זיין אַ מוטער אין פּאַנאַמאַ: די עדות פון אַרלעטה, אַליסיאַ ס מוטער

Arleth and his family live in France, Brittany, in Dinan. With her husband, a baker, they have a little girl, Alicia, 8 years old. Pregnancy, education, family life… Arleth tells us how women experience their motherhood in his country of origin, Panama.

In Panama, we have a baby shower during pregnancy

“But girls, I want my surprise! », I said to my French friends… They did not quite understand my insistence. In Panama, no pregnancy without a baby shower organized by friends. And as in France, it’s not a custom, I prepared everything on my own. I sent out invitations, baked cakes, decorated the house and presented silly games, but they made us laugh. I think the French enjoyed this afternoon when, for example, they had to guess the size of my belly to the nearest centimeter to win a small gift. Before, we hid the pregnancy until the 3rd month, but in recent years, as soon as we know we are pregnant, we tell everyone and we celebrate. Moreover, we name our baby by his first name as soon as we choose him. In Panama, everything becomes very Americanized, it is linked to the canal that links the two countries economically and socially.

In Panama, Caesarean sections are frequent

I really liked the childbirth in France. My family in Panama feared that I would suffer too much since there, women give birth mainly by cesarean section. We say that it hurts less (perhaps because access to the epidural is restricted), that we can choose the day… In short, that it is more practical. We give birth in a private clinic for wealthy families, and for others, it is the public hospital without access to cesarean section or epidural. I find France great, because everyone benefits from the same treatment. I also loved the bond I made with the midwife. This profession does not exist in my country, the most important positions being reserved for men. What a joy to be accompanied and guided by a reassuring person, when the women of the family are not by our side.

In Panama, little girls’ ears are pierced from birth

The day Alicia was born, I asked a nurse where the ear piercing department was. I think she took me for crazy! I didn’t know it was a mostly Latin American custom. It is unthinkable for us not to do so. So, as soon as we left the maternity ward, I went to see the jewelers, but no one accepted! I was told that she was going to be in too much pain. While in Panama, we do it as soon as possible so that they do not suffer and have no memory of that day. When she was 6 months old, on our first trip, it was the first thing we did.

Different eating habits

The educational model may seem more lax on certain points. Food is one of them. At the beginning, when I saw that in France, we only gave children water to drink, I told myself that it was really too strict. The little Panamanians drink mainly juices – shisha, prepared with fruits and water -, served at any time, in the street or at the table. Today, I realize that the food (very influenced by the United States) is too sweet. Snacks and snacks at any time of the day punctuate the children’s day. They are even distributed at school. I’m happy that Alicia eats well and escapes this permanent snacking, but we miss lots of flavors: the פּעטאַקאָנעס, the cocadas, Panamanian chocao...