Body Wisdom

Several interesting articles caught my eye this week. First, a 2005 article from Midwifery Today Honoring Body Wisdom addressing the question "who or what are we protecting the perineum from?" It has lots of food for thought about honoring women's instincts in birth and keeping one's hands to oneself.

Then, speaking of body wisdom and being upright, I came across this Women's eNews article 'Gravity Birth' Pulls Women to Ecuador Hospital. "Part of a model effort to lower maternal and infant mortality and attract more women to hospital deliveries, San Luis de Otavalo is the first public hospital in Ecuador to provide a so-called vertical maternity ward that connects indigenous birthing practices with access to modern medicine. The ward opened in April 2008."

"'It was a hard fight for us to get into the hospital and care for women with our ancestral wisdom and practices, with our teas and waters, our sacred cleansing rites," says Colta. "Everyone has bad energy. But we shoo it out at birth.'"

I also enjoyed reading an article about Poplar-Heights Birth and Wellness Center in the Kitsap Sun: For Expectant Moms, a Happy Medium Between Hospital and Home Births.

And then one titled Home Delivery in the Herald Tribune (FL).

Finally, a blog post with pictures from the LIFE photo archive has been making the rounds: Maude Callen: Hero Midwife. The photographs were taken in 1951 and follow a SC midwife as she attends a birth.

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Molly Remer
CfM Blogger