Once a month in Puliyanur village, the anganwadi teacher gathers all the pregnant women to distribute nutritious flour (sathu maavu) at the local childcare center. I had already informed the anganwadi teacher last week that I wanted to meet and speak with them.
I have been visiting Puliyanur twice a week to meet with pregnant women. Due to continuous rain this week, I couldn’t make the visit. Yesterday was the first time I went since last Wednesday. The pregnant woman I met on the very first day of Eetrarai has given birth to a baby girl.
Each pregnancy is unique. Each pregnant woman is unique. Here, every mother has certainly experienced a distinct pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period. Even between the first and second births, there can be significant differences. Women never forget this phase of their lives…
I visited the village to learn about the pregnancy experiences, traditions, practices, food habits, and child-rearing methods of the tribal women living there. I met a 90-year-old grandmother who was still strong and actively