English is our common language for this course, but as well as the different ways English usage varies in English speaking countries, we don't all necessarily have English as our first language in the first place. We have also all come together from different places and backgrounds, where different ideas co exist. In this section I have brought together a list of common terms and ideas we will be exploring and using throughout the course to help guide us in our understanding. It may evolve and expand but represents my current thinking and language.
General Birth Blueprint Terminology
Birth Blueprint - The map of your Soul's energy in form that is formed during the formative period of time that stretches from your conception to a few weeks after birth. The Birth Blueprint is the term I use to refer to the imprints, patterns and programmes that are formed in this time stage of your life. Mostly in this programme we are focussing on dissolving and undoing the negative impacts of events during this time but the Birth Blueprint will also reveal the strengths and qualities that your Soul brings with it when it incarnates.
Note on the end of the Birth Blueprint Focus
There is an energy shift that happens around 6 weeks after birth that is ritualised in many cultures as the end of the time of adjustment for the mother and marks her return to everyday activities. In the UK, the only vestige of this is seen in the 6 week check up performed by your doctor. I feel that this is the approximate time period for the Soul to come fully into the body and adjust to life here and for the mother and baby to complete that stage of separation. Of course we are dissecting what in reality is an ongoing flow. There are more stages and rites of passage that continue and are also important. However, I feel that they are in another energy category that is outside of the Birth Energy and time period.
Soul - The animating energy that pours into the physical body.
Soul's Pure Essence - This is a term I use often, and is very similar to the concept of the Higher Self. It is really just the Soul still. And as we are always experiencing our Soul through our human filter and any activated imprints, this can sometimes warp our perception of who we are. Connecting and reconnecting with our Soul's Pure Essence, helps to remind us we are not the imprints and habits that we are used to. It gives us a greater clarity, a sense of our innate wisdom and energy that wants to come through.
Although it is very similar to eliciting the Higher Self, when I connect to my Soul's Pure Essence, that elicits a more embodied direct sense of the energy pouring through me without engaging any leftover hierarchical type thinking. ( see note below)
Higher Self and a note on hierarchy- The higher Self is generally interchangeable with the Soul and is a useful concept for connecting to an energy greater than the everyday self who may be operating with many outdated programmes and imprints. And due to our current society with its in built power imbalances and competitive nature we can find ourselves transposing that onto our ideas of who we are in relation to our Higher Self. Something like, if that is our Higher Self out there then we must be the lower self down here. This can lead to us feeling lesser than in comparison. In my work I am aiming for us to step out of hierarchical, better than thinking completely. And in this vision Higher Self is not better than or even more wise or valid than the everyday human self. Your Higher Self is a good source of wisdom and alternative perspectives though. And I am often will speak of connecting with the Soul's Pure Essence and bringing that energy forwards as this not elicit hierarchy in me.
The Human You - The combination of your Soul energy housed in your physical body creating the everyday you that you know in the physical form that lives on the planet in the physical plane. I see the human you with your personality, quirks, likes, dislikes, aspirations, as equally valuable as the Soul
Liminal - We are often working in liminal spaces and energy fields in this work. Liminal means occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold. It also relates to a transitional or initial stage of a process. In this work the liminal energy of creation often feels to me as very slow, deep and wise. It has a great vastness that you might equate with the energy of a Creator or God , depending on your beliefs. It is a quiet but very powerful space of creation.
Terminology of Birth Processes
Processes and instruments used in labour.
Induction of Labour ( IOL) This is the artificial stimulation of uterine contractions to initiate labour before it starts on its own. It is intended to be used when the risks of continuing the pregnancy outweigh the benefits, but the current rates far outweigh the World Health Organisation recommendations for levels at which the risks of the procedure are greater than the benefits. In addition statistics often only include formal methods of induction and exclude both sweeps and augmentation of labour. Formal Induction ( and sweeps) are often the first step in the classic ‘cascade of interventions that leads to a caesarean section.
- Membrane Sweep-A midwife or doctor sweeps a finger around the cervix to separate the amniotic sac from it, releasing prostaglandins that encourage labour within 48 hours. This is so common nowadays, it is ubiquitous. It is often done to try to avoid formal induction. This is currently being ‘offered’ to almost all women at 39 weeks in the UK!
- Cervical ripening agents to soften the cervix and stimulate contractions.
This is primarily with the application of prostoglandins via a gel or pessary. These can cause uterine hyperstimulation. This means more painful, powerful and more frequent contractions which can distress baby. Consequently induction also necessitates more monitoring and usually more pain relief. It often leads to a ‘cascade of interventions’ culminating in caesarean section. - Mechanical methods can also be used.
- 1.balloon catheters, essentially a balloon on the end of a stick that is inserted and left in the vagina for up to 24 hours ( Cook’s balloon and Foley’s bulb)
- 2/ Osmotic dilators- These are rods such as the Dilapan-s Rod that are inserted and absorb fluid from the cervix expanding up to 14 mm over 12 hours. The aim is for enough dilation to happen so they can artificially break your waters.
- ‘Natural’ Methods. There are many other methods with various efficacy that are used outside the medical system including acupuncture, herbal teas, eating curry, nipple stimulation, sex.
Augmentation of Labour-Methods to restart or speed up a stalled labour.
ARM - Artificial Rupture of Membranes, or breaking your waters using a small hook.
IV drip – synthetic oxytocin (often referred to by the brand name Pitocin/Syntocinin) is administered to stimulate contractions. The dose is gradually increased whilst monitoring the strength and frequency of contractions. As the resulting contractions can feel more intense and faster than natural ones, there is a higher likelihood both of stress for the baby and pain relief needed for the mother. The continuous monitoring can also restrict movement.
