The book on : The Ghanaian custom of massaging a baby’s head with hot water and ointments;
The damage to the baby’s brain development.
Hot water bath.
Hot water bath to a newborn baby in Ghana (Pictures 41,42 and watch Video 2).
In picture 41, the grandmother uses hot water to bath the baby. Vapors are coming out of the water in the bucket (watch Video 2). The temperature of this water should be at least 55 degree Celsius, far above our normal body temperature which is 37 degrees Celsius.
The baby is not active, and her eyes are closed.
Picture 41: The vapors in hot water bath.
vapors
Picture 42: The "sleeping baby" in hot water bath.
Look at the baby in Picture 42.
Question: Does the baby feel comfortable?
Does she sleep?
Question: Can you sleep inside water that is hot and you do not like to touch it because it burns you?
Answer: No.
The grandmother massages the head with a towel.
Question: Can you sleep when somebody massages your head with a hot towel?
Answer: No.
So also, this baby can not sleep. The baby’s eyes are closed, and she is not active because the heat caused her brain to shutdown. The brain can not continue to work well with such heat. The grandmother unknowingly causes a lot of damage to the brain of her granddaughter. This baby will be slow in thinking and actions when she grows.
Video 2: Hot water bath.