My First Home Birth

I recently had the opportunity to attend a totally natural, home birth as a doula. It was an extraordinary experience and still a novel one to me. The mum was a true inspiration to watch and a testament to what we are still capable of if we choose to take on that responsibility. To see a child come into this world by candlelight - from inside another human being is completely and utterly mind-blowing.

I feel like I walk a little lighter now, like I've been humbled by the power of nature.

One cannot doubt the essential connection between man and nature, but it is easy to lose sight of in today's modern society. I feel lucky to be a part of these definitive moments that are at the essence of our existence and I feel lucky to be a woman. We are at the roots of it all.

what's in a name?

I have recently and repeatedly found myself involved in a discussion about the naming of women's genitals. The consensus is that the conventional words for "down there", including "down there", are either harshly literal (vagina, crotch), universally offensive (cunt) or avoidant and shy (nether regions, private parts, did I mention "down there"). Allow me to shed some more light on a couple of those terms:

[krotch]: a forking or place of forking, as of the human body between the legs.
[neth.er re.gions]: the lowest or furthest parts of a place, esp. with allusion to hell or the underworld.

I think you see where I am going with this...it's time to get some tips to name our lips! Women tend to lean towards choosing names of flowers or fruits. Coincidently, flowers are the sex organs of plants ;) In fact, in botany, [va.gi.na] means the sheath formed by the basal part of certain leaves where they embrace the stem. Not bad ;)

The objective: to find a word that rolls off the tongue, is short (two syllables max) and sweet, not too literal and sounds sexy at the right times. Hmmm...

The results: This is what some women have come up with...
- clove
- tulip
- place
- weave
- almond
- peach
- bouche (you got it...accent on that last e)

I'm interested in taking this discussion to the next level, which means (a) unleashing it onto the world wide web and (b) asking a lot more women to get involved (feedback on successes or failures of attempting to implement said words are most definitely welcome).

"Maternal Mortality: Why it's a crisis"

From Saturday's Globe and Mail Published on Friday, Jan. 29, 2010.

Worth a read. 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/maternal-mortality-brwhy-its-a-crisis/article1449826/