BirthMatters, International

02/24/2022

"Did you know that modern c-sections were invented by African women— centuries before they were standard elsewhere?

Midwives and surgeons living around Lake Tanganyika and Lake Victoria perfected the procedure hundreds of years ago. When a baby couldn’t be delivered vaginally, these healers sedated the laboring mother using large amounts of banana wine. They tied the mother to the bed for safety, sterilized a knife using heat, and made the incision, acting quickly as a team to prevent excessive blood loss or the accidental cutting of other organs. The combination of sterile, sharp equipment and sedation made the procedure surprisingly calm and comfortable for the mother.
After the baby was delivered, antiseptic tinctures and salves were used to clean the area and stitches were applied. Women rarely developed infections, shock, or excessive blood loss after a cesarean section and the most common problem reported was that it took longer for the mother’s milk to come in (an issue that was solved with friends and relatives who would nurse the baby instead). In Uganda, C sections were normally performed by a team of male healers, but in Tanzania and DRC, they were typically done by female midwives.

The majority of women and babies survived this, and when questioned about it by European colonists in the mid-1800s, many people in Uganda and Tanzania indicated that the procedure had been performed routinely since time immemorial.
This was at a time when Europeans had only barely started to figure out that they should wash their hands before performing surgery, when nearly half of European and US women died in childbirth, and when nearly 100% of European women died if a C section was performed.

Detailed explanations of Ugandan C-sections were published globally in scholarly journals by the 1880s and helped the rest of the world learn how to save mothers and babies with minimal complications.

So if you’re one of the people who wouldn’t be alive today without a C-section, you have Ugandan surgeons and Tanzanian and Congolese midwives to thank for their contributions to medical science." Juniper Russo

10/26/2017

Our bodies are amazing!

Moms who breastfeed their babies know that breast milk changes color. For instance, colostrum, the first breast milk your body makes, is often orange or yellow because it’s so full of nutrients. Breast milk also changes color when moms eat certain foods, especially if they have colorful dyes in them...

09/30/2017

It just doesn't get any better.

How does a mother protect her baby when breastfeeding lying down?

09/13/2017

Here's a little something to lighten your mood. There have been many times in my life when I've had the same urge as this dog.

There’s nothing better than hearing a baby in a fit of giggles — but the child in the video below had us (and Mom) laughing for entirely different reasons. The key here is to watch the reaction of the family dog. They’re all sitting together as mom films her teeny baby. The family’s dog laying next…

09/13/2017

She will always remember. When things don't go as planned, it's up to us to listen....to help her put the pieces together....to help her find a silver lining.....to help her find her strength again.

We must talk about perinatal mood disorders and PTSD before the baby comes. Moms have to know that these possibilities exist so they're more likely to speak up and seek treatment sooner.

There is such a social stigma associated with mental illness. Statistics show that women might find the courage to speak out only once. If her feelings are not met with support, she usually just "sucks it up" and tries to manage on her own. Everyone suffers, and the long-term effects can be devastating.

Please remember.......pain is physical. Suffering is emotional. Suffering continues long after the physical pain is gone.

These mums had traumatic births, and they want more to see more honesty about the toll it can take.

08/13/2017

Too good ...... had to share!

Photographer captures raw images of a rare birth scenario

08/10/2017

Kathleen Kendall-Tackett examines how other cultures protect new mothers’ well-being. A great read!

What can we learn from the cultural postpartum rituals of low-income, developing countries?

08/08/2017

06/13/2017

Here's more research confirming what many of us have known for years....purely from observation. When you're birth worker, you can't help but see differences in the outcomes. This pitocin epidemic needs to stop. "It's not polite to try to fool Mother Nature."

Synthetic Hormone - Pitocin. It should come as no surprise that there are unintended and poorly understood consequences.

11/05/2015

Background and Aim: Cervical ripening before the onset of labor is an important factor for the prediction of delivery mode, and is directly associated with vaginal delivery. The search for a safe, inexpensive, and easy method of cervical ripening is of great significance. Few studies have focused on…

10/02/2015

I bet it's not long before we see these more of these postpartum "centers" in the US.

A custom known as “sitting the month,” when new mothers must stay indoors to restore their energy, has evolved into an opulent level of care.

09/30/2015

I love this!

Certified nurse midwives Nicolle Gonzales and Brittney Simplicio are planning a space where Native women can experience traditional healing practices and midwifery care during birth.

06/12/2015

I continue to be amazed at the world we live in. This article is good, but the pictures will pull you right into their reality.

Social marginalization and mistrust of modern medicine have caused high infant mortality rates among indigenous communities in Bolivia. Efforts over the last 10 years seek to stem the crisis while respecting traditions.

05/11/2015

Another cheer for midwives! Thanks, Micky for the article.....a history lesson and some great videos!

That mothers die around the world from a lack of access to modern health care is well known. Less known is how our own country's excessive dependence on modern health care for the natural process of childbirth can harm and in some cases kill.

04/15/2015

Yes, we do.

Sarah Proechel, facilitator for Birth Institute Experiential Learning in Guatemala, shares about the wisdom of traditional midwives in this Mayan culture. From knowing how to turn a breech baby in minutes, to understanding how to limit postpartum bleeding by binding the uterus, it is clear that thes…

04/10/2015

Having fun at the ICEA Professional Childbirth Educators Workshop in Walland, Tennessee, on February 27-28, 2015...with Julia A. Cooper, Kim Martino-Sexton, Amy Heer Frederick, Amanda Bilyeu Garrison, Heather Wilkerson, Jennifer Maloney Gould, Sarah Arelia Wenzel and Elizabeth Streeter. Thanks, ladies, for an awesome workshop!

ICEA Professional Childbirth Educator Workshop with IAT Connie Bach. Held at BirthMatters, International; Walland, Tennessee.
Fun engaged activities always increase learning! Ready to register for one of ICEA's workshops?? Visit ICEA.org to learn more!

02/08/2015

It saddens me to say it.....but I see this situation often in Guatemala. It's gut-wrenching, actually.

In Guatemala, many young girls marry far older men and become mothers long before they are physically and emotionally ready.