What if we ask you that what is common between the famous English poet Lord Byron, the English writerAlan Moore, Italian writerGabriele D’Annunzio, Alexander the Great, and Napoleon Bonaparte? Well they all are born in the caul. Surprising, isn’t it?
There are several myths around caul births, one being that those who are born in the caul are usually destined to be famous. There is only one caul birth in 80,000 labours. It is not very common for human babies to stay inside the membrane sack even after they are born. Usually, the amniotic bag is the bag of warm fluid that protects the baby, placenta, and umbilical cord. As labour comes close, the amniotic bag breaks before C- section. It is due to the size of the baby that grows inside the sack and eventually breaks it when ready to come out. When it does not, that gives birth to a baby who is still packed tight inside the sack. Like inside the mother’s womb, the baby is born with the sack. So now you got that the reasons behind caul birth myths, right?
Doctors, cut the sack with a knife or scissor to help the baby come out. If removed too fast, veil can leave wounds on the newborn’s flesh, sometimes leaving permanent scars and birth marks. Often the caul membrane covers the face and head only, representing a transparent helmet on the baby’s head. The caulbearer babies are normally believed to be born with different abilities, especially of exceptional leading capabilities, and fortune telling.
Even in the last century, the caul of the caulbearer babies was kept in the family to bring good luck. There are stories where sailors were seen to carry the caul with the in the sea to protect their trip against bad luck.
Often, it is said that a caul birth runs in the family. So if the mother is born with caul, the daughter has higher chances to be a caulbearer too. However, as we said earlier, caul birth itself is a rare occurrence, so there’s no data to prove that the next generation would bear in a caul; however, the chances are high.
Doctors and nurses, if superstitious, do not tell the family that the baby is a caulbearer. They simply remove the caul on themselves and show the bay to the parents and family after that. However, with the excellent improvement on medical technology, there is almost no chance of keeping this secret from the family.
The removal of the caul should be done very carefully. Doctors usually first make holes for the baby to breathe and then cut open the membrane avoiding slightest chances of damage.
Pregnancy and human baby birth is already termed as a miracle on its own. There are so many complications and cases surrounding this process. Acaul birth is even more fascinating, hence have given birth to thousands of myths to it.
