Page 41 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 22

Health & Healing

you see the hospitals are for people necologist has made the right So, man has really tied himself
who are sick, being worked on so call and it must be urgent, up in some knots. By contrast,
they are sent home well. Now you but what I’m hearing you say what is it like in traditional
have a well person who has come is that there is a natural se- Afrikan ways?
to do another well thing and will quence to birthing that the That’s a good one because it
leave well, but is caught between the expediency and efficiency of reminds me of many of my grand-
speed and time and medicine and the hospital doesn’t always… mother’s stories. My grandmother
drugs that somebody needing sur- used to help women give birth
gery or has malaria or covid is going …accredit that. Because of time. and because I was very curious, I
through. So, unfortunately, to work remember going with her once, and
with the speed and time, which I Natural birth is like anything else I think that was my first homebirth,
think is what takes childbirth down- that is natural: rain, sun. It is very and I was really curious about how
hill, because medicine and surgery time unlimited. When it starts to did they do it traditionally. I was
has to come in to actually help catch rain, we can’t stand in two minutes born at Kenyatta National Hospital
up with the speed that is needed for and say, “Okay, stop, time’s up, now so my mom has no story of home-
childbirth, every intervention you shine.” Natural birth tends to be like births. I’m sure even today she keeps
find tends to come because of the that so, there’s no way of telling how wondering, “What exactly are you
time element. There are, and being a long it’s going to take, that’s one, but doing?” But my grandmother gave
health worker, I have to say that yes even before that, the biggest pres- birth to her children at home, she
there are situations that really need sure is that birth outcomes are as helped women give birth at home
medical attention as far as childbirth many as we are in the world, nobody so some of her stories were “This is
goes, but they are not as many as the was born in the same way as the normal, we just go, we boil water we
ones we get caught up in because other. So, imagine we’re sitting there make sure she’s eating, she’s moving
of time. It seems like “Oh, your waiting for Lucy to unleash another around, she gives birth. You know,
baby is 3 days past the expected due new style that is the 7 million and sometimes she even gives birth in
date so let’s induce you.” “Oh, this something design? That’s a bit chal- the shamba (the farm), because we
baby is bigger than we thought let’s lenging for an institution that has were in the shamba.” So, there were
remove them because they’ll just policies procedures and a plan. So, stories like those.
become bigger tomorrow.” “This it’s like we take the scripts and say,
labor has taken too long; you’ve “Okay, Lucy has had three babies, so Which really led me into a path to
been in and out of contractions for this is her fourth one. So, technically, seek a lot of information about how
two days let’s give you something in three hours if this baby is not out people give birth in Kenya, which
to hasten it.” “Okay, you can’t push something is wrong.” So, we put her led me to realize we are Afrikans
very well, let’s pull the baby for you in that class. “She’s been carrying – not that I doubted it – we really
or let’s cut you.” “This isn’t working babies past her due date all the time, take this thing as a rite of passage
let’s take you in for a c-section.” so it’s okay she can go past her due and a lot of our cultures had this
“We did a scan, there’s cord round date, but because she can carry till celebratory kind of function. It was
the neck we can’t afford to have you 42 weeks let’s stop it at some point very amazing to realize that it was
go through labor let’s induce you or because if we let her, she will be 43 a party. Someone is in labor that’s
let’s do a c-section.” weeks, 44 weeks pregnant.” So, there where we are all having dinner, or
There are all those little things that are all these scripts that are put also is it breakfast? And women would
come in, which in all fairness are because science tells us to always rally around, bring water, bring
not necessary, so that’s why I keep assume if something happens to firewood, bring food. The men
saying yes, there are those necessary one human being it will happen to would come and sit at a corner
ones but if we stayed to just the another. So, if it wasn’t a positive with the man waiting for his son or
very necessary without feeling limit- thing you want to take charge and daughter to be born and of course,
ed to time and pushed by it, then we stop it, so that’s the reason why a there were the traditional midwives
would have a lot less interventions lot of interventions keep coming in who initially it was a vocation, they
happening even within our hospitals. because one, we can’t control what’s were just women who felt the need
happening, and secondly, all that is
Wow, and people don’t actu- happening needs to be in a con- to support other women. And
just thinking about the history of
ally know this because they tained sort of structure to avoid the midwifery, that’s probably how it
questions that may arise later.
trust that the obstetrician-gy- started and so traditionally you’d

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