Tag: birth

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Women Related Happenings

Midwifery & Birth Conference 2017

In 2017 I was approached to document the Midwifery and Birth Conference hosted in Observatory, Cape Town by founders Ruth Ehrhardt, Lana Peterson, Gauri Lowe, Melinda Rollinson, Marianne Littlejohn and Sarah Meder.


The event, which was founded in 2013, has been incredibly successful in uniting a community of both public and private sector nurses, doctors, midwives, doulas and other folk in the midwifery and birth industry in South Africa.

You can find the interviews and presentations which were held at the event on their YouTube channel here.

A bit about the event, text from their facebook page:

Our main goal is to promote sharing and collaboration between birth professionals and the women they serve. Our aim with the yearly conference is to provide a platform on which both birth professionals, mothers and fathers can all come together to discuss and debate relevant topics.

We hope that this space will provide fertile ground to inspire and create change in the South African culture of birth – whether encouraging more individuals to become caring, compassionate Doctors and Midwives, to helping find solutions to the deep crises in government maternity care, or to help mothers and fathers find their voice in decisions made at the highest levels.

You can find their Facebook page for more info here.

Categories
Women I've Shot

Birth: This is Birgit’s Story
The Birth of Dylan, 21 March 2016

I arrived just after midnight, a dimly lit labour room at Vincent Palloti Hospital. Midwife and doula quietly present either in the labour room or just outside making detailed notes of each stage of Birgit’s labour.  

Stepping into the labour room as quietly as possible, the air felt thick and Birgit was lying like a reclined nude in a Renaissance painting in the water of the tub with her partner by her side.  I know she had been in labour for long already and she was starting to get tired. Hours passed and she moved around the space slowly.

I went home briefly and then returned to the hospital where she had agreed to take an epidural, then rest a bit and then go into theatre for a Caesarian. The doctor who was on standby for epdiurals was unreachable and arrived with an arrogant attitude, disrespecting both the staff and the birthing space. The entire environment went form an internal space to a clinical and fluorescent environment. Long needles, graphs, masks.

The edpidural must have been a relief but she later told me how she felt guilty that her baby was then left alone in the birthing process.

Early morning and the bed was wheeled into the operating theatre; white, green, blue and silver environment, prepared with staff waiting.

After the first few cuts through her abdominal tissue Dylan emerged like a little warrior, frowning, fierce and brave with his little chest proud and strong as he came out of his Moms tummy, absolutely perfect!

The surroundings at that moment faded away and only his little body and all the natural colours of birth become visible for those moments.

Categories
Interviews & Conversations Projects Women I've Shot

Positive Birth in South Africa: This is Tarryn Walton


The Gate-Keepers: A Portraiture Project

This is a portraiture project, documenting the “gatekeepers” of a growing movement regarding positive birth experiences in our country.  My aim: to promote those who are enabling women to identify with their power and femininity and therefore normalize birth and the body.

These are their stories / anecdotes / opinions about what they do and how they see it…accompanied by my portraits and some general information on each sitter.

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Tarryn Walton has been a professional doula for two years now. She works all over: Northern suburbs, Cape Town central, southern suburbs, Atlantic seaboard.
Tarryn is a  Satyananda yoga teacher and specialises in prenatal yoga as well.
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Tarryn Walton Doula South Africa photographed by Leah Hawker

Giving birth to three children in the UK, has highlighted the stark difference between South Africa and England regarding the approach to childbirth.
My aim is to help educate women in terms of their choices in childbirth, encourage them to believe and trust in their ability to birth their babies with as little interference and medical intervention as possible.
In instances where a non-medicalised birth is not an option, I aim to work with the mother and her family towards optimising the chances of her having a positive experience.
A woman should feel safe, nurtured and empowered throughout pregnancy, labour and birth. She should own the experience and be able to congratulate herself on her achievement.
Helping facilitate this is an honour and a privilege.
• (I invite more participants to join the project, you are welcome to email me for more information).
Categories
Interviews & Conversations Projects Women I've Shot

Positive Birth in South Africa: This is Candice Petersen


The Gate-Keepers: A Portraiture Project

This is a portraiture project, documenting the “gatekeepers” of a growing movement regarding positive birth experiences in our country.  My aim: to promote those who are enabling women to identify with their power and femininity and therefore normalize birth and the body.

These are their stories / anecdotes / opinions about what they do and how they see it…accompanied by my portraits and some general information on each sitter.

–

Candice Petersen is a South African midwife working in the public sector. She’s an advanced midwife with a background in nursing. Candice worked at Mowbray Maternity Hospital for 7.5 years before she moved to Khayelitsha District Hospital where she stayed for 5 months. She is currently working at Mitchell’s Plain District Hospital.

Candice Petersen Midwife South Africa - Photographed by Leah Hawker

My journey to midwifery began after the birth of my daughter nearly 17 years ago. I had a negative experience during my labour. Despite this, the moment i gave birth, I was in awe. It was wonderful. It was then that I decided to become a midwife.

I completed my training as a professional nurse in 2007. I started working at a specialised obstetric hospital in the government sector. Much has changed over the years in this sector with regards to birthing. Most of the old practices have been stopped (shaving, enemas, routine episiotomies, etc). Most hospitals have become more baby and mother friendly.

However, I do still believe that birthing in S.A is largely medicalized. The caesarean section is amongst the highest in the world.

I am still often shocked by the lack of patient care I see around me, the protocols are just something I often can’t agree with,- there is just so much intervention!

It often seems to me that the system is setting patients (in labour) up for failure (caesarean). I have often just felt that patients were being treated like livestock and not people. Each place I have worked at has been quite different, some definitely have much more evident care and compassion for the labouring woman however some facilities are incredibly hard to work at, psychologically…

What it means to me to be a midwife in the dominant world of medicine is to be an advocate for the women who are in my care. To ensure that her experience during labour is positive and without fear, that she may birth as she intends with the least intervention. I have come to experience many times that a softer approach and reassurance to the mom yields far greater results than a strictly clinical approach.

To engage with my patients and gain their trust, to share in their joy, their sorrow and to help to dispel their fears means so much to me.

The statistics I would like to see is a decline in the Caesarean section rate in this country. I believe we can achieve this by adopting more natural approaches to birthing. Women need to be empowered. Empowerment through education. There is too much fear surrounding birth, which in its essence, should be a natural, instinctive and physiological event.

• (I invite more participants to join the project, you are welcome to email me for more information).