Contact Vicki
If you have any questions or would just like more information please don't hesitate to get in touch by clicking the button below and filling out the contact form.
Contact Vicki
We have several Hypnobirthing couples who have generously given us permission to share their birth videos and photos for training purposes in our classes. During a recent discussion in our practitioner group, we noticed a fascinating pattern—many Hypnobirthing babies are being born “en caul” or “in the caul.”
An en caul birth occurs when a baby is born with the amniotic sac still intact, meaning the membranes haven’t ruptured — hence the term “waters breaking.” Occasionally, parts of the sac may cling to the baby’s head and face, resembling a helmet. This is where the term “caul” originates, as it comes from the Latin word for helmet. While a “caul birth” refers to the sac forming a veil over the baby’s head or face, an “en caul” birth means the baby is born entirely within the sac.
Although we can’t say for certain, this may be more common among Hypnobirthing mothers because they experience a physiological birth rather than an induced or highly managed one. By learning relaxation techniques and releasing stress and fear, they are calmer during labour and allow the natural expulsive reflex to take over, rather than engaging in forced pushing.
One dad in my Hypnobirthing class even pointed out how often en caul births appeared in the videos we share — despite being told this is a rare occurrence.
But is it really as rare as we’ve been led to believe?
A quick Google search suggests en caul births happen in approximately 1 in 80,000 births. However, when speaking with private midwives, it appears to be much more common during a physiological birth — particularly in water births — where it may occur in about 1 in 20 births.
In contrast, en caul births are far less frequent in caesarean sections, as the scalpel typically cuts through the amniotic sac during the procedure.
Here is a News.com.au video of a baby born “en caul” that went viral in 2015. This was an emergency caesarean birth, and the baby was born three months premature and was receiving oxygen and nutrients from the placenta via the umbilical cord. The photo above shows the surgeon has removed the entire sac with the baby inside, but the placenta is still in the uterus and is out of view. This is not how a physiological en caul birth would look like.
The video footage shows a good close-up of the baby still inside the sac after the birth (but not the actual caesarean for those who are squeamish).
Today that baby is a healthy young boy, and the mum is amazed that her baby’s birth caused such a stir in world news because it is so rare.
During medieval times, old wives’ tales suggested that babies born in the caul possessed special powers, including psychic abilities. In some cultures, they were believed to be destined for a life of luck, abundance, or even leadership.
In certain regions, women who gave birth to en caul babies would sell the membranes to sailors, as they were thought to provide protection from evil spirits and prevent drowning at sea.
But what actually happens when a baby is born en caul?
Dr Rachel Reed from Midwife Thinking gave me a great description of what happens:
“There are two sacs – one is the amnion, which is the inner sac directly around the baby, and the other is the chorion, which is the outer sac that is next to the uterine wall. Towards the end of pregnancy, the baby is surrounded by 500 – 1000mls of fluid. This is mostly made up of urine and respiratory tract secretions produced and excreted by the baby. There is around 200mls of amniotic fluid and mucous between the amnion and the chorion, so they are not fused together, but after the birth the two layers stick together because the fluid has gone, but it is still possible to separate the two layers (see photos below). With contractions during labour, the amniotic sac (both membrane layers) bulges and stretches out of the vagina, just like it does through the cervix during labour but it just stretches further, so as the baby is born, the sac is still around the baby.
With a non-surgical encaul birth the amniotic sac would burst as the baby is born, usually as the shoulders come through, sometimes leaving the baby wearing bits of it on their head.”
Rachel Reed from Midwife Thinking has a full blog about the amniotic sac if you want to read more:
Here is a photo showing a placenta after birth, with the amniotic sac, and the umbilical cord still attached to the placenta inside the sac.
The baby would have been safely and snuggly inside that space that is being held up, and connected to the umbilical cord, while surrounded and protected by the sac like a big bubble, and this would also be holding the amniotic fluid around the baby.
The placenta (the red meaty part laying on the silver tray) would be attached to the uterus and that is called the maternal side, while the side where the umbilical cord attaches is called the foetal side.
Want to read more about placentas?
With placenta encapsulation, I had been removing the amniotic sac and discarding it as I was taught that it does not have any benefit in the encapsulation process, however upon further research I discovered that there is now a Global Amniotic Membrane Market, as researchers have found that the membranes contain anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic properties and has been used for burns and wound healing and contains stem cells.
https://clinicalgate.com/placenta-and-extraembryonic-membranes/
Global Amniotic Membrane Market Growth & Trends | 2023-2032
Due to time restraints, I am not currently offering placenta encapsulation, but if you are interested in finding a reputable business that does placenta encapsulation in Perth, I have some recommendations:
For those of you who would like a bit more in-depth information about the placenta and how it works you can check out this excellent video by Rishi Desai at the Khan Academy.
It is so interesting and really provides information in an easy, and visual way so you can learn so much without it being too technical.
I’ve always been fascinated by the placenta, the amniotic fluid and the development of baby from conception.
There are some incredible photos taken by Lemart Nilsson where you can see the amniotic sac, placenta and cord attachment to the placenta and uterus.
To see more of this amazing photography by Lennart Nilsson you can click on this link:
http://doorofperception.com/2014/03/lennart-nilsson-a-child-is-born/
Other resources:
https://clinicalgate.com/placenta-and-extraembryonic-membranes/
https://youtu.be/gbextFwqnY4?si=xnT9r_DyutZocQr5
https://en.wikivet.net/Placenta_-_Anatomy_&_Physiology
If you have any questions or would just like more information please don't hesitate to get in touch by clicking the button below and filling out the contact form.
Contact Vicki