Photos provided by authors
Tsunami Midwives: Learning to Burn the Umbilical Cord
Along with heartbreak and death, the great tsunami of 2004 in Sumatra also brought new challenges to traditions of birthing. Volunteers from Yayasan Bumi Sehat, a nonprofit center, demonstrate how to protect babies from infection by burning the umbilical cord rather than cutting it.
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About Author: Robin Lim
Ibu Robin Lim, CPM, had been a midwife for over 20 years when she studied with Debra Pascali-Bonaro to become a DONA Doula. Ibu Robin is the mother of eight and the grandmother of Zhouie, Bodhi, Tashi, Rimba, and Bear. Ibu Robin splits her time between Bumi Sehat Community Health and Birth Center in Bali; the Philippines, where the Bahai Arugaan ni Maria Birth Center Palawan will open in 2019; and Lombok, Indonesia, where Bumi Sehat is operating a disaster relief clinic in tents since the north half of the island was destroyed by earthquakes. “Birth in the Era of Climate Change,” a MEAC-accredited course, is offered by Ibu Robin and Jacquelyn Aurora upon request. Along with The Farm midwife Deborah Flowers, Ibu has developed a website for families called Awakening Birth (awakeningbirth.org). Also, visit bumisehat.org.
View all posts by Robin Lim and Kelly Dunn
About Author: Kelly Dunn
Kelly Dunn has been a practicing traditional midwife for 12 years. She is the founder of Mother Health International in Jacmel, Haiti, a birth center dedicated to the vision of providing all girls and women access to education and health care that helps them to love themselves, their bodies and their children. Kelly has worked in developing nations for the last nine years, helping to empower women and girls in impoverished areas. She lives in rural British Columbia with her husband and assistant, Josh, and her 13- year-old son, Sky.
View all posts by Robin Lim and Kelly Dunn
