Wisdom of the Andes: Exploring Peruvian Andean Midwifery
This past weekend I got to take part in something truly special. Let’s start this story at the beginning!
Months ago, maybe in September or so my friend and fellow Midwife Miriam reached out to me and told me that when she was traveling in South America with her family she met a birth worker that is coming to Europe and that she would love to host her and asked if I wanted help her with this. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but after having a Zoom call I just felt that it was right. So this weekend Raquel Koya came to Malmö and Ayurvediskt center. Please read more about Raquel on her website.
On Saturday she hosted a Cacao Circle. We were only six women, but it was perfect. She had brought this big chunk of cacao that she cut and melted in a pot, mixed with water, honey and chili and let us all be a part in cooking. This cacao came from a friend of hers in the Andes that grows the cacao and harvests it, makes it into bars and chocolate bars. It felt so special to get to taste this specific cacao, to know it’s origin. How often do we not ingest something without knowing where it comes from. Raquel told us about the cacao, what it can be used for, what we should consider when buying cacao, etc.
We all sat down in a circle and had our cacao and Raquel spoke about the work she does with the traditional Midwives in the Andes. She spoke about the alter: Earth - Childhood, Water - Adolescence, Fire - Adulthood, Air - Wisdom. And how this altar is used to work through emotional and spiritual things. Raquel talked about how we are on a journey as birth workers and how important it is for us as people of service to take care of ourselves. This is something I know health care workers fight a bit in Sweden. We don’t want our job as Midwives to be a calling, more than a profession, but I think over time for me I have realized that it truly is. This is more than a job, it’s where I am supposed to be. I also know we as a group are bad at pouring back into ourselves. This is something I have worked on a lot over the last two years, it gets clearer and clearer that I need to do the work for myself to be able to show up for others fully and be present.
One thing that Raquel said that resonated with me was that if you want something to grow you need to let the earth rest a couple of years between farming, if you keep on planting and harvesting on the same patch of land then the land will run out of nutrients. Why did this stick out? Well because I sometimes feel I’m moving too slow through my healing process, and this reminded me that even the earth needs to rest and heal before it can bear fruit again, so do I. I need to be patient with myself.
The next day we started at 9:00 with a room of 11 women (and a baby, so 12, but she’s not a woman yet). Most of us were birth workers and had found our way there for different reasons. Many of us didn’t know for sure what we would receive that day but felt like we wanted to be there. We started with some movement and then sat down to listen to Raquel talk to us about her work and the work of the Midwives she works with. Partera is the Spanish word for Midwife. But the Partera in the Andes is not someone that only attends births, they do so much more, they have knowledge of herbs, the bones, life and death. The traditional Midwives are not supported by the government, and have to work under the radar in a way. When they take on couples that are expecting babies they have a strict plan for them and they need to sign a contract to follow that plan and report often to Raquel and the others to show that they are doing what they are supposed to. There is a plan of prenatal courses, exercise, diet, emotional and spiritual work using the altar of the elements, etc. And the couple has to do everything together. As during the birth it is the woman and man that are present only. The Midwife is close by, but not in the room. Once the baby is born they start the important postpartum care which includes 40 days of rest, special meals, belly binding, etc. I asked Raquel if everyone breastfeeds, the answer is yes.
Before lunch we did a Rebirth Ritual that Raquel guided us through. I don’t know if I fell asleep or if I was just very relaxed at one point, I know this happens for some in my Hypnobirthing group courses as well. But I reminded myself that it all goes into my subconscious. I struggled with some parts of the ritual, and I told myself these are things I need to come back to, heal and release in the future.
Afterwards Anette from ACM had made us an amazing Ayurvedic lunch. I ate more than I have eaten in a while. Some had the leftover cacao from the evening before.
And then we came back into the space to continue. First some movement. We sat down and shared whatever we wanted to share. I told myself it was my time to listen and not speak so much. There were laughs, there were tears, there was relating to each other, it was a beautiful space, very calm yet powerful.
The day flew by! And all of a sudden it was time to say thank you and goodbye. I bought a chocolate bar that I plan to eat on my birthday this year.
Raquel also gave me a gift, Chumpi: it is a belt that protects the belly button (solar plexus chakra in yogic tradition) which represents intuition. During menstruation, pregnancy and postpartum we tend to be more open which is good for creativity and new ideas. If we have a work of service and in general it’s important that we have that area protected as we are also open for other people’s energy. In Quechua we call the belly button area “Qosqo ñawi”. In many traditional outfits around the world belts can be seen. In Latin America and Mexico they are called “fajas”. Once in the while the belt should be smudged or placed outside when there’s a full moon.
On the Monday after I felt very tired, I’m not sure if it is because I was starting to get sick, PMS or the workshop. I took a couple of days to process and just let what I had experienced sink in. Two and a half years ago I attended a three day workshop with Partera Angelina Martinez Miranda. And some of the things she said to us during those days I still think about often. She facilitated so I started letting intuition into my work more, not just into my personal life, and it changed so much for me. A lot of the things Raquel talked about were similar. How there’s this matter of fact way of viewing birth as safe and something the woman should take responsibility for but that the Midwife is there during pregnancy and postpartum as a guide. How there is more to life than what we can see and we should welcome that into our lives. I love how in so many cultures the four elements are so essential. This is what Pia, my reflexologist also talks about. It makes so much sense. Birth and death are the most natural things we experience, and they happen every day. And after attending births I can see that even more clearly, especially in the births when I don’t do much, I mostly hold space and observe. Raquel said that in order to be reborn as a mother you need the version you were before to die. I have heard this about being reborn as a mother before, but without the part of death. But of course, for there to be a rebirth, a new beginning, there must also be a death, a release. I could really feel the power of women in that room. And at one point I looked at the baby that was with us and thought “Wow, she gets to experience this power at four months old, she is going to be unstoppable.” I am so grateful I said yes to being a part of this, it was exactly what I needed in my life right now.
My heart is full.
