We continue interviewing the anthropologist María José Garrido, which specializes in the anthropology of parenting. In this installment we will address issues such as childbirth, breastfeeding and fatherhood In other cultures.
Can you tell us about the customs around childbirth in other cultures?
Anthropologists Karen Rosenberg and Wenda Trevathan have investigated the evolution of human labor, after encephalization and standing, which led to a certain mandatory obstetrics: the need for some kind of assistance in many cultures.
They found that in almost all cultures, as well as in traditional societies, a group of women, midwives or relatives used to care for women during childbirth.
Although not at all, it is like this: Kalahari Bushmen traditionally give birth alone, every 4 or 5 years, without company or help. The ache of Paraguay give birth in public and at birth a godmother takes care of the newborn during the first days, establishing a special relationship for a lifetime. There are studies, such as that of anthropologist John Whiting, which revealed a strong relationship between a low-protein diet and a prolonged taboo of sexual intercourse after childbirth, prohibiting relationships for a year or more after birth. Possibly because it was an adaptive solution, by delaying the next pregnancy and prolonging breastfeeding, the baby was more likely to survive in an environment lacking protein.
Can we say the way of birth influences the behavior of human beings?
It seems clear that there is an association between birth, upbringing and resulting culture, as Michel Odent argues, following his research at the Center for Primary Health Research in London, where babies born in contexts of respected births, whose physical characteristics are studied and psychic differ from those usual in babies born in medicalized settings.
Are parents usually present at births in other cultures?
Regarding whether the father is present during childbirth, although in some groups it is a public event, in general there is no record that the parents are present or participate significantly in the process.
Breastfeeding has always been normal and usual, but are there nurses or babies in other cultures?
As for food, traditionally in the West it has been customary to breastfeed children by nurses or nurses, rather than the milk of other animals. They were women hired to breastfeed other people's children. There is evidence of its existence since the second century in the Egyptian harems. In fact it has been the usual thing throughout history if the mother could not or would not breastfeed or if she had died, since the first artificial formula did not appear until the 19th century. Artificial milk was born in 1867, consisting of cow's milk, flour, potassium bicarbonate and malt. In 1911 there were a hundred varieties of milk for sale. Infant feeding became a business, backed by doctors. According to UNICEF, every year one and a half million babies die because they have not been breastfed and in the West, it also causes an increase in chronic disorders.
Was he raised in a tribe or was the mother exclusively with her son and alone?
In general it seems that Humanity has raised a tribe. The babies were in contact with adults or children who took care of them while their mothers worked. For example, Gussi babies in Africa remain in the care of other children, while their mothers work in the orchards. In 60% of 67 societies studied by Whyte in 1978, the care, handling and discipline of children by the mother predominated. However, in groups of hunters and gatherers, such as ju / 'hoansi san, parents were actively in charge of raising their children.
Is the lack of father-baby bonding common in all cultures, natural, or rather is it cultural?
Kinship is a cultural construction. There are cultures that assign the paternal function to people other than the biological father, but in all there is some paternal figure. In some they believe that it is the spirits who introduce the babies into the womb of women. In others, the baby must be fed during pregnancy by continued insemination. There are places where paternity is multiple, such as among the bari of Venezuela, where it is thought that several men can create the same fetus. Men with whom the mother had sex during the year before birth are considered fathers and contribute to the upbringing of the child, thus increasing their chances of survival. In the ache of Paraguay, for example, they become secondary parents. Also among the aboriginal peoples of South America, Africa, Australia and Asia they believe that it is necessary to carry out more than one sexual relationship to conceive a baby, although there are differences between them in socially accepting multiple or single parent paternity. The Trobrians have very emotional relationships with the father, who walks, cleans, bathes and feeds the children with mash. They spend a lot of time with them in their arms or in their lap looking them in the eye, since it is the way they can shape the child's face. The mother also has an affectionate relationship with the children, hugs them, caresses and plays with them throughout childhood.
Can you explain what covada is and in what cultures it was presented?
In some traditional societies, parents have a very strong bond with the baby, showing symptoms of pregnancy and childbirth. So they came to be cared for by their community during childbirth, while the mother gave birth elsewhere. There is evidence of the couvade since the third century B.C. Until the middle of the 20th century, some form of covada has been proven in different parts of the world, such as Lapland, Borneo, England, France, Brazil, Germany or Spain. For example, in Casas de Ves, in Albacete, the man slept with the newborn, put on his shirt and burned the placenta in a ritual bonfire. In other places it had a more symbolic character, as in Alabama and South Carolina, in the USA, where the father put the hat on the bedding pillow of the parturient.
Do current men involved in parenting covada?
In developed societies it has also been proven that parents show physical symptoms similar to those of their pregnant women, as evidenced that their levels of oxytocin and prolactin also increase, as has been observed in recent years.
We leave for tomorrow some last issues in which, the perspective of an anthropologist with the knowledge of our interviewee, María José Garrido, I think it is essential: children's sleep and the education of our children. Once again, knowing about human nature will show us what is healthier for children.
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