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"Most women of child-bearing age have grown up with the received wisdom that this is how birth is. I delivered hundreds of babies, and most of the mothers were rigid with fear, in poor physical condition and emotionally out of control. How could I make this different, I asked myself. So after years of observation, I combined medical background with my knowledge of ancient traditions and techniques and created my own method." Motha named it the Gentle Birth Method: The Jeyarani Way (Jeyarani meaning queen of victory was her mother's first name.) Ever the trendsetter Kate Moss was the first celebrity to tap into Motha's birth method which offers a stress-free natural way to give birth. Now Stella McCartney, Elle Macpherson, Gwyneth Paltrow and the down-to earth Gabby Logan are all fans. Yet she is characteristically humble about her fanbase. "It's only friends recommending me to each other," she says modestly. "Kate Moss started it." Motha's method draws heavily on ancient traditions and techniques such as reflexology, ayurveda, self-hypnosis, reiki and creative healing. She advises clients to cut out sugar, which will help protect the uterus and cervix from damage caused by free radicals, and wheat, which she says creates water retention and congests the vaginal tissues, so hindering delivery. She also advocates daily yoga and walking to ensure mums are 'birth fit'. "As well as preparing women on a physical level, I aim to show them how to be pregnant," she says. "Pregnancy is an interactive, dynamic condition, which you can nurture and mould to your expectations. As well as preparing the mind with self-hypnosis, ancient treatments such as reflexology are useful during labour and can help to stimulate milk production after birth." "In
India, a woman goes home to live with her mother from 28 weeks,
where she is nurtured, massaged and looked after," Motha continues.
"These things aren't just about pampering, they are essential
for a gentle birth and beyond." "Much of my first-year programme is rooted in the ancient post-natal concept of the red tent," Motha says. "In the nomadic communities of the Middle East, this was used as a postpartum retreat, where mother and baby rested, recovered and were restored for 40 days." On the face of it, this seems hardly practical in modern-day Britain, but Motha stresses the importance of new mums cocooning themselves from the outside world — visitors, shopping and daily life — for at least three weeks. This is a vital time for bonding. The eldest of four children, Motha, 56, was born in Sri Lanka to South Indian parents. Despite never having had children of her own, they have always figured prominently in her life. "My father was a paediatrician," she says. "He loved the whole process of delivering babies and with his encouragement, I studied medicine and stumbled into obstetrics." She came to London in 1980, working in various hospitals around London as an obstetrician and found herself in constant crisis management situations, only dealing with a mother's problems when she was in labour. Now she is poised for guru-hood with a new book 'Gentle First Year' and a piece of post-natal lingerie, designed by Agent Provocateur, about to be unveiled; she also has plans to branch into the anti-ageing arena. Motha believes women should be able to reclaim their bodies quickly and easily after birth, which may well be why she is so popular with celebrity mums. Apart from the right kind of diet (preferably ayurvedic) and exercise (Pilates), the obstetrician's pet project is to bring back an ancient binding technique that coaxes the ribs back to their pre-pregnant posture — hence the postnatal panties with Agent Provocateur. The ribs flare out by an inch or two during pregnancy, but when a baby is born, there is a sudden emptiness in the mother's body and if left, fat can build up," she says. "Traditionally, mothers used long strips of cotton and wrapped them tightly around the ribs. It improves the body shape, but also supports the organs, bringing them back to a balanced state." Serena Rees, the owner of Agent Provocateur learnt this while seeing Motha during her own pregnancy, and wanted to know more. Working closely with the obstetrician, she has designed a pair of re-sculpting knickers that come up to the bust and apply pressure to the ribs without constricting. These
along with a maternity bra and panties (in leopard print, fuschia
and black) will be officially launched at the same time of Motha's
book. Motha's Law: How to bond
(Style, The Sunday Times, UK) |
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Birth
Guru
