by Melissa Willets posted in Pregnancy

All three times I gave birth, my doctor broke my water for me to help my labor progress.
But according to the Sacred Birth South Africa Facebook page, having one's water broken for them is far from compulsory during childbirth.
"Please note that as with many other procedures, this too is totally unecessary and best left alone," a post reads. "There is absolutely no such thing as 'my water could not break by itself' it WILL break all by itself when the time is right."
The post goes on to say, "Labour can progress well enough with waters intact. If it does not rupture during labour, it will do so with the actual birth itself. This image shows exactly what that looks like for those of you that have never seen it or heard about it before." Behold an incredible image of a baby born en caul, meaning still inside the amniotic sac, taken by Oregon-based birth photographer Melissa Cate.

What an amazing glimpse into what a baby looks like inside the mother's womb!
As I am currently pregnant, I'm simply fascinated looking at this image, and find myself imagining my own baby in my belly, safe inside his or her amniotic sac, growing and thriving.
Meanwhile, I also found it truly interesting how in the Facebook post, it says, "Many cultures believe being born in the caul holds special significance, and the children will be prophets, healers, and have specific leadership abilities."
No word on whether thi...