On Growing Sweet Babies

I thought I would share a few observations and experiences surrounding pregnancy here in the Middle East. People tend to have lots of babies here and love children so it is interesting to discover traditions, beliefs and tendencies here in our desert town.

• Friends tend to tell the news of their pregnancy early on (instead of waiting for the end of the first trimester).  A new friend told me the day after her positive test last month.  Of course, first trimester miscarriages happen, and friends tend to be open and sad about this.
  

• People are not shy about commenting on your pregnancy – always in a respectful way in my experience.  Even men (who usually don’t acknowledge me) will comment on a baby on the way – maybe shyly: “Are you feeling tired?”  Hands down, my favorite reaction to pregnancy comes from Bedouin old ladies, weather worn and smelling like sheep and smoke.  They might take my face in their wrinkled hands and exuberantly bless me and the little one inside.
• Clothing favors loose styles, more like American maternity styles in the 50’s and 60’s.
• Many will recommend Anise tea (this was served to me when I recovered in the hospital after my last birth here) and a daily ration of dates.  Opinions vary on cinnamon: some recommend during pregnancy and some think it is dangerous during pregnancy.  All believe it is great for new moms and this is why it is served to visitors by the new mom and her family after the baby is born (it is thought to help the womb contract and heal)
• Stretch marks are a normal concern and my friends use a cream from the pharmacy to prevent them.
• I wondered if nausea and cravings were a bit of a Western thing – but I found my friends, young and old, shared these experiences.  Because there is family around, my friends said they slept a lot their first trimesters.  Also, even friends in simple Bedouin tents could vividly recall their cravings: things like bananas and shawerma (lamb or chicken wrapped in flat bread).  When I was feeling ill the first half of pregnancy, friends did a beautiful job of feeding me traditional favorites and they tasted really good to me.