There is a secret in the Egyptian culture, and it’s not that birth is painful, it’s that these women, when empowered, are very strong. I have been here long enough to know, they can be doctors, musicians, authors, artists and they can do just about anything.
Visit any hospital in Egypt and you will quickly come away with the impression that the Egyptian woman is weak, frail, and has no tolerance for anything beyond the slightest amount of pain. The culture teaches that pain is frightening, and birth is an emergency and because of that, these women no longer trust their bodies to do what they are naturally made to do. That trust has been transferred to a medical system that is built on what will go wrong, and medical care providers no longer learn what it looks like when everything goes according to nature's plan for each baby, and each mother.
Our first Birth Guardian Instructor Program was a huge success! Trainees came, not just from Cairo, but from cities and villages from all over Egypt. The objective is to educate not only the physical aspects of a natural birth, but also how the mother’s emotions and spiritual beliefs impact her ability to trust her instincts to give birth. This new program focuses on certifying Egyptian women to teach other women at their own social level, and in their own language, that they do indeed possess the ability to give birth naturally.
The course involves a 21-hour in-class session as well as 3-6 months of home study in order to pass the exam for certification. In addition, as a Birth Guardian Instructor, each trainee will have access to additional monthly online trainings and weekly in-person workshops.
In a country where the birth surgery rate is above 85 percent, it is critical for this education to be passed on to the next generation. Here are some of the comments from our first group of students:
“You make rapid change in birth culture in Egypt. Like baby growth spurt ☺️”.
- Dr Shahenda. (Family Practice Doctor)
“This was really an informative course, I especially like the interactive and fun way it is presented. Thank you Karen!”
- Dr. Shadia. (Dental Surgeon)
“I was very excited by every word we had discussed in the course .. and I enjoyed the way we were taught ❤️.”
- Nadia (Doula Trainee)
“This course changed the way I see my patients. They are not patients, they are my clients.” - Dr Maryam (OB/GYN Resident)
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