Travelling around Jordan with a baby.

I always thought that travelling with a baby would be stressful and hard work.  Being on the road with Ayla has been a wonderful experience.  Yes, it has been hard work, but it has been incredibly enjoyable.  Our travelling life has changed dramatically.  We have had to be very organised and we are constantly thinking about Ayla and her needs.  We have both become very aware of what she needs and when she needs it.    For a 3 month old baby, her routine is solid so it is easy to know what comes next.

Travelling around Jordan with a baby has been lovely.  Jordanians love children so we have gotten lots of attention on this trip - well, Ayla has gotten the attention.  It was amazing to walk around Petra and people to comment on what a happy baby we have.

One thing that no one warned me about was how much touching Jordanian people like to do to babies.  I've had to tell several people not to touch the baby.  People would just come up and stick their dirty hands in her face!  There are no boundaries in this culture when it comes to kids.  One man even picked her up out of her car seat without asking us!  I quickly took a picture of him.  I had visions in my head of him running away with her so I took his picture in order to hunt him down if he did.  He was a kind man though with a daughter of his own.  He knew a lot about and adored babies.  Even so, I could tell that Ayla was not comfortable with him and for the first time ever, she cried when a stranger came near.   Normally, she is very friendly and smiley, but she was not happy that the man didn't ask if she wanted to be picked up.

He was sweet and gave her an orange.  He told me, 'if she is clever, she will put the orange to her mouth.'  Of course, she did just that.  He was also very happy to hear that I was breastfeeding!  I was very surprised at how knowledgeable he was about it.  Apparently, it is instructed in the Quran that mothers must breastfeed their baby for 2 years and that breast milk is best for baby.

This was taken from: 

http://thelactivist.blogspot.com/2006/01/interesting-article-on-islam-and.html

The Yemen Times is running an article series right now that explores what Islamic Law has to say about things like breastfeeding. It makes for interesting reading whether you are a practicing Muslim or not.

From the article:

Islam prescribed breastfeeding and commanded children do so until they attain full power and strength, as breastfeeding greatly impacts children's growth and development. Allah gave the required time period for breastfeeding. He said, “The mothers shall give suckling to their children for two whole years.” (Al-Baqarah: 233) 

Note the two whole years comment. I thought this was interesting as it fits with the time periods of developing countries, but is considered "extended" by most within the western world. I can't say that the comment is surprising though as most of the "old" religions like Judism, Christianity and Islam teach positively about the act of nursing a child.

The article goes on to say:

If the mother is not divorced, she should breastfeed her child as a religious obligation, not because she is the natural mother. If she is divorced, then nursing is dealt with as nafaqah (financial support), as established in the Shari`ah. Nafaqah of the child is the father's responsibility. The father must give the mother compensation for her nursing. If she refuses to nurse, then it is incumbent upon the father to find and hire the child a wet-nurse. However, scholars make it mandatory upon the mother to nurse her child if the child refuses nursing by any other or if the father doesn't have sufficient funds to hire a wet-nurse.

The article goes on to discuss the rights of wet-nurses, the decision to wean and several other issues related to child-rearing. 

Here are Ayla and I having a picnic in Petra.

I felt very nervous breastfeeding here.  I was concerned about negative comments, but I received none and people left me to do what needed to be done.

Ayla's first holiday and it is to Petra - lucky girl.

Ayla being changed in a cave.

I love this picture of her.

Our experience travelling around Jordan with a baby has been good.  Albeit a little challenging at certain times, but most of the time it has been easy.  As long as you are organised, flexible and have little expectations, you will have fun and people will receive you well.  Just be prepared to stand your ground and to be honest with people.  If you are breastfeeding, it is best to bring a shield and to find somewhere quiet.  I only breastfed in public at The Treasury in Petra, but I tried to do so discreetly as possible.  I think if the place you are visiting has many tourists, it is ok, but a local place with local people might be different.

