Ustaz Maulana Akbarshah: Pregnancy Care for Healthy Children

Monday, June 17, 2013

Pregnancy Care for Healthy Children

Once a woman gets pregnant, gratitude should be expressed before Allah Ta'ala as this is indeed a greatness of Him. This is such a gift that many people pray to Allah Ta'ala throughout their lives for good children but He has destined otherwise. Hence, a Muslim woman is required to express her gratitude unto Him for this great bounty as she should remember that she is not a ‘single person’ now. Now a child is being nourished under her responsibility. This child may become healthy, intelligent, understanding, pious and religious with a good care. However, with her negligence, the child may turn out to be weak, sickly and incompetent. Hence, her life should not be the same as it was before she fell pregnant. Every moment should be passed with caution and concern over herself as well her child. Therefore, careful attention should be given to the matter.

It is He Who has created you from a single person (Adam), and (then) He has created from him his wife (Hawwa (Eve)), in order that he might enjoy the pleasure of living with her. When he had sexual relation with her, she became pregnant and she carried it about lightly. Then when it became heavy, they both invoked Allah, their Lord (saying): "If You give us a Salih (good in every aspect) child, we shall indeed be among the grateful." (Quran 7:189)[1]

Some of the doas that are encouraged to be practiced by a mother-to-be during her pregnancy are Surah Al-Fatihah, Surah Maryam, Surah Yusuf, Surah Luqman, Surah Yaasin, Surat Toha, Surah Al-Nahl, Surah Hujurat and Surah Al-Taubah[2]. As all the surahs have it own valuable and priceless benefits. Apart from the verses and prayers, there are some things that good for a prosperous and virtuous child born. Often remember to ask Allah’s forgiveness and repentance so that Allah will forgive all the sins that have been done so far and so will clear the hearts of not feeling well. It is further hoped that the child will be born with calm and in a safe delivery. A pregnant woman should leave all prohibitions in Islam and do good deeds. She was also demanded to increase religious charities such as prayers, fasting especially Monday and Thursday, and always maintain the syariat. Her husband also claimed to do the same.

She has to always have good moral values. Mothers who are pregnant should be much more patient, be kind to neighbors, and respect the rest of the family members and friends, because good behavior will influence the attitude of the child to be born. She always has to be calm and happy. Emotional state of calm and happiness is a stimulus to the brain development of baby subsequently born healthy, smart and intelligent. Also do not forget to eat a balanced meal. She must know how to choose food that having enough nutrients, preserved and reduce the risk of various diseases. So many sunat practices can be performed during pregnancy for the offspring to be born will be a generation of excellent, good in the world and the hereafter. In the end, the child must being educated by both parents since he was a baby, or when in the womb.

The behavior of them when the mother is pregnant is actually an early childhood education. Often recitation of verses of the al Qur'an and praying are some of the good approaches. Moreover, a pregnant woman should try to get at least eight hours of peaceful sleep. This will ensure that her body and mind is well rested. This in turn is good for the child as well and it may simplify delivery of the child. Insya Allah, determine the well-being, health and happiness of the new arrival.

Then He fashioned him in due proportion, and breathed into him the soul (created by Allah for that person), and He gave you hearing (ears), sight (eyes) and hearts. Little is the thanks you give! (Quran 32:9)[3]

As for the modern approaches, a change in lifestyle is one of the few things that a pregnant woman has to prepare her body for the baby carrying. A healthy body before becoming pregnant is always very helpful in having a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby as well, by eating a balanced diet all the time, having a daily exercise and avoiding cigarette smoking and drinking of alcoholic drinks since these bad things are not good to the baby and can also decrease the chances of pregnancy. Start eating foods that are rich in iron, calcium and folic acid. These foods include fruits, vegetables, milk and yogurt. Food supplements are also helpful in having a healthy body. She should also reduce her consumption of coffee as it contains more caffeine that is not good for the baby.

During pregnancy, when she drink alcohol, the baby is very exposed with the harmful effects alcohol could give[4]. Once it reaches the fetus it could cause some birth defects and abnormalities. The cigarette contains toxic that could result in various complications. The two most harmful chemicals inside a cigarette are nicotine and carbon monoxide which are accountable for almost every related complication including stillbirth, miscarriage and low birth weight. A pregnant woman should probably better quit smoking before it's too late.

Some of the doas that are encouraged to be practiced by a mother-to-be during her pregnancy are Surah Al-Fatihah, Surah Maryam, Surah Yusuf, Surah Luqman, Surah Yaasin, Surat Toha, Surah Al-Nahl, Surah Hujurat and Surah Al-Taubah[5]. As all the surahs have it own valuable and priceless benefits. Apart from the verses and prayers, there are some things that good for a prosperous and virtuous child born. Often remember to ask Allah’s forgiveness and repentance so that Allah will forgive all the sins that have been done so far and so will clear the hearts of not feeling well. It is further hoped that the child will be born with calm and in a safe delivery. A pregnant woman should leave all prohibitions in Islam and do good deeds. She was also demanded to increase religious charities such as prayers, fasting especially Monday and Thursday, and always maintain the syariat. Her husband also claimed to do the same.

