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The author explores the concept of tradition as something that is fluid and conscious, by drawing on her own evolving relationships with two tradition-rich cultures: midwifery and the Orthodox Jewish community in which she was raised.
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This bittersweet story demonstrates how two cultures clash on the issue of birth. Sokol describes the experience of attending a Ukrainian couple’s birth in a birth house as a doula-in-training. This piece is one of four articles in this issue describing different aspects of birth in Ukraine.
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Author Regine Marton reports on the state of traditional midwifery in Brazil, including efforts to integrate traditional midwives into the health care system. In the town of Caruaru, she describes a strong active association of traditional midwives, leaders of the community, who are working hand in hand with the city and the state in order to achieve their goals.
Read more…. Traditional Midwifes of Caruaru, State of Pernambuco, Brazil
From the 1970s to the 1990s, a series of long, violent and bloody civil wars raged in Nicaragua and El Salvador. Marie Tyndall paints a portrait of two extraordinary traditional midwives who, in the midst of tragedy and violence, remained grounded figures of love and nurturance for their communities. Read more…. Stories of Extraordinary Central American Midwives
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A midwife’s story of attending a beautiful Ukrainian homebirth. This piece is one of four articles in this issue describing different aspects of birth in Ukraine.
Photo by Ines Álvarez Fdez
In this update from non-profit Bumi Sehat, author Robin Lim describes their work with a group of village midwives in Aceh, Indonesia. These traditional midwives provide an invaluable service to local villagers, survivors of the 2005 Tsunami.
Photo by Martha Dominguez de Gouveia
The author describes the horrors of the hospital births she has witnessed in Ukraine, recounting scenes where the laboring women are treated inhumanely and ridiculed for showing signs of pain. This piece is one of four articles in this issue describing different aspects of birth in Ukraine.
In this excerpt from Sister MorningStar’s upcoming book from Motherbaby Press, The Power of Women, Sister MorningStar remembers Doña Cuca, Mexican village healer and midwife, and through her story, honors the gifts of experience and wisdom that are passed down to a new generation of midwives. Read more…. Doña Cuca, Wise Elder and Midwife
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Trust that women can birth the babies their bodies create and they will believe it too. Daisy Case asserts that interventionist births are not a result of a failure in physiology, but rather, a lack of faith.
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This short, sweet piece describes the interaction between father-to-be and laboring mother at a Ukrainian homebirth. This piece is one of four articles in this issue describing different aspects of birth in Ukraine.
We are losing the knowledge and wisdom of traditional midwifery as fast as we are losing the rainforest. Just as we are discovering this incredible knowledge base, it is disappearing. Read more…. Traditional Midwifery
Davenport discusses the ramifications of training traditional midwives or skilled birth attendants based on conformity to a medical system that may or may not be in the best interest of birthing mothers. Read more…. Who Benefits from Training Traditional Midwives?
