Belly Tales

And of course, something needs to be said about Birth on Labor Day, aka BOLD, a new event slated to occur annually on Labor Day (appropriate, eh?). Created by playwright Karen Brody, and clearly modelled off of Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues and the subsequent V-Day that was created to call attention to violence against women, Birth on Labor Day centers around a play, Birth, which is based on interviews Brody did with over one hundred women during 2004-2005, and relates the stories of 7 women and their differing birth experiences. Birth, and BOLD, is designed to examine the way women give birth in this country, calling attention to the birth machine and the huge disempowerment and disconnect women feel between their minds and bodies during the birth experience. BOLD is an attempt to start up a new dialogue about ways to create mother-friendly birth in our country, raising awareness through education, truth and action. Sounds like a good plan to me!

BOLD events are scheduled to occur in over twenty cities across the USA this Labor Day, as well as internationally in India, Malta, and Bermuda. If you live in the New York metro area, there are some fabulous BOLD events taking place, including talks with Dr. Christiane Northrup, Barbara Harper and Henci Goer, and of course a performance of Birth will take place. Check out the BOLD website for a full schedule of BOLD events, especially the ones in New York City.

OMG, check these out!! Wonderous Vulva Puppets! How absolutely, amazingly gorgeous! We wantssss one, precioussssss, yes, we do. The artist, Dorrie Lane, has named every puppet after a sacred feminine Goddess—she even has a puppet named after Hathor, the Egyptian Goddess of Love and joy (and fertility, and birth), and one of my own personal favorite Goddesses (along with Artemis, of course). What an amazing graduation gift for all the student midwives in your life. *cough*

This is a picture of one of my best friends in the entire world, who is 31 weeks pregnant this week. Isn’t she beautiful?? She and her husband have planned a homebirth with a local (Kentucky) midwife, and she’s due the second week of April, which also coincides with my spring break. If I’m lucky, I’ll get to meet her brand new baby over spring break. If I’m really lucky, I’ll get to be there during her birth, and watch and help and love one of the strongest women I know go through one of the most amazing transitions of her life.

Pictures like this are so rejuvenating. I can’t even begin to tell you…in the midst of all of this hard work and the exhaustive amounts of information we’re learning, and the overwhelming stress and late night cramming sessions, it’s such a comfort to be able to look up from the textbook every now and then and see a belly like this and remember why it is that we’re doing this in the first place.

On the very first page of our Varney’s Midwifery (4th edition), before you even get to the table of contents, is the following poem, by Dana Quealy, CNM, MSN:

Holy Births and Howling Babies

In my backyard there are nuns who live in a shaded brick building
next to the St. Stanislaus church and elementary school.
Together we rise before the sun is in the sky.
Behind the kitchen curtain, in the damp haze of morning,
I watch them walk in shades of blue robe.
They glide in white sneakers across the parking lot.
They are cool, calm, brisk.

Some day, I’ll go see them
I’ll ask for some lesson on prayer.
Because the thing is…I pray now.
Not Dear God Almighty!
Just low, easy, quiet thoughts.

I pray when my patience is worn.
Why my shoulders ache.
When my own voice becomes tiring to my ears.

I pray when my heart sits heavy with stories and faces of women.
A prayer for the 32 week babe.
A prayer for the lady with the skinny, squawking twins.
A prayer for the woman without a mother, or a lover, or a friend.
I pray when my cold hands run across a pregnant belly
and I feel a kick from inside.

I pray for all my babies, Be good to your mama.
I pray for all my mothers, Be strong, be good to this baby.
I pray secretly and I pray slowly.

I pray for us, the midwives and almost-midwives.
I pray that we make the right decisions.
And I pray for those of us who make bad decisions.
Decicions we regret with outcomes we can’t change.

I pray that we learn from our mistakes.
That with ages comes wisdom.
I pray deeply and I pray completely.
For all of the hands and all of the bellies.
I pray for holy births and howling babies.

Now, my question is this: what do all of you think of this poem? Do you like it? Do you think it’s the right poem for the very beginning of a midwifery text book? Does it fill you with hope? Does it start things off on the right foot? Does it give you a visceral sense of what it may be like to be a midwife? I am just curious about other’s responses to it. I’ll share my own thoughts in a bit, but I’d like to hear other’s reactions first. I am just curious. (And don’t by shy! Analyzing poetry is fun! …says my inner English Major.)

