Beginning of Essay
If Lia had been born in Laos, where her parents and twelve of her brothers and sisters were born, her mother would have squatted on the floor to give birth. The floor was dirt, but it was clean. Her mother, Foua, sprinkled it regularly with water to keep the dust ....

Middle of Essay
.... a sound. An occasional prayer would be made to the Hmong gods and ancestors, to ease the pain. She was so quiet that all of her other children slept undisturbed a few feet away, and woke only when they heard the cry of their newborn brother or sister. After each birth, Nao Kao cut the umbilical cord with heated scissors and tied it with string. After the birth, Foua washed the baby with water she had carried from the stream earlier that day. Foua conceived, carried, and bore all her children with ease. If there were any problems, she would use a variety of remedies that were commonly used by the Hmong culture. Some Hmong couples chose to not conceive ....