Animal Instincts for Birth

Birthing like a Panda...

Love this article by Milli Hill as Edinburgh Zoo await the birth of the UK's first giant panda.


"It's interesting to read about the lengths the zoo team has gone to to ensure a positive and successful birth for Tian Tian. She has a specially created nesting box, and her enclosure has been lined with extra insulation to keep out noise and ensure she won't be disturbed. Staff have also installed dark blinds to offer her privacy and minimum light, and since the weekend, the panda area has been closed to visitors.



It's funny how we understand so well what birthing mammals need – be they giant pandas or our pet cats and dogs. When they're in labour, we keep our distance, and let them have quiet, darkness and no interruptions. We know that it's vital that we don't frighten or disturb them. We trust that they know what they're doing, and we leave them to it.

Contrast this to your average human birth. A brightly lit, unfamiliar room. A narrow bed, surrounded by unidentified machinery, wires, plugs and equipment. Strangers come and go, sometimes talking about time or danger, or their plans for the weekend. Unfamiliar hands touch us, and stern voices tell us what to do next: "Breathe!", "Wait!" or "PUSH!".

To put it bluntly – you wouldn't treat an animal like this! And yet this is how many women in western hospitals are expected to deliver their babies"

To read the full article see link below:

Pandas