I’ve stumbled upon some gorgeous birth art, and the artist, Misty Benson, has been kind enough to share. Here are my three absolute favorites:

“Secret of the Butterfly”
24″x32″ Acrylic on Unstretched Cotton Canvas Sheet.

Misty writes:

There is a Native American legend that says, “If you have a secret wish, capture a butterfly and whisper your wish to it. Since butterflies cannot speak, your secret is ever safe in their keeping. Release the butterfly, and it will carry your wish to the Great Spirit, who alone knows the thoughts of butterflies.” In Celtic beliefs, a woman wishing to get pregnant would swallow a butterfly soul. Whether you are wishing for a pregnancy or you have already swallowed the butterfly, it is no secret that a new life in the belly often feels like the fluttering of wings. Along with the butterflies, there are several symbols present in the painting. The gem suspended from the mother’s neck is the moonstone. Radiant with the light of the moon, it symbolizes rebirth, new beginnings, and wishing. Believed to benefit pregnancy, it is a feeling stone that helps aid in the changing cycles of our lives, bringing balance to our emotions and aiding us in calm reflection. The yellow of the mother’s blouse represents joy (as do butterflies), happiness, hope, and the dawn of a new day.

“Born of Water”
8″x10″ Acrylic on Unstretched Cotton Canvas Sheet.

“As Above, So Below”
12″x16″ Acrylic on Unstretched Cotton Canvas Sheet.

Misty lives and works in Boulder, CO, where she coaxes faery essence into this realm through her work with acrylic paint and canvas. She draws her inspiration from a deep well of faery lore, fantasy art, and cultural celebration. Misty has never followed the traditional path of an artist. She never drew as a child nor pursued art courses in high school. Although she attended college to become a veterinarian, she switched majors and went on to earn degrees in the Fine Arts and Cultural Anthropology. She writes about pregnancy and birth: My sister was born when I was 12, and I spent a lot of time helping to raise her. I honestly feel like I have already had a child! I love the pregnant form. I always encourage my friends on LJ to take lots of pictures while they are pregnant because they are so beautiful. I tell them not to simply take a sideview of their belly and call it a day. I encourage them to take full body shots and ham it up a bit. I tell them they won’t ever regret documenting this part of their lives! I just find pregnant women to be so beautiful and inspiring. The wondrous looks on their faces are looks that you don’t see on anyone but a pregnant woman. They are challenging to capture, but I enjoy it.

If you’re interested in seeing more of her work, you can visit her website, Gossamerfaery’s Attic, or buy prints through her ebay offerings. Enjoy, and thank you, Misty!

It has come to my attention that last week…well, nearly two weeks ago, now…was World Breastfeeding Week, brought to you by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action. *Sheepish* I feel like I should have been on top of that one, but somehow let it slip through my fingers (it was, to put it mildly, a busy week for me). Anyway, the point is rather moot, since EVERY week should be world breastfeeding week. Breastfeeding is the healthiest food you can possibly feed your baby! It’s an organic, living mix of antibodies, brain-cell promoting cream, nutrients, minerals, immunoglobulins…basically, EVERYTHING your baby needs to stay healthy and grow strong. And it’s constantly changing. Can you believe that? If your baby needs more of one kind of nutrient over another, or a higher fat content, or is dehydrated and needs more water, the quality of your breastmilk will actually change to meet these needs. Breastfeeding is a complete meal for the baby: at any given feeding, the first 60% of the milk suckled (called the foremilk) is like skim-milk, hydrating and watery; the next 25% is whole milk, full of protein and antibodies, and the final 5%—called the hindmilk—is pure cream, full of fat for growing brains, and taaaaaaassty (it’s dessert). Babies who breastfeed have fewer allergies, tend to grow bigger and get sick less often, have a much lower incidence of asthma, and studies have even linked breastfeeding to higher intelligence. And that’s just the physical stuff! Don’t forget about the improved bonding and nurturing your baby receives, teaching him or her that the world is a safe, secure place, and that he or she can trust. That’s a mighty strong foundation upon which to lay your baby’s future emotional growth. So, in conclusion, breastfeed! And encourage your friends to breastfeed. And support the breastfeeding women in your life!

To honor World Breastfeeding Week (and since this site is desperately begging for some art), I’ve culled the internet for some kick-ass images of breastfeeding, mostly courtesy of Breastfeeding.com. (Credits have been given when I could find someone to credit.)

(Mattia Pretti)

(Piccasso)

(Edouard Debat-Ponsan)

(Mary Cassat)