Pregnancy and childbirth are critical transitional periods of life.

In African countries,

traditional beliefs and practices are often associated with pregnancy, labour and the

postpartum period. These practices included praying, rituals or ceremonies, food taboos and

recommendations, behavioural taboos, massage, traditional healers, traditional medicine and

herbs. This exposition documents on cultural prenatal practices. Key terms which are prenatal

and cultural practices will be defined.

According to Peprah (2018), prenatal is the process encompassing the period from the

formation of the embryo, through the development of a fetus, to birth. Debes (2013) asserts

that prenatal is the process of growth within the womb from fertilization until birth.

Therefore, prenatal is the period from the conception of the zygote to the baby’s birth.

Alkema (2016) postulates that cultural practice is the manifestation of a culture or sub

culture, especially in regard to the traditional and customary practices of ethnic or other

cultural groups. Kittler and Sucher (2008) define cultural practice as practices, ceremonies

and events that places emphasis on aspects such as shared norms, beliefs and expectations,

spoken language and behavioral customs. Therefore, cultural practices are events and

practices that are attached to a certain belief and tradition.

Childbirth, and the time around birth, is a social and cultural event that is often governed by

norms. Many cultures’ beliefs make some activities taboo during pregnancy, including

avoiding killing animals, seeing wild and frightening animals, hating someone, behaving

rudely to others, cutting hair and fishing (Koeryman, 2019). In the Madurese culture, coconut

water is thought to clean the baby’s skin (Rian, 2018). During pregnancy, women from some

cultures do not eat certain foods. During labour, women from some cultures avoid moving

too much; some stay lying down, some prefer to sit or squat. In some cultures, the father does

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not attend the birth, but the mother or mother-in-law does. After childbirth, some women

follow strict rules, such as staying in bed for several days.

Some traditional beliefs and practices for pregnant women include fourth and seventh-month

rituals, massage and behavioural taboos. Kittler and Sucher (2008) emphasize that hese

traditions are carried out to show gratitude to God and are believed to help ensure that the

child becomes a good and religious person. The cultural practices ensure that the mother and

her baby have a safe pregnancy and uncomplicated birth, maintaining peace and harmony in

the family. Some cultural practices consider pregnancy massage by traditional birth

attendants. explains that pregnancy massage can help women be more comfortable during

pregnancy (Saaka and Iddrisu, 2014).

The cultural context includes the values, beliefs, morals, customs and practices accepted by a

community or group that are often passed on to the next generation by disseminating and

implementing the practices (Peprah, 2018). They are usually intended to provide an example

of good or beneficial behaviour and are expected to have a good impact on one’s life.

However, in most societies, the dominant culture, expressed through social institutions such

as the health care system, regulates how health issues are both perceived and addressed.

Differences between the cultures of health care services and service users have been

recognized as a major issue in service delivery (Debes, 2013). Perceived or actual cultural

insensitivity or incompetence of professionals can lead to perceptions of poor-quality care by

users or discrimination of certain users by providers, resulting in a lack of trust in services

and service providers.

Customs or practices that have a destructive effect and are harmful to oneself, family or

society must be avoided and may be considered taboo (Kittler and Sucher, 2008). Cultural

practices should be taken into account in the planning and delivery of services in order to

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effectively encourage service uptake as an important step in reducing maternal and newborn

mortality. Maternal and neonatal mortality remain serious problems in low resource settings,

where healthcare systems do not meet the minimum standards set by the World Health

Organization (WHO, 2014). The health care that a mother receives during pregnancy, at the

time of delivery, and soon after delivery is important for the survival and well-being of both

the mother and her child.

The primary causes of maternal death are haemorrhage, hypertension, infections, and indirect

causes, mostly due to interaction between pre-existing medical conditions and pregnancy. The

risk of a woman in a developing country dying from a maternal-related cause during her

lifetime is higher compared to a woman living in a developed country (Alkema, 2016). It is

therefore evident that maternal mortality is a health indicator that shows very wide gaps

between the rich and the poor, urban, and rural areas, both between and within countries.

Cultural and traditional practices, values, and beliefs have been identified by Koeryman

(2019) to play an important role during pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum period and care of

neonates. Socio-cultural practices generally have been reported to affect child survival.

Newborn health also constitutes a human right as specified in the Convention of the Rights of

the Child (UNICEF, 2013). Good practices need to be identified and promoted whilst harmful

practices must be discouraged. The common causes of neonatal mortality include

complications of prematurity, infections, and adverse intrapartum events including birth

asphyxia and low birth weight (Debes, 2013).

In conclusion, different cultures have different values, beliefs and practices. A woman’s

cultural background can affect her needs and expectations during pregnancy and childbirth, as

well as how she and her family raise children. By virtue of the fact that communities have

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their own unique cultures and traditions, maternal and new-born traditional practices may

differ from community to community.

REFERENCE

Alkema, G. (2016). Midwifery and Quality Care. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing

Limited.

Debes, S. (2013). Traditional Practices Applied to Mother and Newborn During Pregnancy.

Westport: Quorum Books.

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Iddrisu, G. & Saaka, T. (2014). Culture’s Consequences. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Kittler, R. & Sucher, G. (2008) Cultural Prenatal and Postnatal Review. London: D. P.

Publications.

Koeryman, F. (2019). Cultural Childbirth Practices and Beliefs in Zambia. Lusaka:

Longman.

Peprah, R. J. (2018). Developmental Task and Education. New York: Longmans.

Rian, C. (2018). Traditional Practices to Mother Care. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler

Publishers.

UNICEF. (2013). Early Childhood Development. Washington DC: Irwin Inc.

World Health Organization (WHO). (2014). Recommendations on Community Women’s

Groups for Maternal and Newborn Health. Geneva: World Health.