So many influential traditional birth stories and myths are told depicting the mother as a container, a vessel, from which a special person was born. The emphasis in these stories lies on the latter person, and his importance can often be considered as the reason for the myth. Yet these same stories can be turned around, allowing them to become powerful stories in which women’s experiences through the ages can be expressed. Here is a link to a wonderful reversed story of the birth of the child Siddharta, who would grow up to become the Buddha, retold, this time including, not excluding, what makes up the experience of a birth-giving mother.
Tag: Birth
800 women die each day
It keeps astonishing me that this is not a headline every day: “800 women died today when giving birth”. “Today again 800 women died when giving birth.” They die because basic care provisions are not available to them. Watch this movie by the White Ribbon Alliance that informs us about this.
Women’s traumatic childbirth experiences
New research concerning maternity. Women’s traumatic childbirth experiences in the Netherlands shows that maternity care needs improvement. Women are too often neglected, not asked for consent, etc. Even when care is given with the best intentions, professionals may harm women during childbirth and cause trauma. Women-centred care is one of the options to improve care, according to the authors.
