Religious practices of Muslim women in the UK during maternity: evidence-based professional practice recommendations

Table 2 Religious practices mentioned by participants

Religious Practice	During Pregnancy	During Labour	During Post-labour
Recitation of Quran and Supplications	√	√	√
Maintaining modesty	√	√	√
Absences of male health professionals	√	√	√
Fasting the month of Ramadan	√		√
Dates as pain relief		√
Silent birth^a		√
Burying of placenta			√
Adhan and Iqamah^b			√
Tahneek^c			√
Animal-based product in pharmaceuticals^d	√	√	√
Breastfeeding			√
Male Circumcision			√
Shaving the hair of a new born			√
Aqiqah^e			√
Community visiting mother after childbirth			√

Details of each religious practice is highlighted in Tables 3 and 4
^a Silent birth – Some Muslim women prefer the first word that their child hears at birth to be Allah’s name or the word of Allah. So, everyone attending the birth should refrain from spoken words as much as possible
^b Adhan and Iqamah—To whisper the Islamic call for prayer to the new-born soon after birth
^c Tahneek—A small piece of softened date (sometimes honey) being gently rubbed into the child’s mouth (on the upper palate)
^d Main prohibited foodstuffs and liquids include Pork (and its by-products); animal fats and meat that has not been slaughtered according to Islamic teachings and alcohol
^e Aqiqah—Seven days after birth, a sheep is offered in sacrifice and the meat is distributed among family members and the poor within the community

ISSN: 1471-2393