Motha the Mother

I grew up immersed in South Indian and Sri Lankan culture, where pregnant women are cared for and looked after by their families.In India and in Sri Lanka our girls consider pregnancy and giving birth as a part of life and as a perfectly normal human function.It’s usual for relatives on both sides of the family to visit a pregnant mother regularly bringing her easy to digest delicious food to eat.This ritual of feeding a pregnant woman is considered to be one of the most meritorious good deeds and builds up good Karma- hence the motivation!I love this tradition because it acknowledges the soon to be born baby and shows that the extended family are already taking care of him or her. I also like the fact that the family work together to help make life a little easier for the pregnant woman.Here in London most of the pregnant mothers I meet are, rush, rush, rushing around – working hard, taking care of their partners and children and doing the housework and keeping everyone organised.Perhaps this tradition should not be reserved for Indian women alone!We can embrace these wise practices and give our mothers a bit of a break from their work routines. Perhaps lovely partners could give pregnant mothers a bit of time to put their feet up and feel pampered. This is usually much valued and effective.Pregnancy is a time for calm. So take this opportunity to rally round your family and friends and ask for support. Asking for support is a sign of emotional honesty and not a sign of weakness. As being supported makes your baby in your womb feel emotionally more secure and happy.You might even be lucky enough to encourage relatives or friends to pop over and cook for you once a week, or encourage your partner to be creative and cook for you a few meals. After all looking after you is helping to look after the newest addition to the family.