Re: [ozmidwifery] BORN IN CAUL

[Susan Cudlipp]

The first time I birthed a baby in the caul  was funny, the woman was on all fours so I was expecting to see the face first. Out slides this featureless head and my immediate thought was "Oh my God, this baby has no face! What will I say to the parents!" Then I laughed at myself and wiped the caul from the lovely little face.  And that, Jan, is all you do, it's very stretched by then and often breaks soon after the head is born anyway.  There are anecdotal accounts of multiple births at home where each small baby has come out complete in its sack.   There are many beliefs surrounding being born in a caul.  My mother used to tell me I had been born in the caul (at home naturally) and that it meant I would never drown at sea (a reassuring thought!)  She told me that sailors used to prize cauls as powerful tokens of good luck and would buy them from the midwives to guard against drowning. Seems a good enough reason to me to leave things well alone!   I'd better re-introduce myself, my name is Sue and I am a midwife at one of the smaller hospitals in metro.  I used to be on this list and have decided to check back and see what y'all have been up to.  Nice to 'hear' from familiar 'voices' still around.  Hello to Mary and Denise, and others. Regards, Sue ----- Original Message ----- From: Jen Semple To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2004 11:03 AM Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] BORN IN CAUL Hehehe, the obvious question from the midwife student for you wise midwives...   What DO you do?!  :o)   Jen Denise Hynd <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: What a sad/poor reflection of what happens in hospital birth!!  I had not seen or been involved in such until I started attending Homebirths! I remember the first time wsatching inititially wondering what was happening & then my first catch of a baby in the Caul being my own "now what is it I do?" Feeling the head and a hand through the bag!! Denise Find local movie times and trailers on Yahoo! Movies.