dominique: Interesting article. Thanks for the pic poster, i've always wondered what one of those looks like.

maclatunji: Never knew of such before.

Ìyániwúrà123: You are most welcome Ma, that is the essence of the post. Thanks for your time

Winneygirl: Abegiiiii!
Who are all those chicken-livered pple complaining abt d pic??

D pic is perfect!!!

P.S: I once heard a myth that, in places dat lack modern medicine and mostly in home deliveries d 'sac' is opened by pouring palm oil over it.

Who has d fact abt dis??

Iyaniwura123:
1-A membrane that covers the head and face of a newborn is called a CAUL. It is a remnant of the amniotic membrane.

10 Interesting Things About Veiled Births, see more pictures here:
http://iyaniwura.com/10-interesting-things-about-veiled-births/

2-In extremely rare cases, the caul can enclose the newborn entirely in what is known as a 'veiled birth' or an 'en-caul birth'. In this case, the sac is never broken and the water is not released until the baby is outside the womb (uterus).

3-In some cultures, babies born with a full caul are considered to be very special and there are various rites to mark such a birth. Among the Yorubas of West Africa, a child born fully enclosed in the caul (sac) is called Oke. In some other cultures, the caul is removed and given to the parents who then preserve it in a special jar or dispose of it themselves by burial or burning. By the way, is there any Oke in the house?

4-In the old traditions of certain parts of Europe, a caul is highly prized by sailors who see it as a sign of goodluck and a kind of charm that can save them from drowning and other forms of disasters while at sea. In medieval Europe, mothers sold the cauls of their children to sailors for huge sums of money. For some others, it is used in preparing special charms and potions. For Iyaniwura, the caul is nothing more than a sheet of membrane that should be discarded like abodi that has gone bad.

5-Sigmund Freud, Charlemagne (Charles the Great) and Napoleon Bonaparte, the Emperor of France were all said to be born enclosed in a caul.

6-A child born with the caul is called a CAULBEARER.

7-The caul is also known as a 'hood', 'veil' or the 'veil of tears'.

8. The caul is harmless and can be easily removed by the doctor or a midwife but it has to be done properly so as not to injured the baby.
9. In most cases, en-caul births occur in premature deliveries.
10. Caul births should not be confused with an en-caul birth in which the baby is totally enclosed in the amniotic sac.