Maternal Health Probes

Sophie GaurMelbourne 2012

Safe Motherhood Cloth - Designed to follow the Eastern Indian Pa!achitra tradition of story telling, this set of 16 panels, {also can be arranged as a square 4 x 4} introduces the narrative of pregnancy and motherhood using the inexplicit language of rural dialogue surrounding these ma!ers.The panel begins with the goddess Laxmi, a euphamism for a girl child born into a home - also as a blessing before proceeding into something new - square talks of marriage, then the narrative skirts around the issue of intimacy leading to pregnancy. The first few months the woman experiences fatigue and constant exhaution. She may need to go to a doctor and be given pills. What are the local foods to combat Anemia -. She will also encounter local midwives and ‘dais’ who presribe local herbs and roots to deal with pica and weakness. She may be visited by a district nurse who checks up on all things like overall wellbeing as well as the pregnancy. Through all this one re-inforces community and family harmony and good feeling, sharing with other women and talking to friends. Panel 2 introduces NGO interventions followed by the ‘God Bharai” or baby shower performed at the end of the seventh month - which is considered the safe time to acknowledge the imminent birth. ‘Nesting’ and preparing for the new born follows. The actaul birth should happen at the hospital as per law. This is fuelled by the Janani Suraksha Yojana where money is the incentive to encourage hospital births to lower the risk of maternal deaths. Once the baby is born, it is important to breast feed, both for the health of the baby as well as a form of contraception. At 6 months the baby has its first solid food in the ceremonial Annaprashana. Community linkages are re-emphasized with each of these traditional practices. These ensure that the woman has strong links within a community and has access to the friendships and the well being associated with that.The panels are designed as conversation starters. They may be accompanied by songs or music - they can be further designed to hold specific information with the addition of pockets or plain writing spaces.

The Menstrual Cloth - or The 365 Day Cloth - An interactive cloth to be used as a marker for gauging ones own menstrual cycle - an awareness generator for girls using lunar cycles as reference points for an annual{365 day} record of their menstrual cycles. The circles are embroidered over to create an annual history of ones cycle. This can be done with thread or bu!ons or mirrors. This generates information relating to conditions such as anemia and hormonal imbalance.The cloth can also be used as a guide to measure the LMP for pregnancy determination thus creating a map for when the baby is due as well as a knowledge of trimesters and events. The cloth bases its structure on the notion of counting. Often if rural areas this is the only tool available, in the absence of a direct relationship to the Gregorian calendar or a lexicon born of that kowledge.The border carries the narrative of Shakti, the female energy, represented in the Stri Yantra and Laxmi. There are also references to marriage and pregnancy.The yellow is reference to turmeric, considered both purifying and sacred. The corner motifs reference the Gamosa weaving of Assam in a traditional peacock pa!ern in the traditional red colour.

Detail of border drawings

Detail of ʻfocus upon the teenagerʼ