10/09/2026
Between Two Worlds
I attended Peace At Birth hosted by Embrace and had the privilege of meeting at chatting to so many amazing people in the birth space, including author of The Ways Of Being Born: Tracing the footprints of Birth in Africa Mmatshilo Motsei and I purchased the book as well, I started reading it and somethings special captured my attention, she spoke of an Indigenous Algerian practice, where the birth elder intentionally pauses the delivery for a few brief moments right after the baby's head and neck emerge. This threshold is treated as a sacred, intentional pause so that the baby's soul can experience and realize what it is like to exist in both dimensions simultaneously, suspended right between the spiritual realm they are leaving and the physical world they are entering.
Birth is magical and the privilege of witnessing this very miracle over and over will never get old for me, many times the baby's body will emerge quickly after the head, but there times like these when there's that pause that magical moment and it just doesn't compare, I will forever be in awe of the beauty of this moment.
Sara-Jayne Makwala King SA Doula Association & Administration Mercy H Nqandeka Mmatshilo Motsei Shana Fife Embrace