birth - Mums in Cyprus | The Family Network

Birth Days now available online!

By MiC Carine 29/02/2020

The much-acclaimed, locally-made labour of love Birth Days – Documentary by the very talented Danae Stylianou is finally available for streaming to buy or rent! If you are pregnant or planning ot have a family, this is a must-watch!

In a country where Caesarean section births account for four times the recommended WHO rate, Birth Days chronicles one mother’s journey as she sets out to pursue a natural birth after Caesarean, to reclaim her own body and regain trust in the maternity care system.

We spoke to Danae about the film when it came out last year for a behind-the-scenes conversation and are so happy that her documentary is now available to everyone online, to view in your own time! (preview trailer below)

In Danae’s words ‘I welcome you in this exciting journey…’

You will not be disappointed. Promise!

Postpartum and baby blues – my story

By Anthi 26/06/2019

Last week, a colleague’s daughter gave birth to her first child and she told us that she was crying all the time, even when someone asked her how she was doing, she was starting crying. I immediately told her that I was crying all the time too! And it is normal and it is ok!

But why don’t we already know that BEFORE giving birth, so that we can be mentally prepared and potentially anticipate it? I certainly was oblivious to the existence of the so called “baby blues” and how difficult the first days/weeks of the postpartum period can be for a new mom, so now whenever someone asks me how it was for me, I am being honest and tells them that for about a week I was crying all the time.

First of all I had to learn how to care for a newborn when up to that moment, I had never even held a baby before. So I had to learn everything, from changing his diaper to changing his clothes, which I had to change too almost at every changing of the diaper because I wasn’t putting the diaper correctly so his clothes were getting wet and pooped every single time. It was taking me ages to do the whole changing thing, because I was afraid not to hurt him while putting his clothes on.

And not only that, I was also recovering from an emergency c section. Imagine recovering from a major surgery, because it really is a major surgery despite the fact that it is done so often nowadays, and also having to care for a newborn.

I was thinking that I was not a good mom because it was taking me “so long” to learn, which now that I look back, I do not know why I was so harsh on myself. I gave birth on Saturday morning and by Tuesday midday I was home with a newborn. Why was I not giving myself more time before wanting to do everything perfectly on my own I do not know, I blame it on the hormones and on my stubbornness.

On Wednesday, I decided that I needed help so I took my mom up on her offer to stay with us for some days even though her offer seemed ridiculous to me prior giving birth, because she lives down the road – so why would I need her to stay with us during the night too? My husband was amazingly supportive and he was doing everything from day 1 with our son, but I also needed my mom because she was the expert with babies and I needed her, especially during the night.

So for a week she was staying the night too, she and my husband were taking care of the diaper changing during the night so that they would give me time to get out of the bed (yes it was taking me THAT long to stand up when laying down with my incision), and they were placing my son on the right position so that I could breastfeed,which again did not come easy for me but I wanted to do it. They were encouraging me and supporting me and taking care of me so that I could heal and take care of my baby.

During the day, my grandmother was coming over and she was doing the dishes and my mom was ironing the baby clothes and my dad was giving me a pep talk about how I got this, I just needed to give myself time. I had an enormous support system and 10 days postpartum, I had finally started seeing that we were going to be ok and my uncontrollable crying and weeping had completed stopped.

My incision was feeling much better, I could move much better, I learned how to properly breastfeed and we were exclusively breastfeeding, I got used to waking up for the night feeds without a problem, I even learned how to put the diaper correctly. And I came to the conclusion that there is no such a thing as a perfect mom, but I can try as hard as I can to be an awesome mom.

I hope I did not scare the shit out of you if you are reading this and you are an expectant mom, because you can be awesome from day 1 and rock motherhood. But if you struggle like I did, know that it is ok, it is normal, it passes. Ask help and accept help. It is ok to accept help, you do not have to do everything by yourself just because you are the mom. Give yourself time to learn how to mother, because the day a child is born, the mother is born too.

Yours truly

Anthi Savva Radis

You can read more about Anthi here

Birth Forward

By MiC Carine 11/01/2019

Support and education around the subject of birth

More…

A Labour of Love – Birth Days Documentary

By MiC Team 06/11/2018

They say it takes a village to raise a child…

Well, it takes a village to birth one

Carine and I, along with our friends from Birth Forward Cyprus were honoured to have been invited to attend the Limassol screening of Birth Days Documentary last week.

Six days on and memories of this beautiful film are still reverberating inside of me. Because that is what this film does… it reaches deep down, implants itself and vibrates softly – just like those first flutters of early pregnancy. In watching this film, you will experience the ebb and flow of labour and the messy journey one takes through pregnancy and birth; through fear and pain and ultimately the unparalleled purity of laughter, joy and the miracle of bringing another human being screaming in to this big bright beautiful world.

A labour of love

This film is clearly a labour of love. It shows in every frame and edit. It took Danae Stylianou two years to make it and we thank her so sincerely for doing so.

