Ramadan can be a particularly special time for new mothers, who celebrate the month with worship at home.
While pregnant women can choose not to fast during the holy month, many new mothers are also unable to fast or attend prayers for health reasons, or due to the demands of breastfeeding.
Many speak of feeling disconnected during Ramadan, missing the community spirit offered by attending prayers at the mosque.
Others told The National they have established their own traditions of reading together, decorating their homes, iftar tables and involving their children in their worship.
Breastfeeding is very demanding because mothers who are breastfeeding lose a lot of calories
Dr Pooja Jaisal
Samia Shah, an Indian mother of two in Dubai, delivered her baby in February, a month before Ramadan.
She put up decorations and lights to make sure her older daughter did not miss out on the festivities.
“I do feel a disconnect especially because I am not able to do the simple act of sujood (prostration in prayer),” said Ms Shah.
“I have a personal attachment to going to the mosque and listening to the imam in congregation. I definitely miss that.
“Islam is so flexible, especially for women, in their post-partum period that you can find ways to work in your worship in your daily activities. One of the biggest things that I make sure I do all day long is to focus on the remembrance of Allah.
“The biggest thing I've learnt is to go easy on myself and to not get frustrated when I'm not able to do my worship in the way I had hoped for.”
Marking the countdown to Ramadan, putting up decorations with the family or reading Islamic stories are some of the ways she involves her six-year-old daughter in the festivities.
“In terms of celebration, I keep talking to my older child about Ramadan and try to get her involved in preparing for iftar,” said Ms Shah.
“We have been following a few practices for the past two years and this is the third year that we've put up decorations. I always make sure that my daughter is with me while I'm decorating to make her feel like she is a part of the activity.
“I'm facing challenges for the first time because in my previous pregnancy I had family around. I would say the biggest challenge right now would be sleep deprivation.”
Ms Shah encouraged mothers to focus on the small things and changes they could make to improve themselves rather than picking big goals to accomplish.
Sana Akhir has two daughters aged five and 16 months. She tries to keep up her recitation of the Quran during Ramadan but misses the community feel of attending prayers in her local mosque.
“That experience of going to the mosque captures the whole Ramadan feel … It’s a festive time and the children can meet other children,” said Ms Akhir.
“I couldn't go to the mosque Iast Ramadan and I still cannot go to the mosque because they don't entertain children as they make a lot of noise. Instead, I pray at home.”
She said she enjoyed connecting with her faith while praying in the early hours of the day while also nursing her infant.
“I miss the community feel. I keep sending my friends Islamic trivia quiz questions which helps them and me increase my knowledge,” she said.
Dr Pooja Jaisal, a specialist obstetrician and gynaecologist at Fakeeh University Hospital, said women who were pregnant or breastfeeding and fasting should ensure their nutrition and hydration needs were met.
She advised eating a protein-rich diet and urged family and friends to provide support.
Pregnant or breastfeeding women need to be aware it is their choice whether they want to fast, Dr Jaisal added.
“We support their decision, whatever the decision is. It's not like they cannot fast … they can fast, but the right nutrition and right guidance and sleep and rest is very important,” said Dr Jaisal.
Mothers were screened for high-risk conditions such as gestational diabetes and high blood pressure, she said. Based on these results, they were advised whether fasting is safe.
“Breastfeeding is very demanding because mothers who are breastfeeding lose a lot of calories, and they keep getting hungry and need to replenish their nutrition and hydration,” Dr Jaisal said.
“Whenever they are fasting, I urge them to make sure they take adequate rest and delegate some of the work to other family members.”
Rest, nutrition and supplements were essential for mothers who were fasting, she added.
Results
2pm Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,800m
Winner AF Al Baher, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner Alla Mahlak, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
3pm Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner Davy Lamp, Adrie de Vries, Rashed Bouresly.
3.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 1,400m
Winner Ode To Autumn, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
4pm Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 1,950m
Winner Arch Gold, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
4.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh75,000 1,800m
Winner Meqdam, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
5pm Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,800m
Winner Native Appeal, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
5.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner Amani Pico, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
Can NRIs vote in the election?
Indians residing overseas cannot cast their ballot abroad
Non-resident Indians or NRIs can vote only by going to a polling booth in their home constituency
There are about 3.1 million NRIs living overseas
Indians have urged political parties to extend the right to vote to citizens residing overseas
A committee of the Election Commission of India approved of proxy voting for non-resident Indians
Proxy voting means that a person can authorise someone residing in the same polling booth area to cast a vote on his behalf.
This option is currently available for the armed forces, police and government officials posted outside India
A bill was passed in the lower house of India’s parliament or the Lok Sabha to extend proxy voting to non-resident Indians
However, this did not come before the upper house or Rajya Sabha and has lapsed
The issue of NRI voting draws a huge amount of interest in India and overseas
Over the past few months, Indians have received messages on mobile phones and on social media claiming that NRIs can cast their votes online
The Election Commission of India then clarified that NRIs could not vote online
The Election Commission lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police asking it to clamp down on the people spreading misinformation
More coverage from the Future Forum
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hoopla%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jacqueline%20Perrottet%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20required%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24500%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The specs: Volvo XC40
Price: base / as tested: Dh185,000
Engine: 2.0-litre, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 250hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 350Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.4L / 100km
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Arctic Monkeys
Tranquillity Base Hotel Casino (Domino)
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
About Tenderd
Started: May 2018
Founder: Arjun Mohan
Based: Dubai
Size: 23 employees
Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
European arms
Known EU weapons transfers to Ukraine since the war began: Germany 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Luxembourg 100 NLAW anti-tank weapons, jeeps and 15 military tents as well as air transport capacity. Belgium 2,000 machine guns, 3,800 tons of fuel. Netherlands 200 Stinger missiles. Poland 100 mortars, 8 drones, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Grot assault rifles, munitions. Slovakia 12,000 pieces of artillery ammunition, 10 million litres of fuel, 2.4 million litres of aviation fuel and 2 Bozena de-mining systems. Estonia Javelin anti-tank weapons. Latvia Stinger surface to air missiles. Czech Republic machine guns, assault rifles, other light weapons and ammunition worth $8.57 million.
