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“We give oil massage to the babies” (IDI, FIL-Pezu)
“The mustard oil is moderately warmed and the baby
is given massage with it” (IDI, Husband-Lakki1)
5.5 Cleanliness of Care Taker
Measures taken for personal cleanliness by care takers
varied. In some districts (Khuzdar, Pishin, Dadu), only
a few mothers in urban areas mentioned that
they take care of their cleanliness and wash
hands especially before breastfeeding and after changing
baby’s diapers. Most mothers said that they cannot wash
hands every time they pick up the babies as they are usually
busy in household chores and breastfeed while doing these
chores. They usually clean their hands with a cloth. Use of
soap for washing hands was mentioned rarely.
In other districts (Charsadda, Lakki Marwat, Haripur,
Jhelum, DG Khan, Sukkur), majority of mothers
reported practice of washing hands before
breastfeeding, changing his/her clothes and
cleaning the neonate. Mothers said that they wash
their hands if they are dirty in mud, dung, filth or by any
other household chore before picking up the newborn.
“We wash our hands before breastfeeding or changing
the clothes of the baby because the hands are unclean
and dirty” (FGD- Umer Zai, Charsadda).
In DG Khan, mothers said that they try their best to
wash their hands before touching the newborn and keep
them clean but they cannot make others to do the same.
If they ask the grand-mothers or other such relatives of
the newborn to wash their hands before picking them up,
they do not listen to them and hence mothers cannot help
it. Similarly, the sweepers and housemaids also pick the
newborn out of affection and mothers thought that these
people are also not clean but they say they cannot stop
someone from showing affection to the baby.
One practice among some mothers in DG Khan is that they
hide their newborns from strangers or unrelated people.
They believe they might cast an evil eye but it indirectly
also serves to increase the probability of the newborn not
coming in contact with unclean persons.
of gender by the family members. In Pathans birth of a girl
is celebrated as later the parents receive bridal money in
exchange of their daughter and in other castes a son is
preferred over a daughter.
“The woman is cursed when she bears a girl and
at the time of the birth of a boy family members
celebrate and are very happy.” (FGD- Ghazgi, Khuzdar).
“Neither mother nor father takes care of the baby girl.
At the time of birth both parents are sad. When the
boy is born sweets are distributed and shots are fired
in the air ” (FGD- Ferozabad, Khuzdar).
“Sons are given more attention and care then
daughters. People are not happy at the birth of a
daughter. My brothers asked me to put my daughters
for adoption” (FGD- Batezai, Pishin)
“If a baby boy is born every body is happy and if a
baby girl is born every body is sad and wish that a
baby boy had been born instead” (FGD-Marmandi
Azim, Lakki Marwat).
“Even the dai is not excited at the birth of a daughter
thinking that she will not get a reward. On the contrary,
she shows a lot of excitement on the birth of a son”
(FGD-Sakhi Sarwar, DG Khan)
“If a girl child suffers from an illness like fever,
yarqan they say she will be ok. If it is a son they take
him immediately to a doctor” (FGD- Taunsa Sharif, DG
Khan).
Mixed response was received in Charsadda and Haripur,
while in Sukkur and Dadu most participants reported that
they consider their sons and daughters to be
equal and do not discriminate in taking care of any of
them. However, some mothers, both in urban and rural
areas, said that other family members prefer sons as they
are going to grow up to be the earners of the family while
girls have to go away after getting married.
5.6 Gender Differences in taking care of the
Newborn
Discrimination on the basis of gender varied in district.
In some districts (Khuzdar, Pishin DG Khan, Jhelum, Lakki
Marwat) it was reported in all areas. The mother and
newborn are taken care of according to the preference
SAVE THE CHILDREN l 41