twinsies times two

To have twins twice, none the less on the same day of the year is another fantastic statistic to be a part of. This has only been recorded twice in all of history, both instances happening fairly recently.

Laura Shelley gave birth to twins Melissa and Mark on March 25th, 1990. Then, in 2003, another set of twins Kayla and Jonathon were born, ON MARCH 25TH! That's two sets of twins on the same day of the year.

Caroline Cargado became the second case, with her twins Keilani and Kahleah on May 30th, 1996, then Mikayla and Malia in 2003.

What are the odds? I couldn't find any information about whether the women and their lovers were on fertility drugs, so I'm assuming the phenomenon of twinning occurred naturally, which happens about 15% of the time. Then, they could have had the twins on any of the 365 days of the year. So the chances are 15% of 1 in 365, which is a .041% chance; basically against almost all odds.

in my sleep..

I really want this blog to be about the most interesting, the most memorable, and the most powerful aspects of birth. So, I'm hesitant to include this post, but it was so affecting for me.

The other night I had this dream. I was in a place quite like my room now, with the light all brilliant and warm. I don't know who I was talking to, or maybe I was talking to myself, but I was explaining my hesitation to have children of my own one day. All of the things that are going on in the world are kind of discouraging, and I believe some gnarly things are going to happen in the dim future. This is coming from my most cynical and apocalyptic side, but I do think of it often. Then, after letting me ramble on, getting myself into a horrible tangle, the voice just pauses. Then it says:

YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN ABOUT BRAVERY.

That was it. I woke up, and I still don't know what it means to me. It's true though, and I'm glad I remember now.

part one: where do babies come from?

Duh, doesn't everyone know. Yes, everyone does and they each have their own version of the answer to that mysterious question:

WHERE DO BABIES COME FROM?

Here's part one of the incredibly lengthy list of responses.

The Cuna people of Panama keep children sheltered from sex, telling them instead that babies are found deep in the woods cradled between the velvety horns of a deer. They also elaborate on the mystery of the ocean, saying that dolphins swim to the short and leave babies nestled in the warm sand.

High on the mountain Kilimanjaro, the Chagga are known to tell children that an animal brings the baby as a precious gift to the village. The baby lived in the forest as it grew inside of a beehive, the honey nourishing the little one until it was ready for delivery.

South Pacific Trobriand Islanders don't cloak sex in sweet stories of deer horns or beehives. They know that sex is involved in conception, but only half of the process. The copulation is thought only to prepare for conception. After love making, the woman goes into the ocean and bathes herself with the seaweed that is sacred to her. Only after she has her special salty bath will she possibly be with child.

From the lovely book "Mamatoto" published by Penguin.
There's more where this came from, so get ready to learn every possible place a baby could have come from.

the suckling..

Nursing was once so intimate, a real chance for precious mother-child bonding. From the book "Costume for Births, Marriages and Deaths" by Phillis Cunnington & Catherine Lucas.

a true medical mystery

Long ago, in August 1726, Mary Toft had an unfortunate miscarriage at her home in England. A miracle would change Mary's life the next month when she amazingly gave birth. Not to a child of course, but to a monstrous cat-like birth. Yikes! How could someone have given birth to a mystery cat creature with the spine of an eel? No one could explain it. In October, the first of 17 more animals would be born from Mary. What were these creatures? RABBITS!

Meet Mary Toft: The Girl Who Gave Birth to Rabbits

This is a true story, documented thoroughly by respected physicians sent by King George I. In Mary's time, it was an accepted notion that a woman's environment, or even her imagination if vivid enough, could affect her offspring. Following the suggestion of her neighbors, a woman feeling feverish was holding a toad until it died to rid her of the fever. Her husband "requested" intercourse, and since she was still feverish she held the toad throughout. She then gave birth to a child with the face of a toad. In Mary's case, she claimed to have a recurring dream of being in a field and being approached by a rabbit that she followed but could never catch. "I must have made a burrough in my womb," I imagine her saying, coming off as a completely plausible explanation.

The physicians that came to document these miraculous births would observe that Mary was not with child, and when examining her closely, that she had not placed the rabbits inside herself. Mary would then cry out with pain and unbelievably birth a small rabbit. Her husband Joshua and neighbor Mary Gill were always present, being sure that the newly famed Mary was always receiving proper care. News of the extraordinary births spread throughout the town and many physicians were called to authenticate the claim.

Sir Richard Manningham was one of these doctors, and one of few skeptics of Mary's scandalous story. She was forced into isolation to be closely observed with no possibility of an assistant to sneak the rabbits in. After giving birth to 17 rabbits, when Mary entered isolation the births suddenly stopped. Sir Manningham promptly wrote a pamphlet titled, "An Exact Diary of What Was Observed Upon Close Attendance of Mary Toft, The Pretended Rabbit Breeder...". Mary was pressured to confess and eventually stated that it was her neighbor Mary Gill's idea. The Mary's got together and formulated the scam as a way to make enough money to live lavishly forever. Joshua was providing the rabbits, which many true rabbit breeders in the town admitted to later. Mary Toft would then kill the small rabbits, and in a savage and embarrassing act, secretly insert them into herself to "birth" moments later.

Mary was the hottest topic of the time, and even after her confession some physicians and most townsfolk believed the story to be true. The pamphlets are now collectors items, worth all the money Mary dreamed of. Imagine Paris Hilton going through such great measures to be gossiped about.... oh wait, isn't Nicole Ritchie pregnant??!

Read the Book: "The Girl Who Gave Birth to Rabbits" by Clifford A. Pickover (a self-proclaimed polymath....)

SUPER TUESDAYS!

It being Tuesday, you should know this baffling fact:

On average, there are 16% more births on Tuesdays than any other day of the week!

Why is this? Most scheduled caesarian sections are done on Tuesdays and the most spontaneous births also occur on this day. There's no particular reason for scheduling c-sections on Tuesdays, except for the contract signed by all obstetricians when they are licensed. It states:

In order to maintain the glorious statistic known as,
"SUPER TUESDAY"
all caesarian sections are to be scheduled on Tuesdays.

the very first...

I think it's most fitting to start with the fantastic legend of Agnodice. Though it is largely doubted and little known, the legend was once relied upon by women who were forbidden to enter the medical profession. Here's the story:

In the 4th Century BCE there lived a woman named Agnodice who wished to practice medicine in Greece. All females and slaves were never permitted to legally hold this position, but Agnodice had such a strong desire that she found a way around the law. By cutting her hair and wearing men's clothing she fooled the well known doctor Herophilus and went about her training. One day, she heard the moans of a woman in labor. When Agnodice approached, she was told to leave her be because she appeared to be a man. Agnodice knew she could help if she could only prove she was a woman too, so she lifted her garments. The woman then let the new doctor catch her baby, and with great success. Agnodice soon became well known amongst the women of Greece because of her tender ways and understanding. Her acclaim brought her much attention from the other doctors of Greece. Out of suspicion and jealousy, they accused her of seducing patients and took her to court. At the trial, many women who Agnodice had treated came to offer support. They spoke the truth about Agnodice and said they would choose her above any male doctor to treat them. Because of the overwhelming consensus of the women, the courts amended the law and allowed females to become medical doctors. Agnodice was then known as the first female doctor, specifically a midwife.

Hooray! Except, the legend is now thought to be false. The only account is based on the writings of Hyginus, and there are discrepancies about the facts. But, it's a lovely legend all the same and has allowed many women since enter the medical field.

yes!

This page is devoted to all things related to
:::BIRTH:::

rites
rituals
legends
histories
facts
fables

Because once, you were born too.