born in the caul

**Starfirefae** · 10-21-2010

My little boy was born in March 2010 and was fully inside his amniotic sac "born in the caul". He came so fast that I had virtually NO labor! I took a nap about an hour before he was born; then woke up bloody and he was crowning! He was born in 15mins without any drugs, and almost without a doctor because he came so fast! The doctor said she has delivered close to 400 babies and had never seen anything like that before. At the time I didn't know what was happening when I looked down all I could see was my baby inside a thin film sac; moving and opening and closing his mouth but we couldn't hear him until the doctor broke the amniotic sac. He was wrapped in a bubble with the water in the sac fully enclosed still! I hadn't heard of this before so I didn't know that I should've requested the sac to be saved. Sorry that I didn't now after everything that I've read about it.

However, I am wondering if anyone has any more information other than what I've read online about what it means to be "born in the caul".....and if anyone has any personal experience with this phenomena?
Upon birth he has had full control of his neck and head and could look around a room immediately. He has also had full control of his eyes (never went cross-eyed or never seemed like he could only see up close)...he examines everyone individually when they enter a room! He'll stare people down and it's like he's studying them.

My little boy is happy, healthy, sweet and has eyes that "know"...he is 7mos young and began full-on crawling at 4mos; began standing and cruising on the furniture at 6mos. and already saying "hi"! He's very sensitive to people who display lots of nervous energy or are a bit too upbeat.
Hoping to hear from some other parents that want to share about the new children being born these days (2008-2010)*
Thank you~
En Lakech~
Starfirefae

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**tappsislandmom** · 10-21-2010

Congratulations on your baby boy being born! Never heard of that happening but happy for you and your family!
Janet

**Starfirefae** · 10-22-2010

Thank you for your warm wishes, Tappsislandmom*

It is extremely rare nowadays for babies to be born in the "caul" due to the medical procedure of breaking a woman's water during labor; thus, this used to be more common though still rare centuries ago. However, due to the medical community's concern of labor pains and the structured medical procedures of "how to" deal with labor and delivery, the occurrence of a baby born within the amniotic sac is almost obsolete.

It was believed to be an omen of prophecy and prophetic vision. Also, the amniotic sac would be pressed onto a piece of paper and then sold to sailors; as it was a prized possession that was believed to keep sailors from drowning while at sea! (My baby boy LOVES the water)

**rabana** · 10-22-2010

very cool. i've heard of the caul, never knew exactly what it meant. it always seems to bring vision and abilities, a special entity, from what i've read in novels.

**Starfirefae** · 10-22-2010

Here is one of the webpages that I've found with regards to "being born in the caul"~ from crystalinks.com

Some people are born with a veil, caul, or hood, over their face. Perhaps you are one of these people, or know someone who was born this way.

Many belief systems hold that being born with a veil is a sign of special destiny and psychic abilities, or good luck. Through the years I have read people born with a veil. Most are female and believe themselves to be psychically gifted, while others show no advanced abilities nor interest.

To be born with a caul, may go more to being Born with a Calling and where that takes a soul.

A caul or veil (Latin: Caput galeatum) is a thin, filmy membrane, the remnants of the amniotic sac, that covers or partly covers the newborn mammal immediately after birth. It is also the membrane enclosing the paunch of mammals, particularly as in pork and mutton butchery.

In childbirth it is seen as a shimmery coating of the head and face. The caul is harmless and it is easily removed by the doctor, midwife, or person(s) performing the childbirth. The appearance of a caul over a newborn baby's head is occasional; not all children have one, though they are not especially rare. A child born in this way is known as a caulbearer.

In medieval times the appearance of a caul on a newborn baby was seen as a sign of good luck. It was considered an omen that the child was destined for greatness. Gathering the caul onto paper was considered an important tradition of childbirth: the midwife would rub a sheet of paper across the baby's head and face, pressing the material of the caul onto the paper. The caul would then be presented to the mother, to be kept as an heirloom.

