| Did you know that some maternity units actually | | | | birth on, or very close to, a full moon. |
| have more staff available during periods of full | | | | The theory is that the moon's gravitational pull |
| moon? | | | | effects the amniotic fluid in much the same way |
| I've always been fascinated by the moon's effect | | | | as it effects the water in the sea, rivers and |
| on nature, so when a friend's wife conveyed to | | | | even the water that's otherwise found in our |
| me what her midwife had told her during the birth | | | | bodies. |
| of their daughter, I decided to find out more | | | | As a woman's body prepares for natural childbirth, |
| about childbirth, full moon and a possible link. | | | | the amniotic sac becomes distended so the point |
| On speaking to various medical staff involved in | | | | where it will easily burst if put under pressure. |
| natural childbirth, the first thing I learned was that | | | | Under normal circumstances, the pressure of |
| expectant mothers often experience false signs | | | | labor contractions bursts the sac. During a full |
| of labor during full moon. | | | | moon, the pressure caused by the moon's effect |
| Contractions known as "Braxton Hicks" -- | | | | on the water inside the sac can cause the same |
| sometimes noticeable to the mother and | | | | things to happen, but without the accompanying |
| sometimes not -- become more pronounced and | | | | contractions. |
| many travel to the maternity unit in the belief | | | | When this happens, natural childbirth doesn't |
| that "it's time". Disappointed -- or perhaps relieved | | | | always move forward and with no other signs of |
| -- they return home, the pains having subsided | | | | labor present, the obstetrician may decide to |
| and with no dilation of the cervix. | | | | induce the birth. During my own study of this |
| While these expectant mothers visiting the clinic | | | | phenomenon I found that of 8 women whose |
| with their mistaken signs of labor are part of the | | | | births started with the water breaking at full |
| reason why extra staff are needed, the major | | | | moon, 5 of them had no accompanying |
| difference is found in the number of women | | | | contractions. |
| whose amniotic sac -- the water -- breaks. | | | | A coincidence? Perhaps. But surely midwives |
| Just as some women experience false labor pains, | | | | wouldn't prepare themselves for an increase in |
| in cases where the water breaking marks the | | | | natural childbirth activity if there wasn't some |
| start of childbirth, full moon is the time when it's | | | | truth in this? |
| most likely to happen. | | | | One midwife told me that when it comes to |
| In order to discover for myself whether this could | | | | planning childbirth, full moons should always be |
| be true, I asked several female friends how their | | | | looked for around the time of the expected |
| births had started. Those who responded with | | | | delivery. If there's one within a few days either |
| "the water breaking" were then asked the date | | | | side, the chances are your baby will be born on |
| of the birth. On checking this against a moon | | | | that day. |
| phase chart, I discovered that almost all had given | | | | |