Birthing Experiences: At Home and Around the World

A Birthing Experience From Home:
My own personal birth was something that you would "expect" to hear from a child born in Kansas.  I was born on the 13th of April during a tornado.  Although it would be funny to say I was born on Friday the 13th, I wasn't.....but being born on the 3rd floor of a hospital that is being evacuated because of a tornado does give me a story to tell!  :)  My birth was a common western society birth with my mothers giving birth by a c-section.  My father was not present because he was out of town on a golfing trip, which he will always be given a hard time for.  There were no complications with my mother's pregnancy and my birth.  I was a healthy baby girl!

Two of my three sons were born in Hawaii, where my husband and I lived for almost 9 years.  My last pregnancy was a difficult high risk pregnancy which required me to be on bed rest for the last 5 months of the pregnancy.  I was surrounded by my "local" family in Hawaii and my biological family helped me in every way they possibly could from the mainland.  I share this birthing experience because I used a tradition that was common practice in Hawaii and still is.  During a pregnancy (Hawaiian tradition), it is forbidden to wear anything around your neck, including leis, because it is thought to have a connection to the umbilical cord wrapping around a fetus' neck.  My son was born by emergency c-section 3 weeks early as I was and came out perfectly healthy.  I believe that our children will come when they are ready: whether we are ready or not!

A Birthing Experience From A Different Culture:

I hope that I am not stepping too far out of bounds with this assignment, but I felt that the birthing rituals with one of our own country was well worth our time and attention.  If anyone has lived in Hawaii and experienced the native Hawaiian cultures, then you will know that it is like living in a completely different country  I chose Hawaii as the place to look at native or different birthing experiences, because I have fallen in love with the traditional Hawaiian culture.  I lived in Hawaii for almost 9 years and I learned so much about the traditional and native Hawaiian culture that is so far from the western ways of the United States.  While many of the western styles of births are adopted in Hawaii, there are still some very sacred traditions that are present in tradition Hawaiian births.  The following information came from  http://www.hawcc.hawaii.edu/nursing/RNHawaiian_06.htm.

Some Hawaiian traditions that are still widely practiced in modern times are:

•   Pregnant women are forbidden to wear leis because it is believed that if they wear one, the umbilical cord will wrap around the fetus’ neck.
•   Hawaiian names are often given by a family member who has had a dream about the baby.
•   When the umbilical cord falls off, it is often buried, placed under a chosen rock,, or dropped under the ocean to prevent harm and promote health and longevity to the baby.
•   With some Hawaiian women, it is considered embarrassing to vocalize pain while in the throes of labor.

I found an article that was fascinating about Hawaiian royal births.  I hope that you enjoy the following article by Steven Scott, written on August 8, 2009 and retrieved from the following website:

http://www.examiner.com/travel-in-honolulu/hawaiian-women-gave-birth-on-stones-lahaina-maui-hawaii.

Hawaiian women gave birth on stones in Lahaina, Maui Hawaii

Early Hawaiian Women Gave Birth On Stone In Lahaina Town

To the side of the crowded and busy Lahaina Harbor, sits one of the most sacred stones on the Hawaiian ‘isle of Mau’i -- the Hauola Stone. Loosely translated in English, Hauola means "to extend life and health" and it was used primarily as a birthing stone.

In the early 1400’s, the Hawaiian monarch came to Lahaina on the west side of Maui for the consistently warm air and water near the shoreline. In fact for a short time, Lahaina was the capital of the Hawaiian islands during the Kamehamea reign, and the Hauola Stone was used for birthing by the ali’i (royalty).

The Hauola Stone resembles a chair with a short back, and it’s easy to see by the smoothness of the seat that hundreds of births occurred here when the royal women were ready to give birth. Her royal attendants would line both sides of the stone-like chair, and men with various titles of royalty would also attend to offer their encouragement and chants of support.

A child born on the ancient and spiritual Hauola Birthing Stone would gain instant royalty status, as well as immediate status as a potential leader of the Hawaiian people. It often was referred to as being "born into the purple", which meant the child was born into royalty since purple was a symbol of the ali’i. According to legend, the child would also receive divine power and skills to be used as a fearless leader for the people of a particular Hawaiian island.

Interestingly, when a child was born at the Hauola Birthing tone, the umbilical cords of the newborn child were immediately removed from the site and buried in a well-hidden site that was a secret known by only a few Hawaiians. Rocks were stacked to keep the rats away from the cord. Hawaiian legends said that if rats ate the cord – Pau Piko Ka Iole -- the child would be a disgrace to the royal parents.

Every woman of royal blood was required to move quickly to the Royal Birthing Stone when about to give birth, or the woman would forfeit the royal privileges of her expected offspring. No woman of royalty would dare give birth in a less sacred place, and each Hawaiian island in the 1,500 island chain often had a stone for royal births.

Royal Birthing Stones were often kapu (forbidden) when a birthing was not taking place, and the site was maintained by the High Priest of the island as his spiritual headquarters. The priest was often a descendent of the chief’s family and was a powerful leader with a wide range of influence and authority among the early Hawaiians.

Because the Hauola Stone is in a rocky area near the shoreline, it was also often used as a healing stone. In fact, in more recent times the Hauola Stone was used by those with various illnesses and sickness as it sits where fresh water from the nearby West Mau’i Mountains runs down the hillside and mixes with the salt water of the ocean. As waves washed over the person sitting in the seat, ceremonial prayers were chanted asking for health to be regained and the person renewed.