Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: motherhood

  • Galactagogues in postpartum rituals

    Puja Persaud True Blue, Grenada, West Indies   Moder ammer sit barn (A mother breastfeeding her child). Painting by Joakim Skovgaard, 1883. Via Wikimedia. Having a baby demands drastic changes in lifestyle, eating habits, and sleeping patterns. Many cultures across the world practice postpartum rituals that “allow the mother to be ‘mothered’,” and help to…

  • The role of lullabies in mother-baby attachment

    Özge Suzan Nursan Çinar Sakarya, Turkey   Lullaby by William-Adolphe Bouguereau. 1875. From Bartoli, Damien & Ross, Frederick C. William Bouguereau: His Life and Works. Via Wikimedia. A lullaby is defined as a sweet, gentle song that is sung to entice a baby to sleep. In Turkish folklore, a mother’s voice is very important for…

  • Obstetrical fistula: A malady hidden by shame

    Layla A. Al-Jailani Yemen   Photo by Kat Jayne on Pexels. Nouria strolls across the kitchen, making lunch for her family as she does every day. Her stride is slightly wobbly, but any observer would think this was a healthy young woman. What they do not see, however, is the hidden anguish, pain, and shame…

  • Swaddling: Forever bound in controversy?

    Jennifer Borst Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia   The Virgin with the Swaddled Child. Albrecht Dürer, German. 1520. As a bleary-eyed new parent, I found myself embracing the quiescence and prolonged slumber swaddling offered my restless and sleepless first-born. Strategic bundling subsequently proved disappointingly ineffective with my second colicky child and unnecessary with my jovial, naturally…

  • La Pieta

    Rachel Fleishman Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States   La Pieta, 1498–1499, Michelangelo, St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City. Via Wikipedia. CC BY 2.5. A mother holds her dead child. His body flops open without resistance, freshly dead. His head is cocked back, shoulder lifted, arms release the last vestige of grip. Her face sullen, her hand beside…

  • A mother and a doctor

    Michelle Kittleson Los Angeles, California, USA   Fourteen years to become a cardiologist: Medical school, residency, fellowship training Is easy, for the resilient — and the optimists. One shift after another can be draining, Though the path is clear and predictable, So the key is stamina, a matter of maintaining. Mother and Child Henry Essenhigh…

  • Ethical dilemmas in surrogacy

    Ragini Kulkarni Maharashtra, India   Photography by tipstimes.com/pregnancy Motherhood is the most beautiful and divine gift to a woman. Every woman has a dream and a natural instinct that she will become a mother and nurture a baby. Unfortunately for some couples fulfilling this dream becomes impossible due to medical reasons. In such cases the…