The aunties of the home have decided that I'm carrying a son because my belly is protruding forward like a ball or cone and girl-babies are carried from side to side and swell your whole body and abdomen. Funny - my first old wives tale told by two old wives themselves! They were conversing between themselves and pointing at me as they chattered. Then asked me if I wanted a boy or a girl and I told them, "as God wills". They smiled and said, "not a girl. Stomach is holding only son." Haha! They have 50% odds that they are right.
Cultural notes:
- Baby was not wearing a diaper or pants, but only had on a long-sleeved t-shirt, tied bonnet, and he had a man's handkerchief underneath his bottom
- Even though it is 80F most days (or hotter) here, they keep the baby in a bunting bag of sorts that is really warm - even in the hottest part of the day, and have only a ceiling fan with no A/C
- This is the first new baby I've seen without eyeliner on his/her face to ward off the evil eye (usually parents will draw a large 'mole' on the baby's temple or center of the forehead)
- My friend said that she had a "normal delivery by cesarean" - later her husband clarified that two hours after their arrival, the doctor said they must surgically remove the baby since the baby was 3 kilos (6.6lbs) and delivering the baby vaginally would be too risky.
- It is okay to feed the baby in front of guests, as long as you have a modest way of covering-up
No comments:
Post a Comment