From myths to modernity: How a Telangana paediatrician’s videos transform parenting practices

‘It is ironic that you wear a gold chain but choose to put a bacteria-laden, superstitious black thread around your child’s neck, in the name of warding off evil eyes,’ remarked Dr Sumanth Pasunuti, in a satirical tone on his Instagram page — kiddozdoctor. The 90-second video, in a local Telangana dialect, garnered significant attention and compelled hundreds of parents to remove the threads and send pictures, signifying a shift in perspective.

“It gives me immense pleasure to have changed people’s age-old beliefs with the video,” said Dr Sumanth, a paediatrician by profession, who has been fervently debunking numerous myths surrounding motherhood and early child care, impacting many parents. With a sharp sense of humour and movie references, the 34-year-old paediatrician boldly calls out influencers and anyone who spreads misinformation.

In India, new mothers are subjected to numerous food taboos that adversely affect the nutrition of both mother and child. As a new mom who gave birth to a baby boy in April, I was told to avoid mangoes this year because they supposedly make the child lazy. Jackfruit, I was warned, causes stomach aches; pooris make the baby puke; and excessive spinach leads to diarrhoea.

These are just a few of the many taboos that breastfeeding mothers face in India. Educating the mothers, Sumanth poses a logical question, “Pregnant women are encouraged to eat raw mangoes, but the same fruit is forbidden for lactating moms. How can a fruit which is full of immunity boosting vitamins harm the baby?”

Breastfeeding mothers need not follow any dietary restrictions and should in fact include pulp fruits such as mangoes, papaya and jackfruit as they compensate for the requisite additional calories, Sumanth emphasized.

In India, about 22% of mothers suffer from postpartum depression (PPD). The characteristics of PPD, including anxiety, impaired concentration and depressed mood have adverse effects on maternal-child relationship (Righetti-Veltema et al, 2002), says a study published in 2021 at the Asian Journal of Psychiatry.

A handbook published by the National Library of Medicine advice new moms to meet a friend or pursue a hobby to combat postpartum depression. Social taboos, however, often prevent them from going out of the house. “I live in a joint family where three people take care of my son besides me. I feel guilty for troubling them. I feel I should take care of him even if it is physically and mentally exhausting,” said Myna Prasad, a mother from Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh.

“These restrictions are directly linked to an increase in postpartum depression among new mothers,” said Sumanth. In one of his videos, he advised new mothers to pursue a hobby, eat their favourite food or at the least, watch a series.

It only gets worse in rural and tribal regions. In fact, it is such atrocities in rural regions of Telangana that stirred Sumanth to start an Instagram page to educate people. “When I was working at a hospital in one of the villages of Telangana, I was shocked at how quacks mint money from parents by admitting kids at ICU when a simple syrup could be a cure,” Sumanth recalled.

He was unsettled with the complexion obsession of parents. At least 20% of those who consulted him in the village requested a soap to make their children fairer. “That was the trigger. At that moment, I set aside my camera shyness and made a video,” Sumanth said. In the video, Sumanth mocked the parents' request, pointing out that if such a product existed, there would be no dark-skinned people on earth.

Sumanth faced backlash for not adhering to the polished language code expected of a doctor. “My colleagues and family found the language to be cheap. But I believe it successfully conveys the right message to the right people,” Sumanth said. His videos are colloquial, filled with movie references, and devoid of fancy English words. It's just the way people chit-chat in tea shops across Telangana. Why shouldn’t women be blamed for the child’s gender? Why should relatives refrain from kissing kids? What happens if the child falls from the bed? These are just a few of the hundreds of important topics that kiddozdoctor has posted on Instagram.

His video making style is funny yet impactful. Taking a jibe at the parents in this video, the paediatrician said, “Even animals don't treat their kids this way. If you guys want to play, buy yourself some toys and refrain from playing with kids.”

There are numerous taboos concerning children. These include applying dung on the tummies of kids with diarrhoea, not taking crying children out into the fresh air, and avoiding drying their clothes in the evening. In some communities in the southern states of India, heated iron is applied to the stomachs of newborns to relieve colic, a common condition in babies aged 0-3 months.

These practices lack logic or scientific backing and often do more harm than good to both children and mothers.

“All my mother-in-law cooks for me is rasam and vegetable fry. I am supposed to eat it three times a day. Among the breakfast items, only idli is allowed. They say this is good for a breastfeeding mother," says Tirunelveli-based Mamata, a 26-year-old new mother.

She describes her daily diet as one dictated by traditional beliefs about postpartum nutrition.

This dietary regimen, while rooted in cultural practices, raises questions about the nutritional balance for new mothers during the crucial breastfeeding period.

Sri Kala, a new mother from Velkur village in the Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh shares her struggle with traditional postpartum restrictions. Having given birth to a baby girl six months ago, she feels a strong need to go for a walk for at least half an hour a day. However, her parents have restrained her, believing that going out could harm the baby. "I really need to go for a walk every day, even if it's just for half an hour. But my parents say I'm not supposed to go out because it would harm the baby," says Sri Kala.

Sumanth says this is common for mothers living with in-laws.

“Mothers living with in-laws suffer the most as they cannot dare speak against the age-old taboos. I want to change the perspective of these elders,” he said.

Despite having a huge following, Dr Sumanth’s account features no promotional videos. “I made it a point not to make this about money,” he said.

Beyond the taboos, mom guilt is a very real struggle. Sumanth’s videos not only bring smiles to those watching but also inspire mothers to embrace joy and take time for themselves. After all, a happy mother is key to raising a happy child.