Welcoming the First Baby According to Malay Culture
Don't jump...this is done when the expectant mother is seven months pregnant, so she will be okay. It is supposed to be an occasion to engage the services of a traditional midwife or bidan. Nowadays, melenggang perut is more of a tradition especially for urban mothers who have the services nurses trained in midwifery and gynaecologists.
Why do pregnant women still observe this aspect of Malay culture, sometimes travelling long distances back to "kampungs" to meet the bidan? Let's take a look.
Preparation
Ideally, parents of the expectant couple meet together to select a day for melenggang perut also called "kirim perut". The preferred days are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, considered auspicious to Malay culture to ensure a smooth birth.
When the date is set, the expectant father informs the bidan. At the same time, family of the pregnant woman Rokiah prepares items required for the ritual: seven pieces of cloths of different colours, a coconut, a live chicken, 3 strands of cords, an egg, tepung tawar, beras kunyit, a small mirror etc.
___________________________________________________________________
Brief explanation of items used in Melenggang Perut. You come across them as well in other aspects of the Malay culture.
Tepung tawar: rice flour mixed with betel leaves, pounded into flour. Sintuk : Camphorwood, a type of tree. Its bark has medicinal properties. Beras kunyit: Rice grains stained with tumeric.
______________________________________________________________________
The bidan begins by saying mantras and trims Rokiah's hair. ( So that the newborn will not be hairy ) Then she smears tepung tawar and beras kunyit to Rokiah's face.
Next, Rokiah undergoes a ritual bath. Lime and the bark of sintuk are added to water in a container called buyung. Rokiah wears a sarong to cover her body, sits on a chair with the chicken tied to it. The bidan puts an egg on her tummy and pours water on her. During the bathe, Rokiah lets the egg fall and breaks it, to symbolize easy birth.
Then Rokiah looks at herself in the small mirror, this is said to give her baby good looks. Rokiah now puts on nice clothes, ready for the major event.
Massage and Lenggang
The bidan has spread and piled the seven pieces of cloths on the floor. Rokiah lays on the cloths to let the bidan massage her bulging belly with coconut oil. After that, the bidan takes a cleaned coconut and rolls it gently on her belly and towards her toes seven times.
Then Rokiah kicks the coconut towards the wall...it's time to guess the gender of the baby. It is believed if the "eyes" of the coconut turn upwards when the coconut stops rolling, Rokiah's baby will be a boy and vice versa.
P.s. By this time Rokiah would have gone for an ultrasound scan, so she doesn't have to wait until delivery to verify the coconut's prediction. Ha ha ha!
The bidan proceeds to pull the cloth underneath Rokiah, piece by piece, with both hands swinging her belly a little before pulling it out. She repeats this act seven times until all the cloths are pulled out, thus completes the melenggang perut. Phew!
Midwife's Wages
According to the tradition of Malay culture, the cloth at the bottom is paid to the bidan, along with the items used in the ceremony and a little money. That means Mak Bidan gets the chicken, yum!
In the old days, this is like paying to book for the bidan's service to deliver the baby. I wonder how much of this part of Malay culture is applicable now that the good Malaysian government provides midwife services even in rural areas.
Usually on the day of melenggang perut, prayer is said on behalf of mother and child, ending with a feast. This is called " kenduri doa selamat". Wow, the firstborns in Malay families are given a party while still inside their mothers' wombs. :) Kind of like a baby shower, isn't it?
Value
It is understandable Malays are very much attached to their culture even before birth in this instance. Here, women are seeking something beyond physical care, they appreciate the midwives' respect for their bodies and the families' spiritual connection with the unborn infant.
"Melenggang perut" is defined as an act in the Malay culture ...to adjust the position of a baby ( in the womb ). However, a midwife observes that its most important function is to promote a sense of well-being about the impending delivery. ( I have to agree with her, after all if this is your first baby, it can cause some anxiety as your biological clock is ticking towards labour ) This midwife also notes that new mothers feel better prepared after the ritual. Now all Rokiah has to do is to wait for the birth.
Video Clip
Are you interested to watch a video clip explaining the melenggang perut? This 12-minute clip is produced by the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage in Malay.
It contains other information such as how the three strands of cord are used. Remember the coconut used to rub the belly? Later its oil is also extracted. Then there is another part of melenggang perut called "tepuk mayang", where the bidan breaks betel-nut palm blossoms to signify a birth as easy as breaking the blossoms. I have explained most the aspects here so you should have no problem understanding the clip. Here's the link for the free clip. Look for an icon " Muat Turun" on the left, the icon displays "Simpan" as you move your mouse on it. Click on it to download the file and enjoy...! Download Video Clip on Melenggang Perut
Back to top of Childbirth in the Malay Culture Back to Bahasa Malaysia and Culture
|