Danae is an extraordinary filmmaker – the quality of her direction, filming and editing (this was a one-woman show) is superb and stands out not just here in Cyprus but on the international film scene also. This documentary is relevant no matter where you live and how your experiences have differed and that, to me, is at the core of this film’s beauty.

In documenting the birth culture here in Cyprus, Danae was setting herself up for a monumental task (she’s not one to shy away from difficult projects – her previous two films covered Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot relations and then the Crisis). It was one that could have caused offence or division… or it could have justifiably chosen to be downright angry. But it did none of these things.

Birth is an emotive topic and could be more so here in Cyprus, where we currently hold the shameful award of having the highest C-section rate in the World. Caesarean deliveries account for about sixty percent of births in Cyprus. In some clinics this number rises to the nineties!

But Danae chose to tell the story in a different way. One not centred on the outrage and anger that many of us feel. But one that focuses on the miracle of birth. Now that I have seen this film, I couldn’t imagine it being told in any other way.

Following three women’s journeys from pregnancy through to birth (in both the private and public sectors), this film showed us what birth can be like without unnecessary medical intervention. Three very different natural births; each one unique and special. With all the exhaustion and trials; pain; fear; doubts and ultimately… a demonstration of the amazing ability of women to overcome all of this given the right kind and amount of support.

A VBAC journey

Of particular interest to me was a VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean) mother’s journey through her second pregnancy; her amazing feat and the combined efforts of everyone around her to shed the fears and worries accumulated since her first traumatic birth. Knowing this mother personally and how difficult a journey this was (and unfortunately how common an experience this is in Cyprus), it was even more amazing to watch it played out on the big screen.

They say it takes a village to raise a child… well, it takes a village to birth one. It takes a community of supportive friends and family; a team of knowledgeable and experienced prenatal educators; midwives; doulas and doctors; and the combined strength of the female spirit – one that comes from the knowledge that women can and will birth naturally, provided that they are empowered, free to make an informed choice and supported in carrying out these decisions. We also know that medical support is available in emergency situations but that this, according to the WHO, should not be necessary in more than 15% of births.

It was encouraging to see so many pregnant women in the audience – what a generous and special gift to be given during this time in your life. If this film empowered just one woman, it has done its job.

But I think this film will be changing more than just one woman’s story. And how very glad we are for that. Birth can change a woman and mothers are born along with their children. How much easier it must be to become a mother when one can pull from that amazing power – one strengthened through support, empathy, love and understanding.

Let’s hope there are more of these stories in the future.

You still have a chance to watch this film. There are two screenings in Nicosia and one in Larnaca. Make sure to take some tissues – I admit that I cried unashamedly from the opening credits. But don’t worry – you will also be laughing. At the perfect time. So similar to those breaks between contractions, Danae will give you a belly-laugh at just the right moment before plunging you back in to the action. She weaves these stories like an expert craftswoman and you’ll thank her for taking you on this journey. I certainly did.

Don’t miss it.

Click here to read more about Danae Stylianou and behind the scenes of this extraordinary film.

UPCOMING SCREENINGS

Cine Studio at University of Nicosia

Sunday and Wednesday, 11 & 14 November 2018, 2100

Find the Facebook event here. Follow their page for updates on the Larnaca screening coming soon.

Tickets: No presale. Please arrive on time to ensure your seats.

With English subtitles

https://www.birthdaysdocumentary.com/

Birth Days – behind the scenes of this extraordinary film

By MiC Team 01/10/2018

We are extremely excited about the upcoming screening of Birth Days – a documentary about birth in times of excessive medical intervention – directed and produced here in Cyprus by a very special filmmaker, Danae Stylianou. If you missed the premiere of this film at the Lemesos International Documentary Festival over the summer, don’t worry, there will be two more opportunities to see it: the first, on Wednesday October 31, at 20:30 at the Rialto Theatre in Limassol; the second in Nicosia in November. We have it on good advice from those that saw its debut in August that we will not be disappointed!

How do we give birth to our children and what are the reasons for the increase in C- sections? What are women’s rights at labour and how can a woman regain confidence in her own female nature? With audiovisual material of natural births, interviews with health care professionals and a series of real events, Birth Days opens new horizons in the approach of labour as a unique natural experience. Has medicalisation of childbirth gone too far?

We talked to Danae Stylianou about her upcoming documentary Birth Days and this is what she had to say:

When I started making this documentary, I could not have imagined all the amazing women I would be meeting, or the overwhelming feelings I would be experiencing when becoming witness to the miracle of life with my camera! Just like birth, this film had to be made with a one-woman crew. Being the camera and sound operator, gave me unprecedented access to the fascinating event of labour and birth. Raw images and emotion stand out of the real scenes that were filmed.

What’s the fact that got me interested in making this documentary?

Today, a record number of babies in Cyprus -more than half- are born via C-section. Experts and parents alike are alarmed by the trend. Cyprus ranks first in Europe in C-sections with a striking 56.9%. The World Health Organisation considers the ideal rate for Caesarean sections to be between 10-15%. This fact alone got me interested in researching the matter.

