women and midwife care | Spiritual Birth

Birth in South Africa Homebirth Natural Birth Spiritual Midwife April 2, 2014April 2, 2014 by Marianne Littlejohn

Is Midwifery a Dying Art?

Marianne Littlejohn - Midwife and proud of it

The following was originally posted on Facebook, but received such an overwhelming response that I felt it was worth posting on my website too. Below the original post about midwives’ and doulas’ seemingly different levels of recognition by the public in general, I have included the first couple of hours’ worth of Facebook comments

Birth in South Africa The Travelling Midwife March 17, 2011April 14, 2012 by Marianne Littlejohn

The Travelling Midwife: The Garden Route

What I would really like to hear are stories and birth experiences from women on the ground throughout South Africa, so I stopped to interview women from the area. Elsie Joemat, from a settlement near Hoekwil shared her story.

Women need to prepare for natural birth in every aspect of their lives, including the spiritual, emotional, mental and physical areas of their being. A woman deserves the right to choose her companions as well as where and how she will give birth to her child.

Pregnancy and birth are normal life events for most women. To this end, interventions should be kept to a minimum wherever possible. A baby who is born gently and welcomed by warm, caring parents receives the best possible start in life.

Women who are well prepared in their minds, bodies and spirits can experience birth as a profoundly moving and empowering event.