Back to publications.

Book Review:

Smith, Diane with Jagori. BIRTHING with DIGNITY: a guide for training community level midwives and healthworkers. 2004. Jagori, New Delhi, India. www.jagori.org

This beautifully conceived and created book is more than a guide for birth attendants; it is a tribute to the act of creation and our creators - mothers. It comes from a land where women and their role in creating life are devalued and ignored. That birth is an act worthy of dignity should be sung from roof tops of mansions and shacks; this book is the score for that song, a guide for the restoration of the value of women and motherhood.

It is also a guide to a circular journey that led a midwife from a forest glade on a small island off the southwest coast of Canada to a village in India to find a companion who understood her vision: To see women birth in dignity and to uphold the work of the traditional midwife. And so with Abha Bhaiya, her companion, the way was set. Abha is a co- founder of Jagori; a New Delhi based feminist collective, 20 years ago, committed to the spread of feminist ideology to create a just society for women and other marginalized groups. Abha's project at the time was to create a Women's Health Literacy Program that would educationally support the village Dai, the traditional midwife, and preserve and promote traditional and self-help health care. Diane took on the position of conducting trainings for Dais.

This book is the result of that meeting and the commitment of Diane Smith to be open, to listen and to learn from Dais and all Indian women. The book begins with a record of women and birth through art and history from a time then women were honoured and birth was an act of wonder and awe. Currently it is the norm for an Indian village woman to eat last when often food is not left over, and ritually fast for the longevity of the men. This affects not only their health but the health of their children and reflects male attitudes of dominance. Part of honouring women's lives is to increase their self-confidence, their knowledge and understanding of their importance and to empower them to act in their society and to be able to change their degraded status. Health literacy is a vital part of this process.

Much of the book is about the practical care giving journey through conception birth and post-natal care, based on a community village level approach where traditional knowledge are examined, restored and preserved.

The illustrations and photos are clear and detailed; the guide could be used anywhere in the world for helping women. The wisdom of the women who participated in the workshops that provide the basis of this work is carefully documented. All the basic information about pregnancy, gestation and birth as well as outlined care instructions will help any community of women and birth attendants to work to together for the benefit of all. It will also be a revelation to health workers who may tend to view the medicalization of childbirth as an answer to working with indigenous peoples.

With the completion of this powerful book, Diane Smith closed the circle and returned to Canada after eight working years in India to assist her daughter to give birth in 2003. Birthing with Dignity is a lasting testament to her passion and vision: To see women birth in dignity and to uphold the work of the traditional midwife.

Terry Wolfwood, May, 2005

Back to publications.