Hi Maria - lovely to see you 'on-line'. The book is Pregnancy - the Inside Story, by Joan Raphael-Leff, published by Karnac Books: London & New York (1993) Here is the acrostic with which she begins the book. Enjoy.
Wheels within wheels, wombs within wombs, Oscillating figure/ground perspective turns: Mother-daughter-me: cord-links on a chain. Each uniquely storied Nestling Russian-doll - dowried Sorrow-sweet fruition cursed with Eden-pain. Clocking lunar cycles of bloodshed or gestation Ova ripen, surge and burst In firstfruit tithe. Narrowing, womb-cone of past generation Awaits procreation beyond our grasp. Glistening seeds of Eve's sun-honeyed fig - Eternal fractals on the female tree of life. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nick Ryan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, November 01, 2003 10:39 PM Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] High heads/ pain free ??? > This is my first time on this list, however I to have experienced the > situation of the midwives clinic (Lynne Staff) and the truly petrified > women. The other place I have met these women when they book in at my > hospital where the allocation of time is half an hour, (cant procure any > more funded time from my boss) however by the time these particular women > attempt to debrief from the previous birthing experience and unresolved > breastfeeding experiences, more than their allocated time is gone. All that > happens is, I feel as though I too have let these women down because at > the end of my day I am left with a wad of paperwork to refer women on and > the feeling of frustration. Why cant we meet these somewhere in their lives > between babies so they have psychological healing time? > > Lynne, May I have some more info on the book you are reading Pregnancy - the > inside story? > > Cheers > Maria Ryan > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Lynne Staff" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2003 1:46 PM > Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] High heads/ pain free ??? > > > > Yes it does(the fringe), Sue, and so do the skills which midwives and > > doctors (dare I say it) used to have in being with women who have been > > categorised, standardised, legalised.... > > It does for the women experiencing it too - I am reading an amazing book > at > > the moment called Pregnancy - the Inside Story, and some of the things I > > read in that open my eyes but also break my heart with the fear - no - the > > absolute horror with which more women than we can imagine view their > > pregnancies and their impending (I use the word impending intentionally) > > births and motherhood. Every week in Midwives clinic I sit with at least > two > > women who are still so overcome with horror at the thought of giving > birth, > > it interferes with everything they do and think. And when they describe to > > me what happened to them last time, or what they have heard to make them > > feel that way, I get a sense of something huge that has to be overcome - > > something much bigger than interventions, because it is something that is > in > > women themselves often that keeps the momentum so that all of these things > > which are happening in birth today keep happening. > > > > I remember the wonder and satisfaction I felt when I attended my first > > homebirth where the woman was a primigravida with a 'high head' at term, > and > > how much she taught me. The wonder at her strength - for she had to work > > HARD, the satisfaction that I had come across something (for me) new and > > wondrous - I had never seen it before ( I have seen the longest newborn > > heads at home, and the biggest smiles from women who give birth to these > > babies though!) - women like this one were talked into caesareans even > then, > > and I am talking 20 years ago. The fear that was instilled into them of a > > long hard and very painful labour, ending in a caesarean, when it (the > > labour bit) could be avoided. There are many women who would consider it a > > practical decision to make too. > > > > The lessons I learned at home I could never have learned how and where I > was > > working. The responsibility for my learning and change did not rest just > > with the system, or where I was working, but with me as a midwife. > > > > One of the problems is though, that as midwives, many never get to see > women > > with these unique situations actually giving birth. It's taken away from > > them (women), before they even come close to it. > > > > When I think of the number of Students and Midwives who have never seen > > vaginal breech birth, I am amazed, and frustrated and angry at the fact > that > > they probably never will, unless they go to out of the way places or > > countries, or find the few here that will still "allow" women to birth > > breech babies vaginally, or women, midwives and doctors who know and feel > > comfortable with it. > > A penny for our thoughts.... > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Sue Cookson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2003 10:30 AM > > Subject: [ozmidwifery] High heads/ pain free ??? > > > > > > > Hi all, > > > Just following the drift. > > > High heads at term and pain in labour, c/section for breech, post > dates... > > > Can't help being cynical. > > > > > > Sometimes when you drop in on this childbirth line, it seems that > > everything > > > that once was normal has now been medicalised, pulled apart, reduced > both > > in > > > size and importance and made plainly unreachable by most women. What are > > > some of these parameters we use to judge normality with? > > > > > > What a long way we have stepped into fear and paranoia around childbirth > > in > > > such a short time. Even the last few years have seen a marked difference > > in > > > responses on this line, in my opinion. > > > > > > From a mother of 4 children born at home, including one double footlings > > > breech baby high at term, one to 44 weeks, one pain free childbirth > (just > > a > > > lot of laughing and mucous), and two not attended by anyone apart from > > > family. I guess I was lucky? > > > > > > The fringe (of normal birth) just gets smaller and smaller..... > > > > > > Sue Cookson > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. > > > Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe. > > > > -- > > This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. > > Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe. > > > > > -- > This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. > Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe. -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
