Woolly hat

This mum and her baby attended the health education for caretakers sesson at the hospital this afternoon The outside air temperature was somewhere in the mid 30s The reason I took the picture was to show just how seriously Cambodian mums are about keeping their babies warm. As soon as a baby is born a thick hat is put on it's head and is rarely removed until the baby is about a year old. I'm not sure what is believed will happen should the baby get a cold head. The mother also wears a hat straight after birth and buckets of burning coals are put under her bed for 3 days. This is called roasting and is believed to renew the strength she has used throughout labour.