This is the quilt Great-Grandma Patsy made for Oliver
Aunt Amanda
11 years ago
Monday, December 10, 2007
Destined for Greatness?
When I was in labor with Oliver my water never broke and he was actually born totally encased in the amniotic sac. I wondered about this phenomenon and how often it happened. Here's what I found on wikipedia:
To be "born in the caul" simply means a child is born with the amnion, or amniotic sac intact around a newborns' body. The amniotic sac (also known as the bag of waters,) separates from the membranes of the uterus in this case, and balloons out of the mother's vagina, covering the baby's face and body as he or she emerges from the vagina. The baby is in no danger of drowning, since he or she will not take a breath until his or her face is out of the fluid which is also still contained in the caul. Even if the newborn does gasp as he or she emerges, as long as the placenta is still intact inside the mother, s/he will be getting oxygen from that. Even so, most people in the medical field feel that allowing babies to be born in the caul is dangerous, and prefer to break the bag of waters if it doesn't rupture spontaneously, at some point during labor. The caul is harmless and is easily removed by the doctor, midwife, or person(s) attending the childbirth. A child born in this way is known as a caulbearer.
Professor and Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Medical College of Wisconsin states that being born with or in a caul is rare, probably occurring in fewer than 1 in 1000 births, and that he has seen fewer than 10 babies with a caul over the life of his career. He says that it is usually present only in premature babies. Midwives are more likely to allow babies to be born in the caul, as they perceive birth as a natural and safe event, and know that the baby is likely to be calm and not gasp for breath until the caul is removed, especially in a biodynamic birth. Some midwives believe allowing children to be born in the caul has spiritual significance; others simply think nature should be allowed to unfold as necessary.
In medieval times the appearance of a caul on a newborn baby was seen as a sign of good luck. It was considered an omen that the child was destined for greatness. Gathering the caul onto paper was considered an important tradition of childbirth: the midwife would rub a sheet of paper across the baby's head and face, pressing the material of the caul onto the paper. The caul would then be presented to the mother, to be kept as an heirloom.
Over the course of European history, a popular legend developed suggesting that possession of a baby's caul would give its bearer good luck and protect that person from death by drowning. Cauls were therefore highly prized by sailors. Medieval women often sold these cauls to sailors for large sums of money; a caul was regarded as a valuable talisman. Other legends also developed. One popular legend went that a caulbearer would be able to see the future or have dreams that come to pass.
Negative associations with the birth caul are rare, but in several European countries a child being born with a caul was a sign that the child may become a vampire. As a preventative measure, the caul was removed before the child was able to eat any of it, and then it was destroyed.
The most common portent of good luck in recent centuries is that the baby born with a caul will never drown, the second most common myth is from Scotland and that believes the child will be fey, or psychic. Another British meaning is that the child will travel its entire life and never tire.
Also an important myth hails from ancient Egypt, and that story claims the newborn baby is destined for the cult of Isis, again a mystically inclined fate.
To be "born in the caul" simply means a child is born with the amnion, or amniotic sac intact around a newborns' body. The amniotic sac (also known as the bag of waters,) separates from the membranes of the uterus in this case, and balloons out of the mother's vagina, covering the baby's face and body as he or she emerges from the vagina. The baby is in no danger of drowning, since he or she will not take a breath until his or her face is out of the fluid which is also still contained in the caul. Even if the newborn does gasp as he or she emerges, as long as the placenta is still intact inside the mother, s/he will be getting oxygen from that. Even so, most people in the medical field feel that allowing babies to be born in the caul is dangerous, and prefer to break the bag of waters if it doesn't rupture spontaneously, at some point during labor. The caul is harmless and is easily removed by the doctor, midwife, or person(s) attending the childbirth. A child born in this way is known as a caulbearer.
Professor and Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Medical College of Wisconsin states that being born with or in a caul is rare, probably occurring in fewer than 1 in 1000 births, and that he has seen fewer than 10 babies with a caul over the life of his career. He says that it is usually present only in premature babies. Midwives are more likely to allow babies to be born in the caul, as they perceive birth as a natural and safe event, and know that the baby is likely to be calm and not gasp for breath until the caul is removed, especially in a biodynamic birth. Some midwives believe allowing children to be born in the caul has spiritual significance; others simply think nature should be allowed to unfold as necessary.
In medieval times the appearance of a caul on a newborn baby was seen as a sign of good luck. It was considered an omen that the child was destined for greatness. Gathering the caul onto paper was considered an important tradition of childbirth: the midwife would rub a sheet of paper across the baby's head and face, pressing the material of the caul onto the paper. The caul would then be presented to the mother, to be kept as an heirloom.
Over the course of European history, a popular legend developed suggesting that possession of a baby's caul would give its bearer good luck and protect that person from death by drowning. Cauls were therefore highly prized by sailors. Medieval women often sold these cauls to sailors for large sums of money; a caul was regarded as a valuable talisman. Other legends also developed. One popular legend went that a caulbearer would be able to see the future or have dreams that come to pass.
Negative associations with the birth caul are rare, but in several European countries a child being born with a caul was a sign that the child may become a vampire. As a preventative measure, the caul was removed before the child was able to eat any of it, and then it was destroyed.
The most common portent of good luck in recent centuries is that the baby born with a caul will never drown, the second most common myth is from Scotland and that believes the child will be fey, or psychic. Another British meaning is that the child will travel its entire life and never tire.
Also an important myth hails from ancient Egypt, and that story claims the newborn baby is destined for the cult of Isis, again a mystically inclined fate.
Monday, December 3, 2007
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