Protecting Our First Environment
The mother’s body, womb, breasts, arms
When we talk about the environment, we usually refer to the natural world outside of ourselves, but let’s consider our first environment, the one that lays the foundation for all other relationships with nature. As Tekatsi’ tsiah:khwa Katsi Cook, an Elder Mohawk grandmother and midwife says,
“Women are the first environment. We are an embodiment of our Mother Earth. From the bodies of women flow the relationship of the generations both to society and the natural world.”
Our first environment is the mother’s body: her womb, her breasts, her arms. The baby in the womb is a bud that blossoms according to its habitat. Good food, plenty of water, rest, lack of stress and kind, nurturing care are the biological imperatives that allow an infant to thrive.
Premature birth
An increasing number of babies leave the womb early because they or their mothers feel threatened. In fact, the pregnant woman signals to her unborn baby about its future world.
Premature birth is the most significant and intractable problem in maternal-child…