Heart Rate Monitoring
Intermittent Auscultation- This is listening into the baby’s heart using a hand held device at intervals during labour.
- Pinard/Fetoscope. The traditional pinard is a wooden or metal trumpet called a which amplifies the heart beat The modern fetoscope has additional chest piece with ear tubes that resembles more the stethoscope and is easier to hold. to the heart beat. Both allow the midwife to listen directly to the babies heart beat.
- Doppler- This is an ultra sound device that woks by sending high frequency sound waves through the abdomen that reflect off the baby’s heart and translate movement into audible sound. In other words you are listening to an ‘echo’ rather than the actual heart beat.
Continuous Auscultation- Mother and baby are hooked up to electronic systems that continuously monitor their well being.
- Electronic Foetal Monitoring. (EFM) using cardiotography (CTG) This measures the baby’s heart rate against contractions. The monitoring is usually external with two pads being strapped by an elastic belt to the mother’s abdomen. The belt is attached to the machine which gives a print out of the heart rate over time.
- Foetal Electrode In some circumstances the monitoring happens internally using a foetal electrode- a hook that is screwed into the scalp of the baby. CTG monitoring can restrict the mother’s movement and position and limit her use of a birth pool.
Pain Relief
Contractions can be intense, particularly if artificially induced or augmented. Natural methods of pain relief include the use of water in birth pools, massage and hand pressure, and hypnobirthing relaxation tracks. These are all highly effective without the side effects of chemical methods of pain relief.
Tens machine. works by sending small, safe electrical impulses through sticky pads placed on the back to stimulate nerves and reduce pain signals sent to the brain. It acts by releasing natural endorphins, offering a tingling sensation for distraction, and providing the user with control over intensity via a handheld unit
Pharmacological Methods-in order of strength/impact.
- Gas and Air Entonox or laughing gas, is a popular, self-administered pain relief option during labour consisting of 50% nitrous oxide and 50% oxygen. It is inhaled through a mouthpiece or mask during contractions to reduce pain and anxiety, It can cause temporary dizziness or drowsiness, dry mouth or nausea. It generally takes the edge off the pain with a calming effect. It crosses the placenta but wears off very quickly for both mother and baby.
- Pethidine is a strong opioid injection, sometimes called meperidine (mainly in the USA), used in early labour to reduce pain and aid relaxation. Injected into the thigh or buttock, it takes 20–30 minutes to work and lasts 2–4 hours. It helps women feel calmer, more detached from contractions and can make you drowsy. It readily crosses the placenta to the baby and is not recommended to be given if birth is imminent and expected within 4 hours as it can make the baby sleepy and make it harder to initiate breastfeeding and experience other respiratory difficulties helping women feel calmer and more detached from contractions It can remain in the baby's system for up to 72 hours due to an immature liver.
- Epidural. This is a strong regional anaesthetic used to block pain signals from the lower spine. A small catheter is inserted in the spine and continuous medication can be applied that way. It numbs the abdomen and birth canal so that the mother can no longer feel pain from the contractions whilst remaining awake, However it is usually not possible to walk with an epidural and therefore active birth positions become harder and most women stay on the bed once they have received an epidural. The medications cross the placenta but in smaller amounts that with the pethidine injection as it is injected into the spine and not the bloodstream directly.
- General Anaesthetic –used rarely in severe complications or when there are conditions that mean local anaesthesia is not possible such as certain clotting disorders.
Twilight Birth -This was an early 20th-century obstetric method of pain relief that combined scopolamine and morphine to produce a state of drowsiness and amnesia during childbirth. Although the women remained conscious and could still feel some pain, they would suffer from amnesia which was the main goal. Ironically it required a dark, quiet room to be effective. It was highly controversial as the side effects included a slower pulse, prolonged labour, delirium, hallucinations and often required women to be strapped down to prevent them from harming themselves. There was also a risk of suffocation for the baby. The women could usually no longer push and so the babies would need forceps to be born.
Vaginal Birth Aids
Forceps-These are metal spoon like tweezer type instrument that are placed on babies head and gentle traction is applied to pull the baby out. They are usually used during the pushing stage to avoid a caesarean section.
Ventouse-is a suction device that applies a plastic or metal cup to the babies head and uses vacuum extraction to deliver the baby.
Episiostomy This is a surgical incision to the perineum – the tissue between the vaginal opening and the anus. It is performed to widen the vaginal opening for birth in an emergency and is usually used when forceps or ventouse are being used. Both the skin and muscle of the perineum are cut. It is repaired with stitches after birth.
Caesarean Section-a surgical procedure to extract the baby through incisions made in the mother’s abdomen and uterus.
Terminology related to the Umbilical Cord
Nuchal Cord - The technical term for when the cord is looped around the baby's neck at birth.
Cord Clamping. - In Hospitals in the UK and most of Western world there is a plastic clamp that is applied to the cord to prevent bleeding and to prevent infections from entering.
Delayed Cord Clamping - waiting for a specified amount of time before cutting and clamping the cord. The specified time ranges from commonly one or three minutes and up to five minutes in most hospital protocols. Any time is better than no time but this is not the full amount of time needed for all the blood to return to the baby.
Optimal Cord Clamping - is usually what is meant when people say wait for white. In this practice you wait for the cord to stop pulsing when you know no more blood transfer is taking place.
Lotus Birth
The practice of keeping the cord attached to the placenta until the cord falls off by itself. This takes between 3 to 10 days and so during that time the placenta is treated with preserving herbs and salts.
Cord Ties - Many people make their own cord ties to complete their own ritual.
Cord Burning - This is another way to ritually cut the cord rather than scissors and is used in some cultures. The cord is burnt through with a candle.
Photo by Andres Siimon on Unsplash