Consumer Critique: On Becoming a Mother

Disclosure: I received complimentary products to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own.

On Becoming a Mother is a heartwarming collection of traditions around the world, from the Japanese tradition of using sumo wrestlers to make babies cry to the Navajo blessingway. It's organized by timeline throughout the process of becoming a mother, so it's a perfect gift for the soon-to-be mom. Even as an experienced mom long past the birth years, I still found it interesting to read the traditions from other countries. The essays are well-written, and each has a slightly different voice to match the experience of the custom.

The book is edited by Brigid McConville, the global creative director of the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, the international organization that campaigns to uphold the right of all women to be safe and healthy before, during and after childbirth. A portion of the proceeds from the book will go to support the White Ribbon Alliance. The book will be on sale May 1st.

I had a chance to interview Brigit to learn more.

1)     What was the inspiration behind the creation of this book?

 

As a mother of three, I know from my own experience that having a baby can truly be one of the most beautiful, rewarding and empowering experiences in life – not to mention the gift of being able to bring them up healthy and happy. By contrast, as a journalist and campaigner, I was horrified to discover how many women are denied this – and so I joined White Ribbon Alliance to try to change it. Since then I have come across many sad stories in my work, but I reached the point where I wanted to share the flip side, the positive side, and show just why we are so fired up to make things right for women and their families around the world. It has been a huge privilege and a great pleasure to hear so many tales of the love, kindness and care embodied in the traditions and customs which surround birth. This is something that unites us all. And I hope that readers will be inspired to join us in making birth safe and special for all women, wherever they live. 

2)     How did you go about collecting the information for each essay?

Most of the stories have come to me via friends and colleagues, midwives and mothers, that I have met over many years as a journalist and as a campaigner with White Ribbon Alliance. What had brought us together was the shared passion for putting an end to the needless deaths of women in childbirth. And so it was an absolute delight to hear the reverse side of the coin; stories of all the support and admiration for a woman and her new baby which is the thread connecting cultures all around the world.

3)     What were some of the most unique or surprising traditions you encountered?

 

I love the Kilimanjaro tradition, where people shout ‘Nawor  mfee!’ when they see a pregnant woman or her husband. It basically means ‘show respect, make way, here comes a woman about to give birth!’. My friend Rose from White Ribbon alliance in Tanzania told me about this tradition from her community, and described how men (who must cook for their wives at this time) will be sent to the top of the queue at the butcher and be given the best cuts of meat after shouts of ‘nawor mfee!’.

She also told me about the huge warmth and celebration that greets a new baby. As a child, she and her friends always used to hang out at the homes of families which had a newborn - because they knew there would be plenty of food on offer! I imagine their little hands reaching up to the table.