Women rights Archives

Book Review: AMANI Birth

Dania Shahzad talks about her takeaways after reading the AMANI Birth book, authored by Aisha Al Hajjar: "The book was definitely very informative with a beautiful Islamic perspective on how to prepare to birth naturally. I never thought how birth and our Islamic teachings could combine so well to give a strong message about trusting the design of Allah to birth naturally. I would definitely recommend it to expecting mothers because it is very comprehensive and the approach is holistic. The most profound thing I learned and that stuck with me is how important it is to go through good [...]

Sumreen Wasiq2022-08-05T15:53:24+00:00Tags: Book reviews, Feedback, Testimonials|0 Comments

Postpartum Synchronicity Part 2/2

What is happening for the Baby: Baby is maximally dependent- Newborns are essentially in what is known as the “4th trimester." The belief is that a newborn is born before it is truly ready to function on its own in the outside world. Babies should go from growing on the inside of mother to growing on the outside of mother, to finish developing and to ease this transition to the outside world. Imagine the infant’s experience in utero: it was dark and warm, he could hear mother’s rhythmic heartbeat, her almost constant movement rocked him, and baby was continuously fed [...]

Sumreen Wasiq2020-09-15T11:55:05+00:000 Comments

Postpartum Synchronicity Part 1/2

Knowledge of what a baby needs in its first few months of life, and proper management of expectations on the part of the mother and her support team, are essential in meeting the needs of the newborn while also alleviating the stress of the mother. Would you prefer to start motherhood by sabotaging yourself, being exhausted, slowing your own healing and not meeting the baby’s needs? Or, would you rather set yourself and your baby up for success and look back on this time with joy? Postpartum has never been an easy period for new mothers. But, in today’s society [...]

Sumreen Wasiq2020-09-15T11:55:14+00:00Tags: Breastfeeding, Happy Mothers Happy Babies, Mothers&Babies, Postpartum, Self Care|0 Comments

Stories Of Inspiration & Empowerment: AMANI Birth Changing Lives Series

Profile: Shaima Ashraf, AMANI Birth Doula & CBE in-training, Calicut, Kerala, India. "Dream births do come true!" Disclaimer: I hereby declare, as an AMANI Birth Doula in training that I do not support/encourage/suggest/advice on performing unassisted home/car births. This was purely unintentional/accidental. An intro before we jump into the birth story. The "mommy" in the story and I are cousins and best friends since childhood. I happened to know about AMANI Birth and "Doulas" through her and SubhaanAllah look how amazingly Allah let her reap the fruits of the seeds that she sowed in me. FYI: During her last consultation with her doctor, she had only one request, to have a birth without an episiotomy as she had [...]

Sumreen Wasiq2020-09-15T11:55:36+00:001 Comment

Our Brains vs Science: How Information Gets Processed That Either Leads Or Misleads

Let's face it. The dilemma a modern-day mother finds herself in is not fleeing from a hungry wolf to save her newborn baby, nor travelling at lengths to escape frosty winter months with her nomad tribe to find a new home that offers warmth and sustenance. It is one of the countless blessings that Allah swt has bestowed many of us with that we have safety and security of our livelihood and health. With that being said, as much as clean water and plentiful food supply accounts for the thriving of this generation, advancements in technology by leaps and bounds [...]

Sumreen Wasiq2023-01-29T10:26:27+00:00Tags: AMANI Birth, Childbirth Education, Informed Decisions, Mothers&Babies|4 Comments

AMANI Birth Affiliate Spotlight: Nour Hafifi

AMANI Affiliate Number (Teacher #) 533342 Training Workshop Location and Date Jeddah, December 2014 Why did you choose to become an AMANI doula/CBE? I was clueless about childbirth before my marriage and pregnancy. My only impression of birth is screaming, loud, messy, pain, pain, and more pain. When I was pregnant with my first born, all I know is that I didn’t want to feel pain or medication. No one I spoke to believe in this idea, and my mum wasn’t helpful in preparing me although she had four unmedicated birth. She said, "It just feels like you are going [...]

Sharon Yearwood2020-05-15T12:39:48+00:00Tags: AMANI Birth, AMANI Birth Changing Lives, AMANI Birth Doula|0 Comments

“Making Room For The Baby”: Mothers’ Amazing Bodies Adapting For Pregnancy

Of all the signs that Allah SWT has placed in this world for human beings to contemplate upon and testify the Oneness of their Lord, the growth and sustenance of a developing baby in the uterus of her mother is one of the many miracles of Allah SWT that boggles the mind. Aisha Al Hajjar, founder AMANI Birth, explains the built-in protections for the baby that are placed by Allah SWT in detail in her childbirth education program for mothers and expectant families. The inclusion of normal physiological adaptations of pregnancy in the AMANI Birth student materials not only offers [...]

Sumreen Wasiq2023-01-29T10:08:58+00:00Tags: AMANI Birth, Childbirth Education, Mothers&Babies|0 Comments

Stories Of Inspiration And Empowerment: AMANI Birth Changing Lives Series

Read Part I Of The Series Here: Stories Of Inspiration And Empowerment: AMANI Birth Changing Lives Series Part II: Profile: Wahiba Naeem Natural birth experience: I found out I was pregnant with my second, seven months after the birth of my first child. I must admit though, that I was petrified after my first experience. However, I was in a different country this time around. Taking a lesson from my first experience, I started walking since the beginning of my 3rd trimester for an hour to an hour and a half at least 3-4 days a week outside the house. [...]

Sumreen Wasiq2020-05-15T12:39:58+00:00Tags: AMANI Birth, AMANI Birth Changing Lives, AMANI Birth Doula, Autonomous Birth, BirthStories|0 Comments

Saudi Ministry of Health New Guidelines (Translated in English)

في الحمل وعند الولادة تذكري حقوقك التي كفلتها وزارة الصحة https://www.moh.gov.sa/HealthAwareness/Rights/Pages/22.aspx Women and Birth (By Saudi Ministry of Health--Translated by AMANI Affiliates) Useful to print and attach to your birth plan. Your rights: Women and Childbirth 💠‌To know the state of pregnancy, age of the foetus, and expected delivery date. 💠‌Consent and Signature or otherwise for any operation (Caesarean or other) and the signature of a guardian is not necessary. 💠‌That episiotomy does not take place except when necessary and after obtaining verbal consent and being shown information of the available options. 💠‌To know the expected mode of delivery (Caesarean, [...]

Mohammed Al Hajjar (Baba Bidan)2020-05-15T12:40:16+00:000 Comments

Stories Of Inspiration And Empowerment: AMANI Birth Changing Lives Series

Profile: Wahiba Naeem Themes occurring in the birth story: Epidural vs Natural birth experience Advantages of having a Doula/support person(s) Things I did that I believed would help during my birthing experience The physical and emotional tolls of Epidural and the cascade of interventions that follow Pregnancy and birth is an experience of a lifetime and we all want it to be incredible. Who doesn't? Yet if we are not well prepared or do not have the right support, we can experience trauma like I did with my first born. And then there was the magic of natural birth with [...]

Sumreen Wasiq2023-01-29T09:55:52+00:00Tags: AMANI Birth Changing Lives, Autonomous Birth, BirthStories, Human Rights During Childbirth, Maternal Health Care System|1 Comment

We are Assisting Mothers for Active, Natural, Instinctive Birth...for a blessed start in life!