Running head: CULTURAL COMPETENCE PRESENTATION – MALAYSIAN CULTURE
Cultural Competence Presentation
Malaysian Culture
Lisa Chee
NURS-320
Professor Aganon
March 04, 2014
CULTURAL COMPETENCE PRESENTATION – MALAYSIAN CULTURE
2
According to the 2010 United States (U.S.) census bureau, the Asian race was one of the
fastest growing populations in the U.S. over a 10 year period, between 2000 to 2010 (United
States Census Bureau, 2012). The U.S. census bureau defined the term ‘Asian’ as individuals
with origins from the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent (e.g. Cambodia, China,
India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand and Vietnam).
Specifically in the U.S., Hawaii (0.8 million) tied for 4th, alongside New Jersey (0.8 million), to
have one of the fastest growing Asian populations; behind California (5.6 million), New York
(1.6 million) and Texas (1.1 million). Thus, with the rapid growing Asian population in the U.S.,
I decided to focus my cultural competence presentation on the Indian subcontinent, particularly
Malaysia, in regards to their culture and customs surrounding pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum
period and care of the newborn.
During the antepartum period, pregnant Malaysian women carry out certain ceremonies
and practices. According to the National Department for Culture and Arts (2013), ceremonies are
performed to pray for the safety of the mother and her fetus and to ensure that both parties will
be healthy and protected from any misfortunes. There are five common cultural practices in
which Malaysian women will engage in prior to the birth of her baby. These five practices
include: Booking the midwife (Menempah Bidan), touching the stomach (Menjamah Perut),
rolling the stomach (Melenggang Perut), bathing the stomach (Mandi Melenggang Perut) and
consulting the spirits (Mengadap Semangat).
The first cultural practice, ‘Booking the Midwife (Menempah Bidan),’ is carried out by
the mother-in-law and completed when the woman is about 7 months pregnant, typically only if
it is her first pregnancy. This practice is crucial as it ensures that a reliable and responsible
midwife will be present during the birth of the baby. Malaysians believe that the best day to book
CULTURAL COMPETENCE PRESENTATION – MALAYSIAN CULTURE
3
a midwife is on a Thursday, preferably towards the end of the month, between the 21st and 29th
day of the Muslim calendar. Contrarily, Malaysians believe that the worst day to book a midwife
is Tuesday. After successfully booking a midwife, the mother-in-law would change the curtains,
decorate the house, and invite relatives to visit (National Department for Culture and Arts, 2013).
The second cultural practice, ‘Touching the Stomach (Menjamah Perut),’ is performed
by the midwife. First, the midwife would apply oil to the pregnant woman’s stomach and provide
massages. This practice is performed to correct the position of the fetus. Subsequently, she
would ask for blessings by reciting the mantras three times in the name of the Holy Prophet
(National Department for Culture and Arts, 2013).
The third cultural practice, ‘Rolling the Stomach (Melenggang Perut),’ is performed by
the midwife as well. She will roll a coconut (with the outer layer peeled) onto the pregnant
woman’s stomach, towards her legs. This practice is performed to ensure a smooth and easy
childbirth. When the coconut reaches the pregnant woman’s legs, she is instructed to give the
coconut a hard kick. It is believed that if the “eyes” of the coconut turns upwards when the
coconut stops rolling, then the baby will be a boy. An egg is also rolled onto the woman’s
stomach. This practice is believed to ward off evil spirits. Using a spoon, she will also place rice
flavored with turmeric (nasi kunyit) onto her stomach. This cultural practice is also used to ward
off evil spirits. Lastly, the spoon will be rubbed onto the pregnant woman’s stomach. Malaysians
believe that this practice will make the newborn’s face pretty and smooth (National Department
for Culture and Arts, 2013).
The fourth cultural practice is ‘Bathing the Stomach (Mandi Melenggang Perut)’. Prior to
bathing the stomach, the midwife will once again ask for blessings by reciting the mantras in the
name of the Holy Prophet. The pregnant woman will then wear a sarong above her bosom as the
CULTURAL COMPETENCE PRESENTATION – MALAYSIAN CULTURE
4
midwife, assisted by several other individuals, bathe her with water from seven different wells
and sprinkle her with seven different types of flowers. Finally, the midwife will trim the hair of
the pregnant women. Malaysians believe that this will ensure that the newborn baby will not be
hairy (National Department for Culture and Arts, 2013).
Last but not least, the fifth cultural practice Malaysian’s engage in during antepartum is
‘Consulting the Spirits (Mengadap Semangat)’, a ceremony which is only attended by women.
