Synopses & Reviews
Having a baby is a private miracle, yet it is also the source of much shared joy. For this reason, women and families in every country and every culture have customs to ensure that the journey into motherhood is marked and remembered. From the Mexican rebozo used to rock the belly and ease back pain during pregnancy to the Bengali practice of taking off a woman's bangles to help her visualize a speedy labor, from Arianna Huffington's advice for getting sleep in the early days of motherhood to Davina McCall's tribute to her midwife, from the proverbs printed on the kangas used to carry East African newborns to the Japanese ritual where Sumo wrestlers are asked to make infants cry, each page of On Becoming a Mother is filled with inspiration, humor, and insight about the beginnings of parenthood.
Review
"Filled with pregnancy and motherhood humour, inspiration and insight from around the world." - Parents Canada
"Gorgeous" - Daily Telegraph
"Would make a lovely gift for a mom-to-be." - Green Parent magazine
"Enlightening...a thoroughly enjoyable read that doesn't chastise you or make you feel that you are doing anything wrong, in fact highlights that we are all different and choose to do what is right for us." - Baby Buzz magazine
Synopsis
A celebration of pregnancy, childbirth, and the first year of a new baby's life.
From the Mexican rebozo used to rock the belly and ease back pain during pregnancy to the Bengali practice of taking off a woman's bangles to help her visualize a speedy labor, from Arianna Huffington's advice for getting sleep in the early days of motherhood to Davina McCall's tribute to her midwife, from the inspiring proverbs on the kangas used to carry East African newborns on their mothers' backs to the Japanese ritual where Sumo wrestlers are asked to make infants cry, discover a world's worth of wisdom on becoming a mother.
About the Author
Award-winning journalist and filmmaker Brigid McConville is a director of the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, which is based in London and Washington, D.C. When she is not traveling the world to ensure the alliances mission that pregnancy and childbirth are safe for all, she divides her time between London and the west country of England.
Table of Contents
Part 1. Before Birth1. Sharing the News: Shaad (Bangladesh)
2. Finding Support: The Haraobi (Japan)
3. For Safe Keeping: Secret Mothers” (Malawi)
4. The Hózhójí: Making a Blessingway (Navajo)
5. Deluged with Love: The Baby Shower (USA)
6. Anoint the Belly: The Oil of Joy (Nigeria)
7. Rock the Belly: Lenggang Perut (Malaysia)
8. Do This, Dont Do That: Taboos
9. Blessed Curd for a Boy... or a Girl (Nepal)
10. Vauva Laatikko: A Box Just for Baby (Finland)
Part 2. Time for Birth
11. Its Your Time, Take Your Time (Liberia)
12. Take Off Your Bangles: Opening the Way (India)
13. Mothering the Mother: The Midwife
14. The Circle of Labour (Mauritania)
15. Fathers Day Too (Quichua)
16. Before the Last Push: Building a Sacred Chakra (Achuar)
17. First Sight: Between Shock and Love
18. Sweet Whispers: Al-Tahneek (Islam)
19. Whenua: Home for the Second Baby (Maori)
20. Jubilations and Thanksgivings: A Moment to Pause
Part 3. After Birth
21. A New Ekyogero for Grandmother (Uganda)
22. Outcoming: Meeting the Family (Cambodia)
23. Smoking the Baby (Aboriginal people, Australia)
24. Latching On: A Time of Riches (Nepal)
25. You Ugly Rat”: Naming Names (Vietnam)
26. Afartanbah: Forty Days and Forty Nights of Rest (Somaliland)
27. She Has Just Given Birth!” (Tanzania)
28. Naki! Naki! Naki!: Sumo-weight Soothing (Japan)
29. A Mothers Touch: Wearing the Kanga (East Africa)
30. Going Hot and Cold: Zuoyuezi (China)
31. The Chain of Godmothers (UK)
Part 4. The First” Year
32. A Cup of Forty Keys: A Year of Firsts” (Persia)
33. Babys Weight in Gold: Aqiqah (Islam)
34. First Date Night: Reconnecting at Home
35. Letting Go: First Taste of Pasni (Nepal)
36. Mama, Baba, Nana, Papa: First Words
37. First Steps: Tedak Siten (Indonesia)
38. El Salto del Colacho: Protect This Baby (Spain)
39. A Nudge into the Future: Doljabi (Korea)
40. Final Wisdom: Coming Full Circle
About White Ribbon Alliance
About the Star Showers Campaign
Thanks and Acknowledgments
Art Credits
Index