Photo by engin akyurt
The Cord and the Strength of Life: Something Extraordinary
I have observed babies being birthed with the placenta detached and following right behind them for over 20 years.Throughout that time I have kept mental notes, observing, recording, pondering. Then one day, finally, it all added up. The explanation is a short umbilical cord, a phenomenon that requires us to allow time for the baby, the cord and the placenta to descend slowly through the birth canal, in the wisdom of nature, for a healthy and natural birth.

Marina Alzugaray, MS, LM, CNM, is an international midwifery consultant and speaker with more than 30 years of experience in women’s health care. She received her Master of Science degree from the University of California, San Francisco, where she focused her research on homebirths and birth positions and related maternal-infant outcomes. Marina has facilitated sacred births in homes, hospitals and birth centers. She now offers homebirths and waterbirths in the Florida Keys, where she develops courses and facilitates educational retreats as director of Comadres Institute. Marina is known as a provider of holistic midwifery care; pioneer of waterbirths; developer of the American AquaNatal method, a prenatal water exercise program; and producer of continuing education courses on sacred birthing, women’s health and care that empowers clients. She serves as regional representative to 
