Over the course of European history, a popular legend developed suggesting that possession of a baby's caul would give its bearer good luck and protect that person from death by drowning. Cauls were therefore highly prized by sailors. Medieval women often sold their cauls to sailors for large sums of money; a caul was regarded as a valuable talisman. In butchery the caul is used as 'offal.'

Alexander the Great was allegedly born with a caul and he certainly had an interesting and powerful life, though short lived.

Amniomancy

Amniomancy - from the Latin 'amnion' (meaning membrane), it is a method of divination by means of the membrane which sometimes envelopes the head of a baby at birth. From the inspection of it, the diviner predicts what sort of future the newborn will have.This membrane, called caul, if red-colored signifies that the child in question will have a happy life. But if the membrane's lead-colored, the infant will have misfortunes.

In ancient Rome when a child was born with a caul it was believed to be an omen of phenomenal good luck, and in other parts of the ancient world such a person was considered to be immune to witchcraft and protected from drowning.In medieval times, the appearance of a caul on a newborn baby was also seen as a sign of good fortune. Medieval women often sold their cauls to sailors for large sums of money, because a caul was then also regarded as a valuable talisman against drowning.

A caul (Latin: Caput galeatum, literally, "head helmet") is a thin, filmy membrane, the remnants of the amniotic sac, that covers or partly covers the newborn mammal immediately after birth. It is also the membrane enclosing the paunch of mammals, particularly as in pork and mutton butchery. In butchery, the caul is used as offal.

A third meaning refers to a type of historical headress worn by women that covered tied up hair. A fancy caul could be made of satin, velvet, fine silk or brocade, although a simple caul would commonly be made of white linen or cotton. The caul could be covered by a crespine or a mesh net to secure it from falling off.

In childbirth, the caul (or veil) is seen as a shimmery coating of the head and face. The caul is harmless and is easily removed by the doctor, midwife, or person(s) attending the childbirth. A child born in this way is known as a caulbearer.

Medical sources contradict the popular opinion that a distinction needs to be made in relation to the birth caul and the adhesion of the birth (amniotic) sac to the face or head of a child at birth. In this view, the birth caul is a complete membrane covering the face of the child and the amniotic sac, or amnion, is another completely different kind of membrane that surrounds the child in the womb. The caul cannot be wiped off the child's face but must be carefully peeled off, while the adhesion of the amniotic membrane is simply a residue that sometimes sticks to the face, and is part of the afterbirth material.

Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, medterms.com, and Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary describe a caul as a piece of amnion that sometimes envelops a child's head at birth. To be "born in a caul" is to be born with the head covered by the amnion or within an intact unruptured amniotic sac.

According to Dwight Cruikshank MD, Professor and Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Medical College of Wisconsin states that being born with or in a caul is rare, probably occurring in fewer than 1 in 1000 births, and that he has seen fewer than 10 babies with a caul over the life of his career. He says that it is usually present only in premature babies.

In medieval times the appearance of a caul on a newborn baby was seen as a sign of good luck. It was considered an omen that the child was destined for greatness. Gathering the caul onto paper was considered an important tradition of childbirth: the midwife would rub a sheet of paper across the baby's head and face, pressing the material of the caul onto the paper. The caul would then be presented to the mother, to be kept as an heirloom. Over the course of European history, a popular legend developed suggesting that possession of a baby's caul would give its bearer good luck and protect that person from death by drowning. Cauls were therefore highly prized by sailors. Medieval women often sold these cauls to sailors for large sums of money; a caul was regarded as a valuable talisman. Other legends also developed. One popular legend went that a caulbearer would be able to see the future. A different legend held that a child born in caul would grow up to be a vampire if the caul was not disposed of properly.

**The Cauling** · 01-29-2011

Caulbearers.org
For information in regards to en-caul and born of the caul/veil...

**The Cauling** · 01-30-2011

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**The Cauling** · 01-30-2011