At the birth of my father, Elena Zadik (better known to me as Granny), certainly wasn’t afraid to challenge the medical staff with her progressive approach. But she also felt vulnerable and alone.
My aunt recently stumbled across an article that my grandmother wrote which really hit home for me. I was delighted to find that 78 years before Amma’s conception, my Granny effectively wrote our strapline: ‘It should be a rule that women in labour should not be left alone’. It felt like some sort of ancestral stamp of approval.
Reading the article, we are transported back to a Sheffield labour suite in 1942. My Jewish-Lithuanian grandmother had arrived in the UK, alone, a few years earlier—a 16-year-old refugee from Nazi Germany. We would now call her an unaccompanied asylum-seeking child.
At the age of 23 she was expecting her first child, with the Second World War raging around her and her family unsafe, far away and soon to be taken permanently from her. My Grandfather was supportive but not present during much of the war. She later wrote about the isolation she felt in those times.
Granny dedicated herself to becoming a doctor in the “man’s world” of medicine and her fortitude comes across even in this article written when she was a student. She loved babies and was passionate about birth, but back then it wasn’t possible to specialise as an obstetrician—especially with four children. Instead, she became a GP and also the matriarch of a strong extended family.
A lot has changed and relaxation in labour is no longer such a radical idea, even if the medicalised birthing environment doesn’t ordinarily lend itself to it. I’m sure any hypnobirthing teachers reading this will now be jumping to add ‘ear nose and throat’ textbooks to their resources. While I know that having such a painless and intervention free labour isn’t realistic for everyone, I share many of Granny’s hopes.
Every person should be given the opportunity to relax and trust their body’s natural ability to give birth. No one should have to go through birth alone. People should be believed by medical staff—not thought to be ‘telling stories’. These ideas are at the very core of our work.
My aunts have since told me how Granny was a brilliant ‘mother companion’ for them:
“She stayed with us for three weeks, teaching me gently how to breastfeed and how to bathe and look after [my baby]. She taught me how to get to know him and his needs, while looking after me and making sure I was okay.”
Perhaps Granny could have done with Amma, and perhaps Amma could have done with her.
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Yesterday, the government’s cruel and unworkable Illegal Migration Bill passed its third reading in the House of Commons. It will now go to the House of Lords for consideration, where it, if passed, will become law.
The impact of this Bill is truly horrifying. At Amma, we are deeply concerned about the impact it will have on all people seeking safety, but particularly on pregnant women and their children.
International Women’s Day is an opportunity to honour the experiences and identities of all those who experience oppression under patriarchy — and to talk about the specific injustices faced by women and birthing people. Here at Amma, we believe these conversations shouldn’t take place on just one day a year. So, this International Women’s Day we’re kicking off a three-part series of frank and open discussions focused on the many intersections of reproductive justice.
The famous Kiltwalk is an epic walking event that happens across Scotland throughout the warmer months, the Glasgow event takes place between Glasgow, Clydebank and Loch Lomond, with three distances to choose from – a Kiltwalk to suit everybody!
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