The Scalpel and the Silver Bear Chapter Summary & Analysis - Chapter Thirteen, A Knotted Sash Summary

Chapter Thirteen, A Knotted Sash Summary and Analysis

The Navajo celebrate a baby's first laugh, which is a sign that the soul has been attached to the body.

Alvord and Jon had decided to induce labor. She would go to GIMC for the procedure. Despite frustration with some of the procedures, she felt pretty happy. When a Navajo gives birth, many rituals are carefully followed, rituals Alvord wanted to observe. Some rituals are described. Then Alvord reviews Kodi's birth.

The first two days of induction were full of rented movies, reading and Scrabble. Her contractions grew, but she still enjoyed herself until the third day when the drugs started to kick in. Her mother and sister, husbands in tow, were visiting. Alvord's bodily condition edged her towards a C-section. She wanted to remember her misery throughout the procedure when she was treating her patients. During the procedure, Alvord's mother brought in a medicine woman named Maria Herrera,...
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