People are really into luxury here. Fortunately, many people have the resources to keep up with luxurious things. Also, I think that the cost of living is much more manageable than in other parts of the world, well in some areas at least. So what's it like having a baby here? I'll share...
A woman goes through basically the same prenatal care that an American woman goes through. Although it's very common for women and their husbands to keep their happy news until after the first trimester. On one hand I could say that boys are preferred, but on the other hand people just go ga-ga over their little girls, dressing them up, spoiling them with loads of pretty things. I guess it's not a cultural thing, it's a personal one. For me, I just wanted a healthy baby. I truly had no preference. God blessed us with a boy, and some family members were quite happy. Keep in mind that the first born is usually the one to look after the family once grown. A big strong brother sounds like a good "looker-after" to me. ;-) But I know that if we would've had a girl, people would have been just as happy.
The whole delivery thing is where it starts to become a bit different. The epidural is available but a lot of women refuse it. Some of this is out of fear of bad side effects (like becoming paralyzed) and some is religious. In Islam a mother is given high respect for all the things she must go through in life, especially pregnancy and delivery. Don't get me wrong though, there are plenty of women opting for the epidural these days (I was one of them). The actual delivery process is pretty much the same, it's after the delivery that it's very different.
When a woman in the US has a baby, she'll stay in a normal hospital room for a couple of days. Family and friends may come to visit bringing flowers, balloons, and/or baby gifts. We also have the tradition of "It's a boy/girl!" items, which get passed out to all our loved ones. After the hospital, Mom and baby return home and begin the most difficult part (I personally believe that those first 2 days are EXTREMELY difficult). Things start to ease up, Mom and baby begin to understand each other and then Mom usually has to return to work after about six weeks, give or take. A baby shower was already held weeks before the birth, so Mom and Dad were able to stock up and prepare with lots of help. And so life has begun with this new little one in their lives.
Now here's what happens in Saudi Arabia...
A lot of women do not want a "normal room" at the hospital. She usually wants a suite....yes, you read that right, hospitals here have suites. She and her family will buy all kinds of decor for this suite prior to the baby's arrival. It's usually some sort of theme, or at least a color coded theme. And don't think of baby blue or pink, it's usually the latest color trend in home decor such as browns and beiges, or wines accented with gold, and the list goes on. The decor includes, but is not limited to, bedding (yes, bedding for her hospital bed), table runners, decorated trays, coffee cups, tea cups, glasses, etc, etc, etc. A newer tradition has also begun where "favors" are designed and handed out to all the visitors. The Mommy also buys a beautiful nightgown or two to wear during visiting hours, and usually has a nightstand with oils and perfumes to smell extra pretty.
So more about those visitors...the whole having a baby thing seems to evolve around the visitors. I guess that's not surprising because Arabs are known for their hospitality and I can attest to this being true. So when the visitors come to visit Mom and baby they sit down on couches and fancy chairs. They are served the yummiest things in an order something like this:
Arabic coffee (I must post about this sometime in the future, I'm addicted to Arabic coffee. It's somewhat bitter, and served with sweets. It's an acquired taste, but one that I LOVE.) with sweets and dates (dates are eaten daily, one reason is because there are tons of palm trees that grow dates so there's plenty of them). The sweets can range from biscuits to imported gourmet chocolates. The chocolates are so delicious that I dare not go empty handed when visiting my family in the US. They're hooked.
Tea with sandwich-type foods, think cute bite-sized appetizers. Tea is served in beautiful little tea cups with saucers. And the yummies are served on a beautifully decorated tray of some kind.
Juice served in wine glasses. These are usually freshly made from fresh fruits. Some of my favorites are strawberry, guava, and mango.
All of these things are served by close family of the new mommy or hired help.
Most visitors will bring gifts of chocolates to the hospital. They are beautifully arranged on trays, in elaborate decor, etc. The cool thing is that you can use these to serve future visitors and the trays/decor can be used in your home or refilled for future occasions.
After the hospital stay, women usually go to stay in their parent's house for about 40 days. (Why 40 days? This is about the time it takes to finish the post partum bleeding, or post partum period.) This is actually something I really admire. The new mommy then has people to help her. She can get her rest, her family will cook for her so she can actually eat proper meals, and family can help with the baby. Believe me, there are times when you need a little break in those early days, even if it is just to take a nice hot shower. In my case, I stayed in my in-laws house for 3 weeks and my husband stayed too. My family's home was obviously a little too far away. ;-) It was really nice having all the help. Although I was anxious to get back home and find my normal routine with my new little guy.
About 10 days after delivery (they give Mommy a chance to rest and get settled with baby) visitors start coming to the house. This is when gifts are brought for the baby (baby showers are not usually held here). Baby girls often receive gifts of gold like baby bracelets and earrings. Boys tend to receive gifts of money. One tradition is for visitors to slip money into the baby's blanket as he/she is being passed around. This happened several times with my son.
After the forty days, Mommy and baby return home. Keep in mind that most women have live-in housekeepers than will continue to help. I love how women are taken care of here. It's also around this time that the family will hold a party for Mommy and baby, usually with lots of yummy foods and desserts.
So are you curious about my hospital room? Did I go for the suite? Well, I didn't think it was necessary to do the whole big suite thing. I mean, why would I need a room that is actually 2-3 rooms complete with a kitchenette and bathroom? But at the same time I wanted a little girly girl luxury. ;-) I found a good deal. There was a room available called a "deluxe private room". It was beautifully decorated with a sitting area for my visitors, had a private bath, and a sink and fridge. My in-laws were very sweet and lent me their serving sets for coffee, tea and all the other goodies I mentioned. I was very pleased with everything. Here are those pictures I mentioned earlier:
I brought the bedding and you can also see some of the trays and decor on the table that held chocolates and other yummy sweets. I just love how the room was decorated.
But you know the best part of it all? I got to bring my precious baby boy home with me and my life has changed forever, in the best possible way. :-)
I am soooooo glad you talk about this stuff! I had NOOOO idea all this stuff happens. I love learning all this stuff!
ReplyDeleteI've seent hose pictures before but I still thought it was so cool to read about it all again...oh if only the US was this way...can I come there when I get pregannt and are ready to deliver?
ReplyDelete