Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 7, 1 July 1997 — "I pa'a ke kino o ke keiki i ka lā'au [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

"I pa'a ke kino o ke keiki i ka lā'au

* (The herbs build up the body of the child)

by Claire Hughes Nutritionist, Hawai'i Department Of Health

g M awaiian children are viewed as links in a ehain of heredity and heritage from the wy ancestors. The newborn is connected to the ancestors and joins the family. During their lifetime, children gather wisdom, skill and knowledge and in death rejoin the ancestors with increased mana. They, in turn, become ancestors and, per-

haps, 'aumākua. In the ancient culture, respect for the ancestors and 'ohana, as well as the desire for a perfect infant, dictated special care during the prenatal period. A dictate that continues today. Mary Kawena Pukui tells us that there was mueh preparation in the family for the expected child. Senior women in the family paid close attention to the expectant mother's comfort, both physical and mental, ever watchful for signs of discomfort during the various stages of pregnancy. Hawaiians believe that parental

behavior affects the child's nature and char- ' acter, and food cravings of the mother would indicate a child's nature. A pale keiki or kahuna pale keiki, someone who was trained in obstetrics, would be engaged if the 'ohana did not have its own. The pale keiki had the primary responsibility of caring for the expectant mother and carefully watched over the mother's progress. "Prenatal care was practiced long before the advent

of Western medicine" (Pukui, Family Systems of Ka'ū). The culture's strict and exacting eoneem for a sound physical body was a special consideration for both mother and baby during pregnancy. The diet of the wahine hapai was carefully supervised. In about the fourth month, special diet regulations began. The expectant

mother ate taro, sweet potato, breadfruit and a lot of greens, eomprised mainly of lu'au, palula (sweet potato leaves), popolo and 'aheahea (lambsquarters). After the sixth month, she was eautioned not to eat too mueh, to avoid the difficulties of giving birth to a baby that was too fat. During the last two months, she ate some 'ilima or the hau tree flower. Both are lubricants for the body. Mild ko'oko'olau or

akiahala teas and plenty of fresh water were given the mother. Salty foods were limited, and the mother was allowed just a little raw fish but plenty of cooked fish. Although these diet requirements were designed for the mother's health, our ancestors knew that the unbom child would benefit as well. This same diet regimen is still very useful today. The large amounts of greens, approximately

3-5 cups of cooked greens daily, provide vitamins A, C and generous amounts of B vitamins as well as the minerals ealeium and iron. Modern science has linked spina bifida, a birth defect, to inadequate folic acid intake. We get folic acid from greens, fruit and whole grains. , The caution about gaining too mueh weight ■ during pregnancy is still useful today. A number of problems and dangers occur when mothers gain large amounts while pregnant. Some women gain ' as mueh as three times the recommended twenty- , five to thirty pounds. 1 Smoking, aleohol, dmgs and poor dietary ehoiees are major threats to the health of both mother i and baby today. Smoking reduces the oxygen and blood supply to the unborn child and ean cause a j baby to be born too small; it may even cause infant j death. Aleohol ean permanently damage the child's j brain and physical development. Babies of parents who use illegal dmgs ean also be bom too small, have heart problems or may die. An infant who was exposed to dmgs in the womb and lives, ean suffer the pains of withdrawal, permanent nerve damage and retardation. Use of over-the-counter dmgs arealso responsible for serious complications. For example, aspirin and ibuprofen taken during pregnancy ean cause problems for the infant or bleeding complications for the mother. Becoming and being a parent is an awesome responsibihty.

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