Midwife Clinic

The most recent field trip with my school was to a midwife clinic in a small mountain village outside of Xela. The women who ran the center have been midwives for over 25 years and still practice traditional Mayan prenatal, birthing and postnatal techniques. They explained how it is so important for Mayan women to be able to give birth in this way, because hospital births can be impersonal and culturally insensitive. With the help of a midwife association in the United States, the women (who volunteer their services) were able to obtain their own building, equipped with several birthing rooms and a garden to grow the various herbs they use. One of the neatest parts of the house was a earthen sauna. After giving birth, the mother receives a massage in the sauna as part of the healing process. It really reminded me of the Native American sweat lodge, which is often compared to the womb of the earth.

At times it has been hard to be a woman down here. However, this day I felt so lucky and proud to be a woman. I felt great respect for the midwives and a renewed sense of awe and wonder for sacred ability to bring forth life into this crazy, but beautiful world.