Theme: Birth without Borders
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Three generations of Afghan women
Photos provided by author
This article provides us with a look into birthing in Afghanistan during 2004.
Photo by Tewodros Getnet
“When a labor is long and difficult, women of the village put huge rocks on their shoulders and walk around the hut to take some of the burden of the mother’s pain and encourage her to keep going.” This and other village childbirth traditions are shared by Danyanish Mekkonen, traditional Ethiopian midwife.
Author at the Temple of Heaven
Photos provided by author
Few Chinese have homebirths; according to the author, those in the hospital are rushed and immediate bonding with the mothers is not seen as important. This article provides a fascinating thumbnail sketch of a Chinese obstetric ward.
Marion with an attendee of the Midwifery Today 2005 Eugene Conference
My first day at the conference, I noticed a number of Native American participants. I felt gratitude and joy at their presence. Our lives are enriched when we are able to interact with people of different cultural backgrounds. Further, the roots of indigenous cultures that have lived on the same land over centuries connect us through time to the ancient ways in a unique manner.
Photos by María Cristina Galante Di Pace
Women in Oaxaco, Mexico, live with poverty, discrimination and inequality. Luna Llena is a training center for Oaxacan midwives, which seeks to improve the condition of women, believing that the manner of birth defines the manner of life.
A government, a traditional, and a foreign midwife
Photos provided by author
A direct-entry midwife shares her experiences in Iraq, recounting the influence of culture, the political situation and (lack of) technology.
Photo by Patti Ramos
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Midwifery Today, Issue 75, Winter 2005. Join Midwifery Today Online MembershipThis article was adapted from the book About Physiology in Pregnancy and Childbirth, originally entitled Articolidi fisiologia ostetrica applicata. Translated by Manca Anna Lou. Firenze, Italy 2005.Photo by Kelley FaulknerPhysiological birth is linked to the experience of pain. Our fear of pain and the disappearance of physiological birth is linked to our lifestyles. A frenetic pace, the pressure to be efficient, competition, the quest for success, the need for immediate gratification, refusal to suffer: all these factors leave little room for listening, feeling and assuming a proactive attitude in the face of difficulties.The rapid development of technology has created an illusion of well-being and safety and has favoured withdrawal from danger, weakening our ability to adjust to circumstances. We have dismissed the importance of human relations, forgetting that our relationships with others determine the state of our health. As a society, we no longer have the ability to promote goodhealth and have little more capacity to cure illness. What we can do, rather, is assess the damages through sophisticated diagnostic processes (Tew 1998).Italian midwives are going through a crisis. The caesarean rate has increased dramatically, giving Italy the second highest rate in the world and the highest in Europe. In addition, mortality, but above all maternal and neonatal morbidity, have also increased. The advent of technology in childbirth has not produced any significant improvement in perinatal mortality rates and, if anything, has diminished the quality of mother-baby bonding, producing a negative impact on the life and health of the baby (Tew 1998; Beech 1999; Wagner 2001; Relier 1993). The appearance in recent years of an unprecedented number of problems related to children of all ages should stimulate reflection about this phenomenon.Natural and pharmacological… Read more…. The Meaning and Functions of Labour Pain
Photo by Erda Estremera
Creating a midwife garden, and sharing the plants with your clients, is a wonderful way to promote health naturally and to aid the body in nourishment and healing. Learn about some of the plants to be included.
Photo by Brigitte Tohm
The author discusses the shocking statistics on HIV and AIDs cases in Africa, shares some real stories and wonders what the future holds.
Photo by Sammie Chaffin
Cambridge, Massachusetts, has a unique doula program that matches doulas with pregnant women who speak a language other than English. This article describes the program and the good that has come from it.
Read more…. The Cambridge Doula Program: Helping Women Access Their Deepest Courage
Photos provided by authors
Along with heartbreak and death, the great tsunami of 2004 in Sumatra also brought new challenges to traditions of birthing. Volunteers from Yayasan Bumi Sehat, a nonprofit center, demonstrate how to protect babies from infection by burning the umbilical cord rather than cutting it.
Read more…. Tsunami Midwives: Learning to Burn the Umbilical Cord
