Oblique Birth Print

Babies' series

This series was developed after reading about various foetal positions in a woman's uterus that were seen as 'undesirable' or medicalised as a problem that will hinder an otherwise smooth birth. I couldn't help but think that babies have been floating in the primordial waters of their mothers' uteruses for thousands of years without healers and midwives having a clear picture of how they were positioned.

Before colonisation, Indigenous women were guided through birth with the wisdom of their healers, the strength of their ancestors, and the natural world around them – regardless of their baby's position. In this series, you will find nine different foetal lies in a woman's pelvis and the backgrounds representing traditional birthing places these 'difficult cases' were guided into the world.

All of the babies have a motif in the pelvis which relates to ancestors. During pregnancy, mother and baby are held and supported by their ancestral lineage. The different backgrounds relate to numerous stories, songlines, energy pathways, totems, kinship systems and dreamings a mother will birth into.

This image incorporates traditional plant medicines used during childbirth including

• Wild ginger - can be used during labour to help stimulate contractions

• Raspberry leaf - strengthens contractions

• Kangaroo apple - when infused, can create steroids and the young fruit can be used to as an oral contraceptive

• Emu bush leaf - helps milk let-down after birth and inhibits bacterial growth

* if you are interested in international shipping (outside of Australia) please contact me directly on kayla.arabenabyrnes@gmail.com to process your order *