There is no need to rush to cut the umbilical cord after birth. The baby is born. The mother gives birth to the placenta soon thereafter. The cord is left intact. This picture was taken 24 hours after birth. The placenta is placed in a container covered with Himalayan salt. The cord goes white after …
Second Hand Gran is a new eco fashion and ethical project I have started on Instagram – @2ndhandgran – a page dedicated to recycling and reducing waste by encouraging creativity and reuse of clothing. Clothing is something that we are all consumers of. Second Hand Gran works two ways. Firstly I am an earth loving …
Instinct during birth has all but been driven underground in modern obstetric hospitals. Women who want to squat, crawl, kneel, hang, lean against the wall/bed, stand, sit on the toilet bowl (because a birthstool is unavailable) are prevented from doing so. It does not suit the medical attendants aka doctors and midwives for women to …
On one occasion, I accompanied the doctors and medical students, a group of about 15 medics, on their rounds, in a maternity hospital. We came to the bedside of a woman lying on her back on a hospital bed, attached with leads to a cardiotocograph (CTG) machine, which was measuring the unborn baby’s heartbeat.
Newborn babies are unique and it is easy to meet their needs when you understand what those needs are. Listening to babies and understanding them takes time and practice, especially when you are a first time mother.
Women spend years learning to behave in certain ways in order to ‘fit in’ to society. Giving Birth acts as a gateway to rediscover blocked parts of the self that enable a woman to reclaim her life force.
Sometimes labour and birth can go backwards, stall or slow down when the mother is tense or frightened. It is important to meet the needs of each individual woman and birth.