Lost Parent Diary

Childbirth traditions or “rumble in the jungle”

May 10, 2008 @ 12:09 am - Written by Andre
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There’s been a bit of a delay since my last post… the response was overwhelming and I’m still responding to the comments. I’m happy to see that my blog is off to a good start

There was a lot of discussion about a father’s participation in the birth of his child. The discussion from the last post has really encouraged me to take part in it (thanks everyone for all your advice and opinions!)

Since the post, I’ve put some thought toward other birthing traditions and rituals. I remembered a time that I had heard of a while ago about a tribe in the Amazon that traditionally sent its women into the jungle to give birth. Talk about getting back to nature. It took some work, but I did find a blog post on it.

I ran this idea by my wife: she was not a fan.

Questions to the readers:

Do you know of any childbirth traditions? (Both quaint and bizarre are appreciated!)
Would you go (or send your partner) into jungle to give birth alone? (I think this question will be a no brainer)

May 10, 2008 @ 1:02 am, by Matthew

There are various cultural rituals involving the placenta. You can see some here.

I honestly can’t think of any other “traditions”. Nowadays it seems like anything goes - especially if you have a mid-wife instead of an OB.

The jungle would be a lot cheaper but not nearly as comfortable.
May 11, 2008 @ 11:14 am, by Andre

Matthew,

Thanks for the comment and the link. It’s really interesting stuff! Eating the thing is a bit too much for me!

This actually reminded me of another tradition that exists in Poland. Well, it’s not really a “tradition” but more of a saying. When a person is lucky, they say that they were “born in a bonnet”. The “bonnet” is a membrane that is over the child’s head. Usually, it falls off but, from time to time, it says on.