Issue 70

Giving Birth and Being Born in Water

In every culture and religion throughout the world water is synonymous with the female aspect of life. Where there is no water, there can be no life.
Water is considered the symbol of fertility and also of eternal life. Human beings consist mainly of water, and before birth we develop inside the womb, swimming in amniotic fluid. We can therefore say that we are “children of water.”

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Is There A Balance? Traditional Customs and Modern Birthing in Somaliland

As access to modern maternity care increases around the world, women and their birth practitioners face the challenge of balancing modern birthing practices with traditional childbirth customs.

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Preserving Traditional Midwifery Around the World

Debra opened the session by presenting her work on a film project, the aim of which was to look at birth models around the world, not just traditional midwifery. She then described how, at the International Confederation of Midwives conference in 2002, many of the traditional midwives had felt the ICM was not addressing their interests. The ICM seemed to be primarily concerned with trained professionals, so traditional midwives and those interested in working with them (30-35 midwives and advocates) held two informal meetings. They created their own subcommittee, the Committee to Promote Inclusiveness, and wrote a letter to request formal recognition from the ICM. The ICM responded that they could not recognize the group but advised that it continue to meet informally.

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The Cord and the Strength of Life: Something Extraordinary

I have observed babies being birthed with the placenta detached and following right behind them for over 20 years.Throughout that time I have kept mental notes, observing, recording, pondering. Then one day, finally, it all added up. The explanation is a short umbilical cord, a phenomenon that requires us to allow time for the baby, the cord and the placenta to descend slowly through the birth canal, in the wisdom of nature, for a healthy and natural birth.

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Hands of Life

Hands are a gift—their intricate workings, the sensitivity in the fingertips. Hands can convey so much, do so much. The activities that hands undertake daily are numberless, and to be without one or both can make life a great challenge. (Try using only one hand for a day, and you’ll see what I mean!)

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Waterbirth: Contemporary Application for Historic Concepts

Water has flooded the new century, nosing her way forward with overwhelming power, washing away outmoded methods. It seems that destiny, rather than coincidence, led me to waterbirth. When I was a child, my home in Berlin faced the first university hospital (Benjamin-Franklin-Uni) offering “water cures,” an invention by Professor Schweninger of Berlin, who called himself a “naturopath.” His “Schweninger cures” were offered in Berlin as well as in Baden-Baden.

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The Many Ways to Sew Up a Uterus: “Single-layer” vs. “Double-layer” Cesarean Repair: What’s Best?

One cause of placenta accreta and placenta percreta is the placenta’s embedding in the caesarean scar. But no one has published research showing a correlation between these conditions and single-layer repair. Before this repair is blamed for an increase in placenta problems, an association must be established.

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Bonding: Through an Adoptive Mother’s Eyes

We mothers must do what is necessary to create trust, regardless of the immediate rewards. And then we must let go and allow our babies to come to us in their own way, in their own time. Our job is to bury deep within them the knowledge that they are loved. This is what creates an everlasting bond.

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Bearer of Light— Homeopathic Phosphorus

Phosphorus is a major ingredient of not only bones and teeth, but also the human brain. It facilitates permeability of cell membranes, helping nutrients pass in and out of cells. As one of the five elements of DNA, it is a building block for our genes. In metabolism, phosphorus mediates energy.

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A Candle

The woman my candle burns for tonight has been in labor for 46 hours. She had studied and prepared. She is in surgery now. The birth that she wanted didn’t happen; maybe it never will. I gingerly carry the candle to my room, careful not to smother the flame. Maybe she needs it lit now more than she did before.

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ICP—the Mystery Itch

During the last few days of my second pregnancy I began to experience severe itching. Being the tough cookie I am, I did not complain to my doctor.
Five years later I became pregnant again. When the itching returned, I did some Internet research. Almost instantly I read about Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy.

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Library Displays Spread the Word about Midwives

Some men in my childbirth classes had never heard the word “midwife” prior to the first class. We can all work to make the word “midwife” more common through midwifery displays for exhibition at local libraries. I strongly believe this is an effective way to expose the general public to the Midwifery Model of Care.

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