It goes back to 40,000 B.C.
The practice of midwifery can be traced back to the palaeolithic era (40,000 B.C.), where pregnancy and childbirth required women to give birth in challenging and often life-threatening environments. Women supported themselves during birth based on knowledge and skills they learned from observing other mammals.
Indigenous cultures all over the world practised various traditions around birth, many of them spiritual and rooted in nature and herbal medicine. The Māori people of New Zealand, for example, used supplejack and flax root for contraception, and would typically burn the designated birthing spot after labour.
From 3500 B.C. to 300 B.C., the Egyptian and Greco-Roman eras saw enormous progress in the development and acknowledgement of midwifery as an autonomous, scientific and respected paid profession. But in late 300 BC, the social attitudes about female midwives changed, and midwifery became a profession under the hierarchy of male-supervised medicine.
Midwifery has come a long way since then!
Source: International Confederation of Midwives
It is Mother’s Day Weekend. What better time to tell this story!
A Story from Labrador
In February, CBC revisited Duncan McCue’s “Hands of a Midwife” documentary which explored the decades long struggle for Inuit women in the north and some of the changes that have happened over the last several decades. McCue chatted with a number of the mothers and midwives. It was so intriguing to hear the stories – the way it used to be; the way it is now.
This triggered a conversation around the table at my sister’s house. She told us about one of the stories her mother-in-law had shared some years ago.
“She was in her teens when she delivered the first baby. From then onward she became the midwife for many expecting mothers in her little community in Labrador. Over the years, she was called upon at all hours and whenever there was a need. But one call for help stood out above all others.
She rushed to the home when family members came to get her. The mother had gone into labour way too early. The delivery was a difficult one and there were many anxious hours. There was no hospital, no doctor, no incubators. So she relied on her experience, some good, old-fashion, common sense and the tools around her.
Tiny wee twin babies entered the world that night. She quickly turned two bread pans into little beds and the babies were nested inside. They needed to be kept warm, so she opened the door of the top warmer oven of the stove and that became the incubator. It worked perfectly! The mother was taken care of, reassured, and made comfortable.
Word spread like wildfire throughout the community…
“Mother and Babies Doing Fine”
Holy Crow! Picture those pans!
And the warmer on the stove!
Talk about multi-purposing.
Thanks to the midwife, that young mother and those babies survived.
Amazing!
And, Teenagers Today?
Seriously! When I was young, I would not have been able to deliver a baby. My feet were barely on the ground and my head was in the clouds. What about teenagers and young adults today. Would they be able to take charge in the middle of the night (for that is when most babies are born), deliver a baby, create an incubator, look after the mom and all her needs, and and and? Gets you thinking, doesn’t it? Most of the young people I know have difficulty making their own bed. No babies to deliver. No new moms to look after. No real responsibilites of any kind.
Or, is that fair, I wonder? Most have never witnessed a birth. They have not learned from the elders and don’t know what to do. Today, the life of a young teenager is different. Overall, circumstances are different. They will not become midwives in their teenage years. But, perhaps we underestimate the extent of what they can do if put to the test. And that applies to them all, regardless of gender.
A meal idea for Mother's Day
So to all – if you are old enough to use the stove, here’s a meal YOU can make for your Mom on Mother’s Day:
Main Meal – Hamburger Casserole
Dessert – Pineapple Angel Food Cake with Cream
Hamburger Casserole
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can tomato soup
1 can whole kernel corn (drained)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 onion chopped
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni noodles
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. Using a medium saucepan, bring about 4 cups water to a boil and cook macaroni noodles until tender. Drain and rinse to remove starch.
In large fry pan, brown beef and onion; add chili powder, salt and pepper. Mix soups and corn together and add to cooked hamburger. Add macaroni and mix well. Put in 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake 35 to 40 minues. Cover with grated cheese for the last 15 minutes.
Pineapple Angel Food Cake
Ingredients:
1 Angel Food Cake Mix
1 small can pineapple tidbits
Whipped Cream
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, add cake mix and the can of pineapple (including liquid). That’s it for ingredients. Stir thoroughly BUT take care not to over mix.
Pour in greased Bundt pan and bake according to directions on cake mix box. Cool and serve with whipped cream.
That’s it! So simple and easy BUT delicious.
And to all Mothers
Happy Mother's Day
Today’s Thought
This comes from a beautiful, well-grounded, young teenager who is one of the most precious loves in my life:
“Live each day to the fullest
because you never know
when it’s going to end.”
M.E. Bouzane
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