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I interviewed my friend and co-worker Cheri. She is a nurse that currently lives in Wilber, Nebraska, with her boyfriend and two children: Devin and Berkley. Devin was born in 2003, and Berkley was born in 2008. Cheri was 27 when she had Devin, and 33 when she had Berkley. Cheri had both of her children in Lincoln, Nebraska. Cheri’s heritage is German, Irish, and Norwegian.
Cultural Traditions and Feelings about Pregnancy
In Cheri’s experience, she thinks people did treat her differently. She states that strangers smiled at her more and that people were politer overall. She doesn’t think that family treated her much differently, aside from her mother-in-law, who was always concerned about how she felt. Her mother-in-law was willing to help her when she was tired or when she needed anything. She also states that everyone gave her advice about pregnancy and how to raise a child.
Familism is of high importance in Latino/Hispanic culture; where family is valued higher than individual or community needs. Families are often nuclear; however, extended families are also included. (Medina, p. 21). The father of the family holds the most power within a household, and often makes decisions for other family members. Men are also expected to provide for their families. (Medina, p. 23). Mothers hold the family together because they are the primary caregiver. (Medina, p. 26). During pregnancy in Latino/Hispanic culture, advise from elder female family members (such as mothers, aunts, and grandmothers) is highly regarded (Holtz, 2017, p. 472). During healthcare planning, the family, especially female family members, prefer for be involved (Medina, p. 27). Pregnancy is a “respectable” occurrence in Latino/Hispanic culture (Clark, 2014, first paragraph). Giving birth and having children is of great importance and is important to a woman’s identity (Maldonado-Duran, 2002, p. 88).
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Preparation for the Coming Baby
Regarding health practices, Cheri quit smoking, limited her caffeine intake, ate healthier foods and drank plenty of water. She stated she lost weight until the seconds trimester of her pregnancies. Regarding obtaining material things for the baby, such as diapers, clothes, and other supplies, Cheri states that she bought, or acquired from family or friends, everything she needed for her babies before they were born. She states that her children are five years apart, so she had gotten all new supplies for each child. She says that she didn’t get any hand-me-downs, but they didn’t have anything special; only what she described as the necessities.
Latino/Hispanic women are careful during their pregnancies to ensure the health of their babies. Pregnant women are taught to not drink, smoke, or do drugs during their pregnancy (Clark, 2014, first paragraph). Pregnant women are also encouraged to not do heavy work, quit their jobs, and to only be concerned about their health and the health of their baby (Clark, 2014, first paragraph). However, Latino women are encouraged to stay active, because they believe it will help their babies develop good temperament, and produce a healthier baby in general (Holtz, 2017, p. 472). Furthermore, it is not unusual for the mother of the pregnant woman to move into the home to get the home ready for the baby (Clark, 2014, second paragraph).
Regarding obtaining items for the baby, from what I have gathered, it seems like the father of the child would be held accountable for getting the items, or that the family would help provide for the child, either with hand-me-downs or purchasing items. It was difficult to find information on this specifically, but based on Latino/Hispanic culture, I think those would be reasonable assumptions.
Presence of the Father at Birth and Traditions
Cheri states that the father was present for the births of her children. Apparently, she kept the labor of the first child a secret because she wanted to only have her and the father present for the birth. She had called her family and friends two hours after the birth. For the second child, the father also attended the birth, but Cheri’s mother was there as well. Cheri’s mother was upset that she didn’t tell her about the first birth, so she let her attend the second. Cheri and the father also took parenting classes, Lamaze classes, and child CPR together before the birth.
Usually the Latino partner or husband of the pregnant woman is not expected to be present during the birth (Maldonado-Duran, 2002, p. 85) Generally, only female family members are experienced to be there with the mother during the birth (Clark, 2014, second paragraph). However, when the pregnant woman goes to a clinic for prenatal reasons, the husband will be present, but usually it’s more common for female family members to be present. The female members of the family are the main support system for the pregnant woman (Medina, p. 54). Furthermore, many Latino/Hispanic women prefer a midwife or female doctor during delivery. (Maldonado-Duran, 2002, p. 85)
Special Ceremonies
Cheri states that her first child, Devin, was baptized at a young age. She had him dress in a white gown for the baptism. She still has the gown. Her second child, Berkley, was not baptized. She explains that Berkley has a different father that didn’t mind if she was baptized or not.
