The twins we were waiting for have arrived. I arrived in Cape Town on the 25th may 2011 and the dues date for the twins was the 1st June 2011, although the mother had been having twinges. Finally the Mom went into labour early this morning and gave birth to beautiful twin girls, one born …
This is such a comprehensive Birth Plan that I have decided to post it after, of course, requesting permision from the couple who did their homework. The illustration below is a humerous take on the birth plan scenario and is not meant to imply that this mother wishes to have an epidural. In fact, this mother has …
How does a midwife explain a slow labour or a long ‘second stage’? The fact that a woman may be fully dilated does not mean she is ready to expel her baby from the womb. Midwives and obstetricians make this mistake all the time, as if the woman were a mechanical engine that should fire it’s pistons at the turn of a key. Midwifery is both an art and a science and part of that art, in the present climate, seems to be to prevaricate in order to align ourselves with what obstetric theory advises we should be doing.
Dr Beatriz Manrique and her team working in poor ghettos of Caracus, Venezuela, demonstrated that when parents are taught to communicate with their preborn children from early in womb life (ideally from conception), their physical, intellectual and emotional development is favoured.
More than ever, we need a new spirituality which embraces all the practical aspects of our lives. As we struggle with disasters, both natural and man-made we are beginning to understand our impact and that we might well be on a path of self destruction. Unless we examine ourselves and the way we live and cease damaging the environment and each other, we may well not survive or flourish in our universe.
Our May Workshop was a delight and we spent one on one time with Leigh and Hans. Karene, our other participant, brought her curiosity, artistic flair and immediate understanding of the concepts taught to the group. We spent alot of time covering the theory around the mind-spirit-body paradigm and how the different levels of brain function …
The second birth is generally easier: the hip joints are more flexible, the body is familiar with the process, the body is now experienced in the release of just the right amount of hormones and chemicals to release and everything usually happens more smoothly and helps to heal any residual trauma felt from the first birth experience