Birth Book Part 3

Peggy Vincent, Baby Catcher Chronicles of a Modern Midwife, Scribner, 2003.

Precis:
Allah’s Blessing: Hameed and Naeema are a young couple who are very close to giving birth to their second child. Naeema seems to be really calm about this birth; she combs her long hair as if it is a task being used as a distraction towards her nervousness. Hameed has had a total life style change since he became a father with his first child. Collin and Hameed are around the same age; while Collin attends College in Santa Barbra, Hameed attends community college and works two different jobs in order to raise his family and have another addition as well. As a Muslim convert, it is Hameed’s job to fulfill his duties as a Muslim father. Right after his second child is born; Hameed brings his mouth to the baby’s right ear and says an Islamic saying.

Quotes:
“Collin and Hameed skateboarded together a few times after Naeema’s first birth, but those days were part of Hameed’s past. He now shouldered more obligations than people twice his age. While Collin surfed through his sophomore year of college in Santa Barbra, Hameed carried a full schedule in a community college. Four afternoons a week he worked at a camera store, and on the weekends he sold Muslim prayer beads from a booth at a flea market.” (pg. 271)

I feel like young couples don’t realize how big of a responsibility having a baby is. This is often common with females, but this baby hunger takes over the individual and seems to blind them from reality. Unless you have a stable job and a stable lifestyle you will have an extremely hard time to raise your kid. In Hameed and Naeema’s case I feel like they didn’t really take much into consideration before having kids. From what was said about Hameed, it seemed as if he doesn’t have a stable lifestyle for himself let alone his family. He is a young kid himself, but he is forced to act as a mature adult because of the sudden increase of responsibilities. I feel that it is a struggle for him to provide for this family, but at the end of the day he is doing the best he can do with what is in his hands.

“Hameed gulped and sputtered through his tears and put his mouth next to the wailing baby’s ear. His duty as a Muslim father demanded that Allah’s name be the first words his baby heard.” (pg. 274)

This is a really important part of a birth occurring in a Muslim family. I remember when my little sister was born, my uncle said the Azan to her right ear. This is in order to welcome the baby to the world in an Islamic way. I think this is an interesting way for a birth to stand out. It is not common in the states to have this ritual take place. In regular births, the family doesn’t really know what to do right after the baby is born, so they decide to hold it and cuddle it. In Islam you are given a set of rules to follow for each and every situation, so that you never feel lost; especially in such an intense moment such as birth.

“As I packed to leave a couple of hours later, I thought again of the special family this couple had created, bound by youth, love, and their common faith. But I wondered about that Islamic blessing being the first thing this baby girl had heard. Personally, I felt absolutely certain that she’d heard the vacuum cleaner loud and clear, but I decided not to argue the point.” (pg. 275)

From what I have read and heard, babies cause changes between the relationship of the mother and the father. These changes may be for the better or for the worst. In Hameed and Naeema’s case it seems as if this second child has created a closer bond between the family. I feel that this is because both parents tend to be playing their role well. Hameed sacrifices his young age for achieving a study and working two jobs. He has converted to Islam in order to make a straight path that should be followed by his family. I think that this decision will have many positive affects in this family.

Thoughts:
Each religion has a different approach to everything; it depends on the individual and how closely they are willing to follow it. I feel like Islam has a good way of getting its followers to live their life a certain way. Since you are born you are given a certain way to live, you hear Islamic sayings a few moments after you have entered this world. I am not well aware of how other religions welcome new beings to the world, but I feel that Islam provides you with a certain pathway to follow, whereas for others it’s all up to you. In Islam you know right from wrong because it is all given to you, it’s like you have a set of rules you need to follow, whereas in other cultures/religions you have to play this guessing game which tends to become an extra hassle.