Introduction-E
Introduction-E
Introduction-E
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that once a woman has been pregnant more than once, her insides are bigger and the<br />
belly sticks out further than in the first pregnancy, because the body has gone through<br />
that stage before.<br />
They are pregnant longer?<br />
Saullu: Those who are not pregnant for the first time will not deliver at the beginning<br />
of the month, as our insides have stretched, but the females on the first pregnancy<br />
deliver at the beginning of the month. This is what I tell my children too. They will not<br />
deliver until the end of the month if it’s not a first pregnancy.<br />
If she has a larger belly, does that mean that the pregnancy takes longer?<br />
Saullu: Not necessarily the ones with large bellies. I’ve only heard that the inside of the<br />
belly is stretched, because a woman has been pregnant more than once. I gave birth to<br />
my youngest child on the 29th. Some women get pregnant very easily.<br />
Have you heard that a pregnant woman is not supposed to eat animals<br />
that were shot in the heart?<br />
Saullu: I don’t know. I have not heard of that before.<br />
How many people were there at a delivery?<br />
Saullu: Sometimes three, sometimes more than three. Sometimes, only the experienced<br />
used to deliver. If they did not live in the same camp, some people used to go and get<br />
them from another camp.<br />
Far away from their camp?<br />
Saullu: Yes, as long as they didn’t have to go too great a distance to pick up an<br />
experienced midwife. There were not that many people who delivered babies. Even if<br />
that person was old or an elder, they used to get them from another camp by dogteam.<br />
Any time? Even in the morning?<br />
Saullu: I asked my mother why she went into labour really early in the morning. I even<br />
thought she tried to deliver really early in the morning, because I wanted her to deliver<br />
in the evening. But [women] delivered at any time, no matter when it was, early in the<br />
morning or during the day, anytime. People used to come and ask us to come even<br />
during the night. We didn’t have telephones so they just came and asked us to come. We<br />
just put on our clothes very quickly. When my younger sister was close to delivering, I<br />
Life Stories – Saullu Nakasuk 75
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