Prayers and food offerings (e.g. white rice, nasi kunyit, eggs and fruits) are made to the spirits to
ensure that the baby will be physically normal, without any handicap (National Department for
Culture and Arts, 2013).
During the antepartum period, Malaysian women also have certain taboos in their culture,
where engaging in certain actions will lead to negative outcomes. For example, Malaysian
women are prohibited from hearing, seeing or speaking about negative things that may frighten
her. This is to ensure that the pregnant women will be happy throughout her pregnancy and give
birth to a happy, healthy, non-handicapped baby. They believe that the pregnant woman should
not laugh, insult or make fun of other people’s imperfections, as these characteristics will be
found in her newborn. Also, they are not allowed to bathe after Maghrib and Isyak prayer time,
nor soak her clothes overnight, as it is believed that by doing so will cause the woman’s body to
be bloated during childbirth. Lastly, the pregnant woman is prohibited from putting out the
embers of any fires due to the belief that the newborn baby will have a dark future (National
Department for Culture and Arts, 2013).
During the intrapartum period, Malaysian women are encouraged to pray during labor
and to avoid crying and screaming (Queensland Health, 2009). They prefer to be seen by a
CULTURAL COMPETENCE PRESENTATION – MALAYSIAN CULTURE
5
female practitioner and choose to maintain their modesty at all times, being protected by either a
curtain or screen. They are familiar with hospitals and usually deliver there.
Upon delivery of the newborn, the midwife is responsible for cutting the umbilical cord
with scissors that have been ‘blessed’. In addition, Malaysian’s bury their placenta at the front
door of their home, along with tamarind, salt, needles, books and pencils, to ensure that their
baby will grow up to be a hardworking child and a smart student. However, the placenta is not to
be buried at 12 noon sharp or buried too deep, as it is believed that the baby will be stubborn or
have a delayed speech development (National Department for Culture and Arts, 2013).
During the postpartum recovery period, Malaysian women usually engage in a period of
confinement, ranging from 30-45 days, where the female will remain at home and partake in
cultural practices to restore body heat that was lost during childbirth. Similar to other Asian
cultures, Malaysians believe in the concept of “hot and cold,” where the body is “cold” after
childbirth, and one must eat “hot” foods. Thus, a Malaysian woman’s postpartum diet will
strictly consist of hot food items, omitting foods such as fruits, vegetables and cold drinks. In
particular, Malaysian women will drink jamu, an herbal drink made with turmeric, because they
believe that it will relieve painful cramps and prevent rheumatism (Queensland, 2009).
Last but not least, the following are cultural practices for Malaysian’s in terms of caring
for their newborn. According to Islamic tradition, boys may be circumcised at any time from
seven days; however, in Malaysia, boys are usually circumcised when they are around seven or
eight years old. In regards to feeding, breastfeeding mothers usually express their colostrums
prior to initiating breastfeeding. During the time period (1-2 days) that the colostrum is being
expressed, newborns are substituted with liquid nutrition (e.g. a mix of corn flour and water).
Unlike the American culture, where breastfeeding is heavily emphasized and prolonged until the
CULTURAL COMPETENCE PRESENTATION – MALAYSIAN CULTURE
newborn is at least six months of age, Malaysian culture begins supplementing breast milk with
food (e.g. thinned rice water, cow milk or formula) as early as the newborns first month of age.
In conclusion, Malaysian’s have a wide range of cultural practices and beliefs in regards
to antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum phases of pregnancy, as well as newborn care. A nurse
caring for a patient with a Malaysian decent may want to include an evidence based teaching
plan regarding the importance of feeding colostrum to her newborn, as well as the benefits of
breastfeeding her infant till at least six months of age before introducing supplemental formula
(e.g. breastfeeding their newborn will reduce the risk of infection for baby and will promote
uterine involution and reduce postpartum bleeding for the mother).
6
CULTURAL COMPETENCE PRESENTATION – MALAYSIAN CULTURE
7
References
National Department for Culture and Arts (2013). Malay Community. Web. Retrieved on March
01, 2014 from http://www.jkkn.gov.my/en/malay-community.
Queensland Health (2009). Multicultural Clinical Support Resource- Cultural Dimensions of
Pregnancy, birth and Post-Natal Care. Web. Retrieved March 01, 2014 from
http://www.health.qld.gov.au/multicultural/support_tools/14mcsr-pregnancy.pdf.
United States Census Bureau (2012). The Asian Population: 2010. Web. Retrieved on March 01,
2014 from https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-11.pdf.