Gentle Birth Methods in Bali

What I loved most about my experience was that I felt right at home from day one. The midwives were sweet, welcoming, and always very helpful.

Despite the language barrier, we laughed, learnt together and supported each other like Sisters. The local Balinese people are very spiritual with their daily practices, it was always very fascinating and heart-warming learning about their sacred rituals and traditions around life, death, pregnancy and birth.

There is a Women’s Circle in Ubud that we enjoyed attending every Wednesday evening, this was our opportunity to take a break from the busy Birth Centre, meet other Sisters from all around the world, and to explore healing and empowerment in a nurturing space. If you’re interested, feel free to join the Sacred Sisterhood Facebook page for weekly updates!

There is a food stand just across the busy road from our clinic (in front of the supermarket) that sells Terang Bulan (translation: Bright Moon) – some people call it the King of Indonesian street food!

Terang bulan is basically the Indonesian version of pancake, except they are thicker, fluffier, creamier and very, very chewy! You can practice your Bahasa Indonesia each time you select your own mountains of fillings – mine often consisted of chocolate, banana, peanut butter flakes and condensed milk.

Terang Bulan used to be my weekly guilty pleasure, each box will give you 8 big slices – perfect to share with the midwives (although they will most likely say no to the treats, knowing how heavy they are… but hey, nothing an island coconut can’t fix!)!