The Postpartum Tradition of Sawa Mahina in Rural Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

The Punjabi postpartum tradition is called sawa mahina (‘five weeks’). This study investigates infant health care belief practices in rural Punjab and looks at the social significance of infant care beliefs practiced during sawa mahina. During six months of fieldwork, using participant observation and unstructured interviews as primary research methods, the study explored the prevalent postpartum tradition from a childcare perspective. A Punjabi child holds a social value regarding familial, religious, and emotional values. The five-week traditional postpartum period provides an insight into mother-child attachment, related child care belief practices, and the social construction of infancy. A child’s agency is recognised in the embodied mother-child relationship, and a child is seen in a sympathetic connection with the mother. Establishing an early foundation of ascribed identities is another important part of postpartum belief practices.

Social value of the child in the global south: A multifaceted concept

“…Children are raised in this context as “interdependent persons” with socioeconomic value and a reciprocal relationship with the family. Hence, the cultural meaning of children’s economic value is entwined with their familial value (Abebe, 2008; Abebe and Kjørholt, 2009; Antoniou, 2007; Pribilsky, 2001; Punch, 2001; Qamar, 2014). Similarly, religious inspiration persists in some cultures for children to help with household chores and to support their parents in their old age.…”

“…Recognizing cultural values as a component of society's socioeconomic system (Trommsdorff, 2015), I describe the familial value of the child as a nexus of the social, cultural, and economic value of the child. Based on my research on the social value of the child in non-western pro-baby contexts (Qamar, 2016(Qamar, , 2017(Qamar, , 2018, I will focus specifically on the following key aspects of the value of the child.…”

“…Hence, the emotional value of the children for parents is not independent of their concerns for their children's safety and future participation in society for the social well-being of children, parents, and families. Qamar, 2016Qamar, , 2017Qamar, , 2018.…”

“…They are helpers, a source of happiness, and social security for their parents. They hold emotional and economic value for the parents (Abebe, 2008; Antoniou, 2007; Chant and Jones, 2005; Punch, 2001; Qamar, 2014). To be more specific, social value is theoretically determined by the social construction of children and childhood in various socio-cultural contexts, and it encompasses all aspects of the value of the child that contribute to the psycho-social and economic well-being of the parents and family.…”

“…Figure 1. Social value of the child-key conceptual connections (derived fromQamar, 2016Qamar, , 2017Qamar, , 2018.…”