Ancient Islamic Ayla

In Aqaba, there is an ancient cite called, 'Ayla'.  We didn't know this when we decided to name our daughter, Ayla and we were pleasantly surprised when we found out that it was a place in Jordan.

Ayla was the capital city of the early Islamic period from AD 650 to the arrival of the Crusaders in 1116 AD.

Ayla in Ayla 

Uncle Spencer taking a selfie

Brick Lane

An awesome new bar has opened in Amman.  It has been opened for a year and a half, but we've only just found out about thanks to the lovely lady in the Boutique Bakery.  We went here on Saint Patrick's Day with good friends with the intention of doing a bit of a bar hop (pub crawl).  I was organising the bar hop and told the crew that we would stop when we find a bar that played Irish music.  This was our first stop and they played Irish music so we didn't move!  There is a wonderful atmosphere in here with an outside area for smokers.  The food is excellent and serves the BEST fish and chips in Amman.  

We will return here soon.

The owner bought balloons for us :-) 

Boutique Bakery

The nicest bakery has opened up in Jordan.  The bread is divine and best of all, fresh with very good ingredients.  The owner/baker is a lovely women who is very knowledgable about her craft.  I tried the walnut bread and the biscotti, and they were both wonderful.

Here is a map. I highly recommend paying the bakery a visit :)

Thai Restaurant

FINALLY, a Thai restaurant in Amman!  I haven't eaten here yet, but plan to as soon as Ayla has a good evening routine.

This restaurant is in Abdoun, right opposite to Books @ Cafe.  It has just opened.  I spoke to the manager and she said people are enjoying the food which is a good sign.

As soon as I eat here, I will post on it, but I wanted to let my readers know that it is open!  If you go, let me know what you think.

Ikea Jordan

YES!  It has finally arrived!  A place to buy generic furniture, plain lamps, Swedish meatballs and funky stuff.  We went on the 2nd day of its opening, on Friday morning, thinking it would be quiet because Friday is a holy day and most people don't do anything until after the call to prayer at 12.  WRONG!  It seemed most of Amman had the same idea as we did.  It was packed.  Thankfully, Ikea is HUGE so there wasn't too much of a squeeze.

We spent 3 hours walking around the whole store.  Ayla slept in her baby Ergo for the entire time.

We had a great time and were very tired at the end of it.  At the end, I could even feed Ayla because there was a changing/nursing room.  I was very impressed.  It might be the ONLY shopping place in Amman where a mother can nurse her baby.

A nice, calm place to nurse your child.

They even provide nappies, but no bin to throw away the dirty one so bring a plastic bag.

YUM!

We are very happy to have Ikea here now. Simply because the style is plain and prices are reasonable.  I think the opening of Ikea is perfect for new expats who need to furnish their new place, and the best thing is, as soon as you arrive in Amman, you will notice Ikea on the journey into the city because it is on airport road.

I do believe this will be a bi-monthly trip - we love Ikea!

New life in Amman

It has been a while since my last post and much has happened that has changed our life for the better.  On January 16th, we gave birth to our first child, Ayla.

She was born here in Amman and we are delighted.  For a long time, Robert and I have put off starting a family because our circumstances were not conducive to raise a child.  Since being here and finding a great place with great people, we decided that the time and place were just right.

Our experience of being pregnant and giving birth here have been top class.  We received the best care and were very comfortable.  The hospital we gave birth in, Farah Hospital, was more like a hotel than a hospital.  In fact, I kept calling it a 'hotel'.  We had our own private en-suite room with the best view of Amman.  Our doctor gave us personal care that was professional, friendly and caring.  We have been so lucky.  I would highly recommend giving birth in Amman for anyone considering to move here.

We have been waiting so long for this little girl to come into our lives and we are thrilled she is finally here.  We simply adore her and are loving being parents.

So this is the start of a new adventure of us, an adventure that will last a lifetime :-)