Virginia Howes from the Kent midwifery practice has devised a mirror.
It looks like a great idea long, wide angled and not glass. I have lots of trouble with smashing or rusting. I am going to try this out and will be reviewing it once I have used it.
The only thing is the name. The Howes birthing mirror. If I buy one will it be the Barrett birthing mirror or the woman’s birthing mirror? Is that picky on my part or could it have a better name? Like simply “birthing mirror”.
Thanks Virginia for this I hope it is truly successful. As I have said mine is soon to be on its way I hope.
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oh definitely. it SHALL be the Barrett birthing mirror or hows this for radical… The ‘[insert mothers name] birthing mirror’
Is the mirror angled or is that just the picture? I can’t really think of how that angle might benefit mom and it seems like it would be hard to pack.
I think it’s angled. I think that would be quite handy to have the angle in the water when the woman is leaning forward. What do you mean hard to pack? I have a box of linen It would be easy to put in with linen around it. That’s how I carry my current mirror.
Hi Lisa
I don't use mirrors at all. I think they are one of those active childbirth gadgets from the 70s and 80s that we should move on from.
My reason for this belief is very personal. When I was giving birth to my first 3 children (in 73,75, &77), I lived in Michigan USA. I was put on a 'delivery table' in an operating room; my hands were strapped down with velcro so that I wouldn't contaminate a sterile field (as if there was one!), and someone held a mirror so that I could see how I was going once the head was on view. And I pushed with all my (considerable) might, and tore my perineum – as you do.
This was a shock to me at the time (I had recently graduated as a midwife, so of course I had held mirrors too). It requires complex neocortical brain activity, as you become aware of the reverse image a mirror gives. The very part of the brain that needs to be kept quiet is stimulated. If people really want to use mirrors they should try using them while the engage in other activities in the generative region, and see what happens.
I now encourage mothers to put their hand on their baby to gauge how much head is there, and just how much push they need to keep the baby moving. I think if we were meant to see our births we would have been made with extendable eyes or something like that. Joy Johnston
Joy, I often use a mirror for photographs especially if it’s dark which most are, the flash reflects in a way that can get a great shot in the water. Lots of women I birth with want pictures of their birth. In the dark or with a small red light you cant really see, so instead of a direct shot a mirror shot is often better. Although Now I have an underwater camera that may be different.
I don’t use a mirror for them to see unless they really want to. You are right their own hand and mind are their best tool