, thick black lines, are placed under the infant’s eyes. These markings all serve to keep the child healthy by warding off evil and disease.

Religious rituals and ceremonies are also crucial in a child’s first year of life. Because I studied in southern India, I found that the majority of the population was Hindu. Therefore, religion played a large role in the customs of pregnancy, child birth, and child care. While pregnant, the mother participates in a sri mantum, a ceremony celebrating the mother and securing blessings for the unborn child. Once the child is born, a naming ceremony, swing ceremony, and other rituals are performed to further bless the child and ensure a healthy future. These and many other customs and methods were observed as I collected information in India.

Interviewing in Viskhapatnam indeed answered my question. My research revealed that women do abide by traditional customs and rules in regards to pregnancy, delivery, and infant care. Despite newly introduced modern methods, Indian women cling to traditional ideas. In fact, traditional methods are continuing to be instilled into the minds and habits of young girls and new mothers today.

And while some customs and ideas lead to increased health risk to mother and child, not all prove to be so. Many traditional methods provide a sense of spirituality and unity to those who practice them. Not all traditional methods are detrimental to the health of the mother and the child. Rather, many illustrate the mother’s intimate care for her new infant.

Prior to this research project, I believed that all methods not congruent with modern medicine should be done away with. However, my research in India allowed me to see another perspective. Public health interventions should understand the rich meaning and cultural depth that many of these traditional methods exhibit. Rather than abolish and change all practices of Indian women, intervention and education methods should be tailored to preserve culture while instilling a basic understanding of essential health habits. With a fuller and more anthropological approach, proper efforts to improve the lives of Indian women and infants can be embraced alongside a pleasantly rich and vibrant culture.