Download Resource - Healthy Newborn Network

eastfeeding an LBW neonate as she believed that if
the mother is cold the coldness transfers to the baby
through her milk (DG Khan).
• Newborn is not taken out of the house for forty days
to avoid evil eye and evil spirits (Haripur, Khuzdar,
Pishin, DG Khan)
• LBW is not taken outside as s/he can get cold and
may also get injured as s/he is considered very weak
(Pishin).
• Mothers along with neonates are advised not to go
under the trees or in the dark to avoid evil spirits
(Haripur)
• Newborn is taken to a shrine for dum (spiritual healing)
(Haripur, Lakki Marwat) or bath consecutively for one
week (Charsadda).
• LBW is taken to a mulla for faith healing or a maulvi
is called home to treat the baby (IDI, husband, Zeedi,
Khuzdar).
Some other interesting practices came out for
dealing with the LBW babies:
Haripur:
• Mothers reported that they had learned from their
elders that the LBW baby should be made to
eat a live housefly every Sunday for seven Sundays
and the weak baby recovers. They thought that housefly
is a cure for LBW (Darvesh, Haripur).
• An LBW is weighed in a balance with shoes
every Sunday and the number of shoes is increased
every time. This results in baby getting more weight
(Darvesh, Haripur). .
DG Khan:
• One participant mentioned that elderly women
says that the newborn should be placed inside ojhri
(intestines of cow or goats) after removing its content as
ojhri sucks out the bala (evil) from her/him.
Sukkur:
In one rural FGD (Saleh Pat) interesting measures were
described to ward off evil spirits from the newborn as s/he
is considered to be weak because of that:
• gold is washed in water and the newborn is bathed
with that water.
• a stick of size of the baby is placed on the roof to ward
off the evil spirits.
• In another rural area (Arain) following home
management practices for an LBW baby were reported:
• Wheat sack made of cotton is washed with coal ashes
and water and spread on newborn’s bed. Every Sunday
the newborn is slept on that sack till his/her weight
increases.
• On a Sunday the mother of the baby, hovers cow dung
over newborn’s head seven times and places it on a
green tree. As the dung dries the newborn becomes
healthy. If the dung dries completely and the newborn
doesn’t get better then s/he dies.
• The newborn is taken to Shikarpur where Samad
flowers grow. Petals of the Samad flower are put on
newborn’s head and then the newborn is given a bath.
• The baby is laid on the Losan grass that is very green in
color. The mother turns her back to the baby. Another
woman loudly says that the baby has become green, i.e.,
has become healthy. This practice is repeated till the
newborn gains weight.
• On a Sunday, the newborn is passed seven times under
the roots of an old tree.
All these practices are believed to help the baby gain weight
and become healthy.
Most of the LHWs interviewed in-depth reported that they
advise mothers to breastfeed an LBW baby more frequently
than a normal newborn. Exclusive breastfeeding for 4 to 6
months is also advocated by them. Daiyan and LHWs also
said that they tell the mothers to keep an LBW baby warm
as s/he can catch cold and diseases easily.
“I advise the women to take an LBW baby to the
doctor. In winters especially, I tell them to protect the
newborn from cold and wrap in cotton and warm
clothes.” (IDI, Dai- Hangoro)
Few mothers in 3 districts (DG Khan, Haripur and Lakki
Marwat) believed that LBW babies can only be treated by
doctors.
“The low weight newborn cannot be treated at home
at all. They have to be taken to a doctor” (FGD – Sokar,
DG Khan).
“If the newborn is low weight, a doctor should be
consulted because only he can do something’ (IDI, MIL-
Janobi, Haripur)
“We take such baby to a doctor and the doctor
prescribes formula milk for her/him” (FGD-Lakki 1,
Lakki Marwat).
SAVE THE CHILDREN l 21