Many Latino/Hispanic families are Roman Catholic, and religion has much influence during their daily lives. In this case, this culture finds it important to baptize their children. (Medina, p. 29). Baptisms are celebratory gatherings of family and friends, to bring the baby into the “faith community” (Mexican baptism traditions, 2011). In el Bautismo, which means the baptism in English, the baby wears a white garment called a ropon. The white color symbolizes purity (Mexican baptism traditions, 2011). It is common for children to have godparents, called padrinos (Mexican baptism traditions, 2011). It is common for godparents to be assigned to the child, and this usually happens at the baptism. The godparents of the child provide support to the child in addition to the rest of the family and are there for the child if the biological parents can no longer care for the child (Maldonado-Duran, 2002, p. 77).
Traditions with Food and Pregnancy
Cheri made sure that she didn’t drink during her pregnancies, but she had an interesting experience while breastfeeding her son Devin. She states that one night, her aunt had convinced her that it was okay to have one glass of wine, even though she was breastfeeding. She then preceded to breastfeed Devin as she normally would before bedtime, the same night she drank the wine. She says that was the first night Devin slept all night, which scared her. Cheri had woken up in the morning and ran to Devin’s room because she thought Devin might have passed away from SIDS. However, Devin was sleeping soundly. From then on, she never drank alcohol again while breastfeeding.
Cheri says that she gained a small amount of weight, but that she wasn’t heavy when she had gotten pregnant. She states the she didn’t really have cravings while being pregnant for either child. She remembers only one time specifically where she had eaten a lot during a pregnancy, but her significant other told her to stop eating so much.
In Latino/Hispanic culture, women are encouraged to eat the foods they crave, because they believe these foods are the foods their body needs to help the baby develop optimally (Clark, 2014, paragraph one). However, there are numerous specific examples of foods to avoid in Latino/Hispanic culture. For example, pregnant women are taught to avoid hot foods, such as chilies and coffee, because it is believed that hot foods can cause their babies to develop rashes more easily (Holtz, 2017, p. 472). Maintaining hot and cold balance is also important in Latino/Hispanic culture, and woman observe their diets carefully to achieve this (Maldonado-Duran, 2002, p. 85). Interestingly, after a few months of breastfeeding their children, Latino women believe that the quality of their breast milk decreases. Thus, it is believed that drinking a small amount of beer daily produces levadura, which means yeast in English; better/healthier breast milk (Holtz, 2017, p. 473).
Postpartum Traditions and Practices
Cheri says that after her first pregnancy with her son Devin, her mother came to help her for three weeks. She enjoyed that experience. She allowed people to visit whenever they wanted. Cheri states that she took Devin out when he was four days old to Easter dinner and regularly after that. She says that she takes her children everywhere with her, and still does to this day. She runs errands, goes to appointments, meetings at work, and so on with the accompaniment of her children.
In Latino/Hispanic culture, women practice Quarentena, which means quarantine in English, for 40 days after giving birth. During this time, the mother and baby stay home with limited visitors so that they can properly bond, while also preventing their children from getting sick from outside contaminants (Holtz, 2017, p. 473). The mothers are cared for by female members of the family, but the mother is expected to care for the baby exclusively (Clark, 2014, third paragraph).
Traditions Related to Pregnancy and Childbirth
Cheri says that her family has always been traditional for living in Midwest America. Cheri had several baby showers before the births of her children. She registered for supplies before the births. Easter was a special time for her, because during that time, friends and family came to meet her children. She explains that her home was open to visitors. She remembers taking her first child, Devin, to both sets of grandparent’s places of work to show off the baby. Overall, Cheri thinks that her experiences are typical of the middle class, Caucasian American family.
Latino/Hispanic culture have many interesting spiritual practices. For example, the Latino family may want to take the umbilical cord and placenta home after the birth of the baby and plant it under a fruit tree, because they believe “the child will grow and bear fruit as the tree grows” (Holtz, 2017, p. 473). Many women in this culture are wary of mal de aja, or the evil eye. It is said that heavy eyesight, feelings of envy, or excess admiration of the baby produces negative effects, such as fear and anxiety, insomnia, and failure to thrive (Maldonado-Duran, 2002, p. 92). Pregnant mothers can also experience similar negative effects, in addition to difficult pregnancy progression (Maldonado-Duran, 2002, p. 92). Furthermore, pregnant Latino/Hispanic women are wary of eclipses. It is believed that eclipses can cause malformations of the fetus or even a mischarge (Maldonado-Duran, 2002, p. 90).