Often enough, women’s rights at labour are violated. Right to privacy, respect to the body and the spontaneous initiation of labour, the option to request or refuse medical intervention and analgesia. These rights still have to be fought for.

In the course of production, this documentary went beyond examining the consequences of the medicalisation of birth. It became a study on the virtues of endurance, respect, trust and love.

‘My body was made for this’

Birth Days brings forward a philosophy about the management of pain and the capability of the human body to endure that pain. As a filmmaker, I wanted to go deeper, and explore how we, as humans, accept our pains and agonies, overcome our fears and find ways to endure them. To me, childbirth is a raw representation of how we emotionally and physically experience our pains in life.

During production days, I got to meet midwives from across Cyprus, and was fascinated by their patience, commitment and gentle practices. Amidst medical definitions, artificial painkillers, and fast-developing scientific disciplines, the presence of these mother figures seemed key to a positive experience of natural labour.

What is the importance of preparation, information and confidence building in the active management of labour by the woman?

How can we, women, be better prepared for labour through knowledge, psychological and physical preparation, otherwise known as the ‘psychoprophylactic’ method? How important is the help offered to the pregnant woman by another woman – the midwife? Almost all births in modern societies have been transferred to medical environments. What can we do to bridge the gap, and achieve a ‘natural hospital birth’?

In this documentary I try to find answers to all of these complex questions as I believe that women have a fundamental right to informed choices at birth. My goal is to contribute in changing C-section mentality by advocating through the audiovisual medium.

In the age of radical progress in image representation and the social media, the dominant cultural views representing birth as a terrifying experience have been reinforced. I believe it is time to change this by creating new, more powerful visual messages, that would speak directly to the heart.

I welcome you in this exciting journey…

Danae Stylianou

Director – Producer

UPCOMING SCREENING:

RIALTO THEATRE,

Wednesday, 31 October 2018, 20:30

Tickets: €8 / €5

ΙΝFO: 77 77 77 45, www.rialto.com.cy

With English subtitles

https://www.birthdaysdocumentary.com/

About the Director

Danae Stylianou was born in Cyprus, in 1984.

She holds a BA (Hons) Film Production from the University of Westminster, in London. Graduated 2004.

In 2011 she directed and produced her first documentary feature film, Sharing an island, about the inter-communal relations of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot youth. Sharing an island was screened widely in Cyprus and abroad, winning two awards for its contribution to peace in Cyprus and the world. In her 2nd documentary feature, A Haircut Story, seven stories emerge from the black hole of the banks, one year after Cyprus became the first Eurozone member state to be subjected to a bail-in on deposits.

Birth Days is her most recent documentary; a film about women’s rights to informed choices at childbirth.

She worked as assistant director and casting director in Greek & Cypriot cinema and television, on popular TV dramas, shows, films and TV commercials. She is the head of communications for the major official film festivals of the Republic of Cyprus and one of the organisers of Lemesos International Documentary Festival.

Filmography:

2018, BIRTH DAYS, feature documentary

2014, A HAIRCUT STORY, feature documentary

2011, SHARING AN ISLAND, feature documentary

2006, DOLLHOUSE, short film

2004, ANKARA STREET, short documentary

2004, SNOW WHITE AND THE 7 CHARMS, short film

MiC’s Weekly Roundup #349! On having your say and doing it your way! 💬 📝 👍

By MiC Team 18/06/2018

#349 | June 18, 2018

Straight to your inbox, the latest news from our MiC community and a selection of what’s happening this week in a town near you.

News

Wow… this term has sped by and we are now just days away from the school holidays! We hope that wherever you are this summer that you’ll stay in touch with the MiC community. We will of course still be writing articles, running competitions, sending you regular newsletters and posting all that great stuff that you love over on our Social Media channels throughout the holidays!

Events

Summer has arrived and the event scene is starting to heat up!
For the full calendar and detailed event listings, click here

New Stuff

A selection of the latest posts from our Magazine.

To visit the Mums in Cyprus online community, click here.

Go to the full MIC WEEKLY ROUNDUP newsletter >> here

You can find past issues of our MiC Magazine in our archive here.

See you online… it’s where we all get together!

Kali evdomada!

Carine and Kat x

If you like what we do – please consider leaving a review/testimonial on Facebook for us – feedback is always appreciated!

Make sure to follow our Social Media Channels @MumsinCyprus: on Facebook; Twitter; Instagram and Google+!

Do you want to get our MiC Weekly Roundup direct to your inbox? Then make sure to become an MiC member and subscribe to our newsletters: http://bit.ly/MiCRegister

My birth story – In pictures

By eleni 26/02/2018

Hey mamas!

Last week, on Valentine’s Day and completely unexpectedly, we welcomed our newest family addition, baby Danny.

I’ve managed to grab a few moments to sit down and write my birth story, which comes with plenty of photos I think you’ll enjoy, before taking some time off to take in that newborn love.

See you soon

Peace and love

eleni x