Wednesday, August 10th we had a conference with a comadrona, or a midwife.
The woman, whose name I could not understand, has been doing this type of work for 26 years. A soft spoken woman, she is part of a group of 60 other women who are also midwives. The women are not educated (simply know how to read and write) but their customs have been passed down through the years. She said that everything can be done by the hands and eyes, and that in reality each day of work is school.
The work of a comadrona begins when young women have problems with beginning menstruation. Whether they are early or late, people in the community will come to her to ask why and see if there is a problem they can fix. When women miss a cycle, they come to her to see if they are pregnant. She described certain signs that demonstrate to her that a woman is in fact pregnant.
A comadrona will stay in touch with a pregnant women as she develops, but the real work begins at 7 months. At this time, the position of the baby is determined. If the head is not facing downward, the comadronas have methods for repositioning the baby. If repositioning cannot occur, the woman must go to the hospital in order to ensure a safe birth (about 80% of births occur in the community with comadrones, the other 20% at the closest hospital).
The woman brought numerous plants to show us the sorts of teas that are made to cure various problems such as urinary infections, hemorrhage, morning sickness, etc. One tea, made of the plant Pinpinella, is used to determine if a woman has begun labor. If pains are felt, the woman will be served this tea. If pain decreases after drinking the tea, the woman has not begun labor. If pain remains the same, labor has started.
After birth, there are customs for both the mother and the baby. The mother receives a special bath to help them relax and produce milk. The bath water is made in advance, with a mixture of around 10 different plants and extremely hot water. There is also a special soap made of ashes, plants and grease (she passed the soap around, and it had a funny look and taste, not exactly something I would run all over my body). The lady demonstrated the massage on Geoff, of all people. It was quite hilarious, especially since the woman and Geoff kept entirely serious faces the entire time.
The baby is given a similar bath, although the water is less hot. Then, the baby is wrapped in a special manner. A blanket is wrapped around the body and over the head, and then crossed in the middle of the chest. This serves to strengthen the neck and back of the baby so that he or she will be able to work well in the future. Another blanket is then wrapped around the body and double folded at the bottom. For girls, this serves as protection so that when she grows, she will have a healthy reproductive system. For males, it serves as a symbol for the baby to grow well and always return home.
After the baby is dressed, there are a couple of other customs. A pen is put in the hand of the baby to pass on successful learning. A piece of money is placed in the other hand to give the baby success and the ability to make money in the future. For women, a weaving object is placed in the hand as well to give the girl the ability to successfully weave clothing. Lastly, a mix of chile powder and salt is placed on the baby’s tongue to keep them from saying bad words as they grow. For some, the baby will be wrapped in a third blanket with the arms pinned next to the body. The idea behind this is that when the children grow into the “terrible twos,” they will not reach for everything.
The conference was really interesting, and I enjoyed learning about the traditions (which are much different than any hospital). But, I think I’ll stick to having any future children in a hospital.
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