During pregnancy, when she drink alcohol, the baby is very exposed with the harmful effects alcohol could give[6]. Once it reaches the fetus it could cause some birth defects and abnormalities. The cigarette contains toxic that could result in various complications. The two most harmful chemicals inside a cigarette are nicotine and carbon monoxide which are accountable for almost every related complication including stillbirth, miscarriage and low birth weight. A pregnant woman should probably better quit smoking before it's too late.

Sarah Moore (not her real name), 18, is eight weeks pregnant and has just been for a consultation at the Marie Stopes clinic in south London. She is planning a medical abortion before nine weeks, at a cost of £495. "I felt terrible when I found out I was pregnant. I’d been feeling really sick and I was getting a bitter taste in my mouth, which I knew were symptoms, but I had had my period as usual. So when the test proved positive, I was shocked. "In a way, I feel it’s my boyfriend’s fault. He’s older than me and he told me he’d had a procedure done that meant he couldn’t get me pregnant. He said he’d been tested for STI’s [sexually transmitted infections] and showed me the form they’d given him to prove that he didn’t have anything, so he said we didn’t need to use condoms. "For the first four months I didn’t get pregnant so I thought it was OK. Yet when I called my boyfriend to tell him, he didn’t sound surprised, so I suppose he must have been lying the whole time. I can’t blame him though – I shouldn’t have been so gullible. "Having an abortion is a hard decision. Even the word itself sounds awful. My boyfriend asked me how I could live with myself killing a baby, or how I’d feel if my parents had thought about aborting me. He agreed to help me pay for it, but he didn’t want to be around when it happened because he thinks it’s wrong. "But I can’t think about it like that; there’s no way I can have a baby. I’m at college from Monday to Friday, I work at weekends and I’m just not ready. I can’t tell my parents either because they would be so shocked. "They must have suspected I was sleeping with my boyfriend and my mum knew I’d had sex education lessons at school but I think she was turning a blind eye. It’s not the sort of thing she’d want to talk about openly. "I also don’t want to have to cope with a baby on my own. As soon as I told my boyfriend about the pregnancy, he started avoiding me. If he’s going to ignore me when I’m a few weeks pregnant, there’s no chance he’d be around if I actually had the baby. I’ve got to put him out of my life now. It’s hard because no one else knows I’m pregnant. "I came to the Marie Stopes clinic, because if you pay to have it done privately you don’t have to go through the process of being referred by a GP and I want to get it over with as quickly as possible. “The clinic has said I have to have someone with me for the procedure but I don’t know who that will be. I haven’t told any of my friends; we can all talk easily about the fact that we’re having sex with our boyfriends, but not about getting pregnant or having an abortion. "I think if you’re mature enough to have a sexual relationship it’s up to you to face the consequences. But it is difficult. "I feel stupid because it’s not as if I didn’t know about safe sex – I don’t think any teenager gets pregnant because they don’t know about contraception. I learnt about it at school, and at college there are posters up, and nurses you can go and see for advice. You know everything about how it happens but the point is you just don’t think it’s going to happen to you."[7]

Solutions

The eminent Muslim scholar, Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, states in his well-known book, The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam: “While Islam permits preventing pregnancy for valid reasons, it does not allow doing violence to it once it occurs.” Muslim jurists have agreed unanimously that after the fetus is completely formed and has been given a soul, abortion is haram. It is also a crime, the commission of which is prohibited to the Muslim because it constitutes an offense against a complete, living human being.[8] One of solution to this problem is with the increasing involvement of men. No woman ever made herself pregnant. Yet for centuries, men have ignored their responsibility in preventing unwanted pregnancies. "I've got no kids - which I know of" is an all-too familiar male expression. Fortunately, change is in the air. That change must be encouraged. Many family planning agencies now run programs which help men recognize their equal responsibility in all aspects of sexuality, which are decision-making, obtaining and using contraception, and handling any crisis which occurs.[9] Giving young people a better teacher than experience also can help to prevent abortion. The people who oppose abortion and contraception also oppose sex education programs for teenagers. They apparently think that by saying nothing at all, teen sexuality will go away. From our work with hundreds of thousands of sexually active teenagers, we can tell you that a shocking number of them know nothing at all about how reproduction works, how their own bodies work, and how to prevent pregnancy. Their teacher is trial and error. Plus television, movies and misinformation from peers. Anti-abortion leaders argue that information about sex should come from parents. Agreed. But are parents doing it? Do they know what to say? Or when to say it? Research shows that many parents feel uncomfortable discussing sex with children. When they do, important information is often omitted. These programs provide young people with a comprehensive understanding of the facts. Sexuality education does not increase sexual activity; it increases knowledge and responsibility. The result: fewer unwanted pregnancies and fewer abortions.[10] I believe everyone has to play his or her role. Parents have to assume a more responsible role. A father has a duty to be able to answer his son's questions and a mother has the same duty to her daughter. We can hardly influence the sex education taught in public schools or by the media, but we can supplement that with an ethical and moral dimension adding family love and responsibility. Apart from these players, some role can be played by Sunday school teachers, the family physician, the pediatrician and the clergy. Within a family, the older sister has a duty towards the younger one and the elder brother has a duty towards younger ones. Muslim parents should teach their children that they are different from non-Muslims in their value system and way of life. Having a feeling and love in your heart for someone of the opposite sex is different and beyond control, while expression of the same through sex is entirely different and should be under control. Muslim children should be told that they don't drink alcohol, eat pork, take drugs, and they don't have to engage in pre-marital sex either.[11]