Birth Agni
This Podcast explores how indigenously Birth has always unfolded, among women - our tribe, where children could see how breastfeeding was done and how birth happened. This an attempt to fetch the stories of the past as well as bring out the new India’s Birth culture to expose the defining features in both. This shall join the dots to where the increasing problems of postpartum anxiety, rising rate of surgical births and poor breastfeeding outcomes are coming from.
Birth Agni - Agni meaning Fire, the Fire that brings us alive, transforms us and has the ability to burn. Birth is designed to affect a woman’s integrity. It is the fire of awakening that makes her life experience wholesome. Deep down her body knows what Birth is supposed to feel - a euphoria of bringing a new life on Earth. The cocktail of hormones are designed to give her a high.
However, birth today has quickly swayed away from a phase of joy to the one marked by Fear, the constant questioning of a woman’s capacity to Birth naturally and the ugly calculation of the odds of a healthy baby at the expense of the mother’s health. We forget that their health is interlinked and flourish as a dyad. In India, the urban rate of Cesarean Sections on an average until 2020 is a whopping 40% which is concerning.
Birth is linked to Patriarchy, Healthcare Politics and Women’s Rights. Respect in Birth is long due to women and it affects the core of who they are.
Join me Divya Kapoor, a Certified Birth and Lactation Counselor and aspiring Traditional Birth Attendant in the quest to shine light on what we can do as parents and a community to change the narrative.
Birth Agni
#128 - Decoding Meconium -the good and the bad with Dr Vijaya Krishnan, CPM and founder Sanctum Natural Birth Center
It’s all too common—women being rushed into surgery at the very sight or even assumption of meconium in conventional hospital settings. Add to that the pressure many women face to deliver before 40 weeks, based on general risks that may not even apply to them personally.
In today’s episode, we’re sitting down with Dr. Vijaya Krishnan, Certified Professional Midwife and founder of Sanctum Natural Birth Center, a pioneering autonomous midwifery-led birth center in India. With over 18 years of experience, Dr. Vijaya brings insight into what truly matters when it comes to safe, individualized care.
We unpack:
- What meconium really means—when it’s normal, and when it’s not.
- How meconium is approached at different stages of labor.
- Can meconium be detected on an ultrasound?
- Is artificially breaking the water helpful to check for or speed things up?
- Why shared responsibility between provider and parents changes everything.
- How preparation, education, and continuity of care impact outcomes.
Book Recommendations by Dr Vijaya:
- Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth and Spiritual Midwifery – by Ina May Gaskin
- Reclaiming Childbirth as a Rite of Passage – by Dr. Rachel Reed ( My addition)
Connect with Dr. Vijaya:
📸 Instagram – @sanctumbirthcenter
🌐 Website – healthy-mother.com
Sign up for Childbirth Preparation Programs! visit www.birthagni.com/birthclasses
This episode is supported and made possible by podcast recording and hosting tool Zencastr, it is impeccably made!
Use my link : https://zen.ai/vxmuJUgYKKGTF3JuTuFQ0g to sign up and record flawless remote podcast , USE my code : BIRTHAGNI
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