Ramadan Mubarak to all my lovely readers. It has just been over a week – I hope you all have had a peaceful and productive month so far, and are enjoying the Ramadan vibes in Muscat and beyond.

Within my Muslim community of readers, expectant mummas and breastfeeding mummas (congratulations to both groups!), you may have been thinking about whether or not to fast in this holy month. In this post I won’t tell you what to do, as that will be entirely up to you, but I will tell you what led me to make my decisions in the past two years, and hopefully this will be “food for thought”.

Before I begin, I would like to just highlight the importance of listening to the advice of your doctor – as they will know what is best for you and your baby.

The year I was pregnant with CB I was not sure what to do initially. I was in my second trimester, twenty weeks pregnant, Ramadan was fast approaching and I was in two minds.

Most of my family and friends were advising me not to fast, as they were concerned that it would affect my health, and in turn CB’s too. This worry was multiplied by the fact that we were living in the hot climate of Muscat, which put me at further risk of dehydration.

On the other hand, if memory serves me correctly, my doctor at the time told me I could fast, provided I felt up to it, but to ensure that I had eaten well and had plenty of water beforehand. I also knew of other ladies who did fast during their pregnancies, without any issues.

I was aware that a baby in the womb takes the nutrients he/she needs from the mother after the food she has eaten has been digested. Food the mother eats is broken down as per the usual digestive process and absorbed into the mother’s bloodstream from the small intestine. After this, the “food” enters the placenta, a vital organ [that develops in the womb during pregnancy] which filters out harmful substances and removes waste products. The nutrients are then directly passed onto the baby from the placenta via the umbilical cord. See this video which explains it better, on the babycenter website.

Thus, when the baby “eats” is not directly correlated to the time at which the mother eats. Not eating at a particular time does not necessarily mean that your baby will go hungry. However, if you are fasting, it must be noted that it is incredibly important to eat and drink well in the hours you are not fasting, so that you are stocking up on the nutrients that your baby will need. The baby will take what it needs from the mother at a constant rate – one of the many beauties of how the human body works during pregnancy.

I decided to do some research for myself into what Islam teaches us on this matter (Disclaimer: I am far from an expert and I have little knowledge on Islam but I do hope to learn more). Of course, as always, there turned out to be varying ideas from different schools of thought and different scholars. But generally it is agreed, from what I understood, that pregnant and breastfeeding mothers are considered to be within the same category as those who are travelling or are ill. Based on this, and on the widely agreed interpretation of Surah Al-Baqara [2:185] in the Qur’an, they are not obligated to fast, and can make up missed fasts at a later time. There are also hadiths (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad SAW) which support this too. Many scholars also agree upon the view that if a pregnant or breastfeeding mother fears that the child will come to harm from fasting, then not to fast. This is further strengthened by the beautiful verse in Surah Al-Baqara (translation taken from www.quran.com) which tells us:

Allah “does not burden any soul with more than it can bear”

– Surah Al-Baqara [2:286]

At first I felt I just could not justify not fasting as I would be staying at home, comfortable under the fan with the AC on and be maintaining relatively low levels of activity.

So I chose to give it a go. I tried for the first few days but soon I felt parched, my throat was dry and I felt more weak than usual. I began to worry for the of health of my child. I made the decision based upon the mercy of Allah SWT and the simple principle that you should not fast if you fear for the health of your child – it was as straightforward as that for me. I personally think that in a way, Allah SWT is guiding us to follow our “mother’s instinct”. Of course it goes without saying that you should act sensibly and not put yourself in a compromising situation – don’t wait until you feel unwell.

The following year I decided from the beginning I would not fast as I was breastfeeding and I knew my milk supply would reduce if I did not drink enough water regularly. My baby was exclusively breastfed at that time so her diet was entirely reliant on my milk. I feared that she would be malnourished if I were to fast.

In the past year I have tried to make up my missed fasts through intermittent fasting. I have managed to keep a fair few but I still have a long way to go. This Ramadan I intend to keep all my fasts as I am only feeding for comfort and mostly at night-time, so my supply is not the basis of CB’s diet.

To the mothers who do fast and the mothers who do not during pregnancy and whilst breastfeeding – I respect both decisions as I know they are equally important to make and that every case is different.

Remember, if you are unable to fast there are plenty of other ways you can make the most of Ramadan and seek closeness to Allah SWT. Salah, Qur’an recitation with attention to meaning, Sadaqa (voluntary charity with a sincere heart), practising self-control or just simple acts of kindness towards others are just a few examples.

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Please forgive me for any shortcomings and may you all be rewarded for your efforts in this blessed month.