Get some rebozo love

Often the best wisdom is the ancient wisdom.

A rebozo is a pretty fantastic little discovery, but it isn’t anything new. Mexican women have been using them for centuries, serving every purpose from outfit accessory – the variety is really quite beautiful – to baby carrier.

(Scroll to the bottom of this page for some photos of a rebozo in action as a baby carrier)

In pregnancy and labor, the rebozo has long been used on the Yucatan Peninsula to help mothers have drug-free births, which is what has brought this simple tool to your doula’s bag of tricks hundreds upon thousands of miles away!

Sifting (sometimes called jiggling)

To use the sifting or jiggling technique, mom kneels on a pillow with her head resting in her arms on a chair (or birth ball, or bed) in front of her. Make sure the object she is leaning against is well-braced so that she doesn’t have to worry. She relaxes, belly away from the chair.

The doula or birth partner puts the rebozo around mom, cradling baby, and stands close to her hips, lifting her belly with the rebozo and then beginning to gently rock. The doula or partner is holding the ends of the rebozo like reins.

The partner starts slowly and speeds up when mom is comfortable, and slows down before stopping, to avoid abrupt movements. There are other ways to do the technique, too. (Thanks to Spinning Babies for the great explanation.)

This can be done at any time in pregnancy and between contractions in early labor to help a woman relax into her labor by easing tightness in ligaments and feelings of tension.

Here is a daddy doing a great job with the technique!

This video shows some doulas learning the technique in a training.

Positioning baby

The sifting technique has also been shown to help with positioning of baby. Some recommend using it daily if you are in a “crunch” to get baby turned into optimal position for birth.

Hip squeeze

Oh how laboring mothers the world over love the relief of the double hip squeeze. The technique opens the pelvis and reduces back pain. But the average hubby or doula can only keep up this muscle-intensive position for a few minutes at a time. Enter the rebozo!

By wrapping the rebozo tightly around mom’s hips and then using the ends to apply pressure, leverage can make the job easy-peasy.

This video does a great job of illustrating the technique.

Blocking out distractions

Birth can be such a time of sensory overload. Sometimes what mom really needs is a few minutes to find calm and re-center, especially before a big change happens, like entering transition or transferring to the hospital/birth center. The rebozo can be tied around mom’s head (as loosely or tightly as is her preference) to cover her eyes and ears, blocking out distractions and reducing stress. This technique is not for everyone, but for some, it can be very effective.

If you are a visual learner, you will appreciate the photosfrom this training by Patti Ramos.

What other techniques might you use a rebozo for? I would love to hear!

Cautions

Like anything else, please use caution when utilizing these techniques. I don’t know of any studies that have been done on risks, but please be aware and use care. Do not use with moms who have history of miscarriage or warning signs such as bleeding and early labor.