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Childbirth is undeniably chaotic and somewhat unsettling. While modern medical advancements help us understand the biological processes, pregnancy and delivery have existed long before ultrasounds and proper hygiene. Ancient cultures held some peculiar beliefs about birth, and surprisingly, some of these traditions are making a comeback today.
10. Lotus Birth
Numerous unconventional medical practices surround childbirth, and one increasingly popular method is the Lotus Birth. In this practice, the umbilical cord remains uncut, leaving both the cord and the placenta attached to the newborn.
Once the placenta is expelled from the mother’s body, it is placed next to the baby to dry. It is then cleaned, wrapped, and often treated with sea salt and herbs to prevent odor as it dries and decomposes, eventually detaching naturally from the infant.
Advocates of this practice argue that it provides the baby with access to nutrient-rich blood and stem cells still present in the placenta post-birth. Additionally, the baby’s limited mobility while attached to the placenta encourages the mother and child to stay close, potentially strengthening their bond. Critics, however, warn that lotus birth poses unnecessary risks, such as infection or the potential for the baby to absorb a blood clot from the placenta.
9. Groaning Cheese and Groaning Cake
In Great Britain, expectant fathers once prepared a wheel of cheese and a cake for the family as the baby’s due date approached. The groaning cake earned its name from the labor pains and groans of childbirth, while both the cake and cheese were part of a celebratory feast honoring the newborn.
Traditionally, the physician assisting with the birth would slice the cheese and cake following a successful delivery, and guests would partake in the treats while offering congratulations to the new parents. The cheese, usually shaped like a wheel, was cut in a way that preserved its outer shell. On the day of the baby’s baptism, the family would pass the infant through the wheel of cheese. In some regions, the first slices of the Groaning Cheese were given to the midwife, believed to bring dreams of future lovers to young women in the household.
8. Trow Baby-Stealers
The trow, mythical beings from the Orkney Islands in northern Scotland, are often mistaken for fairies. While generally harmless, they were notorious for snatching human newborns. Since trow offspring were believed to be frail and sickly, healthy human babies were prime targets for abduction, replaced with a trow child known as a changeling.
Healthy infants who later became ill were thought to be changelings, and this belief also explained developmental or physical abnormalities as the child grew. Due to this perceived threat, pregnant women were advised to conceal their condition to avoid attracting the attention of the trow.
The first night after birth was considered critical. According to tradition, the mother or a close relative had to stay awake with the newborn to ensure it wasn’t stolen. Another myth surrounding the trow suggested that women who died during childbirth were actually abducted by these creatures and replaced with an enchanted block of wood.
7. Babies Born With a Caul Can’t Drown
A baby born with a caul has the amniotic sac still covering its head. This rare occurrence has led to numerous extraordinary claims about both the child and the caul itself.
In various European folklore traditions, it is believed that a baby born with a caul is immune to drowning—likely due to the symbolism of being born with a water-like sac covering its head. The cauls themselves were considered protective charms against drowning, making them highly sought-after items among sailors.
The Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford houses several artifacts related to cauls, including a hollow charm that once held a child’s caul. These glass tubes, known as rolling pins, were often brought back from travels abroad and gifted to loved ones. Over time, the superstition surrounding these charms grew so strong that the rolling-pin shape itself was believed to offer protection. The museum also preserves an actual caul, considered a lucky item, displayed on paper under glass. It was not unusual for mothers to sell their children’s cauls to sailors.
6. The Russian Povitukha
Medical practices in 17th-century rural Russia were far from ideal, and in hindsight, it’s evident that well-intentioned individuals often caused more harm than good. With doctors scarce, the local peasantry turned to folk healers known as znakharka. Assisting these healers, particularly during childbirth, was the povitukha, a figure responsible for overseeing the delivery of peasant babies.
The povitukha was typically a peasant woman with no formal medical training, having only studied under a znakharka and gained midwifery experience through personal childbirth. Her qualifications were limited to having given birth herself.
The povitukha ensured that the birth process was accompanied by traditional rituals and prayers. She also remained with the new mother for several days post-delivery to assist with daily tasks. While her support was undoubtedly valuable, her midwifery techniques were questionable. These included making the laboring woman jump off a bench to hasten delivery, inducing vomiting, and even hanging her upside-down by her feet.
Another common practice involved inserting rags into the mother’s anus to ensure the baby was delivered correctly. Given these methods, it’s unsurprising that hygiene was neglected, as povitukhas rarely washed their hands.
5. St. Raymond Nonnatus
St. Raymond Nonnatus, the Catholic patron saint of childbirth, midwives, and expectant mothers, is an unusual figure to invoke for a safe delivery, given that his own mother died before he was born. He was delivered via a posthumous Caesarean section, earning him the name Nonnatus, which translates to “not born.”
Dedicated parishes in New York City and Puerto Rico honor St. Raymond, and towns in Argentina and Brazil bear his name. Statues of him are widespread across the Spanish Empire. It’s ironic that he is revered as the protector of pregnant women, considering the circumstances of his birth.
4. Cardboard Box Beds
Cradles, bassinets, cribs—new parents often spare no expense to provide a cozy sleeping space for their newborn. In Finland, however, a 75-year-old tradition dictates that a baby’s first bed is a simple cardboard box.
This tradition began in the 1930s when the Finnish government introduced maternity boxes for expectant mothers. While the cardboard box symbolizes that all babies start life equally, it also served a practical purpose. To receive the box and its contents, mothers had to visit a doctor, which encouraged prenatal care in a country with high infant mortality rates. The initiative proved successful—infant mortality rates declined. The box includes essentials like clothing, towels, hairbrushes, washcloths, and even condoms.
3. The Wandering Uterus
Hippocrates, the Greek physician behind the Hippocratic oath, attributed conception difficulties and other female-specific issues, collectively termed “hysteria,” to a wandering uterus. As the name implies, this theory suggested that the uterus had moved from its proper position and was causing trouble elsewhere in the body.
If a woman experienced chest pain, it was believed the uterus had wrapped itself around her heart. Stomach pain? The uterus was thought to be pressing against the stomach. The solution was to coax it back into place using methods like applying honey or other sweet-smelling substances to the vagina to attract the uterus.
Pregnancy—or regular sexual intercourse—was believed to keep the uterus satisfied, hydrated, and content in its correct position.
2. Silent Birth
Naturally, any discussion of unusual beliefs wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Scientology.
L. Ron Hubbard’s Dianetics asserts that noise during childbirth causes significant trauma to newborns. According to the book, the sounds a baby hears in its first moments can lead to lifelong irrational fears and nightmares—in fact, these fears may stem from that very experience.
To prevent this, Scientologists advocate for a serene, loving, and completely silent birthing environment—one where no one speaks a word. While the mother is permitted to scream, she should not be guided or encouraged in any way, as this could distress the baby.
Hubbard’s “research, findings, and practice of silent birth” is said to have improved the lives of children worldwide.
1. Eileithyia, Goddess of Childbirth
Eileithyia, the Greek goddess of childbirth, was believed to oversee pregnant women and those in labor—provided they maintained chastity in their youth and didn’t have too many children. While she aided those she deemed worthy, she could be merciless when angered or disrespected. Women who failed to meet her standards of purity were cursed with prolonged, agonizing, or even delayed deliveries.
As the daughter of Hera, Eileithyia often helped her mother torment women who bore Zeus’s children. Some myths claim she extended Hercules’s birth to seven days. While Aphrodite governed romantic love, Eileithyia was linked to reproductive love. Interestingly, her sacred animal was the polecat, due to the myth that it gave birth through its mouth.
