my journey: pregnant with baby #3 in 2020.
“You will birth beautifully. Your baby will be born into love. Into peace. Into the safety of your arms. Her first cry will light up the room with the purest joy. It will be magical. It will heal the hearts of so many.
Babies born into this time are our medicine. They are our reminder that life goes on – that goodness prevails. That this is temporary and a bright future awaits. And you sweet mama are carrying that medicine. You are holding the holy light. You’ve been given the powerful task and glorious gift of birthing a new world – of welcoming life into a planet at a peak moment of transformation.” - Catie Atkinson (Spirit Y Sol)
Birth. It is earthy, grounding, animalistic, raw. It is cosmic, ethereal, fiercely feminine and other-worldly, a mystery, a spiritual path. Birth is sacred, instinctual, the ultimate embodiment and spiritual journey. Birth is intense, exhilarating and empowering.
This is how birth should be, a positive, powerful, a spiritual experience, a rite of passage.
Too often this is not how birth turns out and unfortunately increasingly so in our modern world. Intervention, lack of access to education and preparation, negative influence of media and the business of birth are just a few of the reasons why giving birth is increasingly traumatic and a negative experience for women and families.
Too often we hear stories, of women not being honoured or listened to; of fear and anxiety clouding over the joy of birth; stories of unnecessary intervention occurring or preferences not being respected, women being violated and abused.
Being pregnant in today’s world we can often forget just how incredible this journey of birth is. Sometimes we even forget we are pregnant, especially if it is a second or third child. When prepared for and supported, pregnancy and birth takes women to the very depths of their being, their true essence that is strength and vulnerability, control and surrender and ultimately the miracle of life connecting mother and partner or family to something bigger than ourselves. Babies truly are little miracles.
Creating another being and birthing them into this world is a sacred passage for the woman and her family and it is this spiritual connection, this awareness that I believe can help mothers to feel more grounded and empowered as they journey into early motherhood. It sets the foundation for a more confident and instinctual role as mother, care-giver, nurturer. Connecting to the mystery of life.
This connection can be made at any stage - it is simply an awareness. But if it can be cultivated whilst pregnant then magic often happens during labour and birth.
Inhale.
Exhale.
During my first pregnancy I studied pre and postnatal yoga and then went on to teach classes. The tools, information and theory behind the practice gave me an appreciation and a deeper love for my body and whole self that I am so thankful for. Honouring the goddess within, the highs and lows of pregnancy, embracing the unknown were all themes of the training.
When it cam to labour and birth I was able to go within, almost like meditating (but with noise!), but I was also completely aware of my surroundings for the most part. I used breath, movement, stillness and sound to travel through the surges. I remember feeling like Superwoman once my first was born and these superpowers stayed with me as we journeyed, bleary-eyed, through newborn life. My second was similar only this time I read about hypnobirthing and used affirmations during labour, read aloud by my mum. My second boy came out in the water-bath, in hospital supported by midwives. Again I felt those superpowers and a deep connection to life.
I am now pregnant with my third baby, due in June and I am preparing using Hypnobirthing Australia™ techniques. Self-hypnosis, visualisations, breathwork, massage and acupressure are just a few I will take with me into this birth. With these tools and theory I feel confident that I can birth my baby into the world with ease and I am so looking forward to meeting our baby girl.
I discovered through both of my births that letting go of control ultimately, and paradoxically, gives you more control. The more we can release and let go, the better we work with the surrendering nature and power of birth. If we can let go of the fear and the tension then the body can do its magic. And it all starts with the mind, if we can get the mind right, the body will follow. Developing a positive mindset is essential and so achievable.
The idea of control and letting go is so pertinent for today, for the pregnant women, as we muddle through the days of the pandemic. Let go of what you cannot control – the pandemic, the media, others actions and reactions and focus on what you can – your breath, your mindset, this moment right now, what you can do today to feel better or to feel good, what needs to be done today (it’s usually not as much as you think!), the media you expose yourself to. There will always be unknowns in life as in pregnancy. No one knows for sure what the future will bring but this in itself is something we must surrender to, let go of what we cannot control.
Being pregnant now feels like an even greater blessing at this time, it is this light and hope within, something to truly look forward to and send all your loving awareness and focus to.
No one knows for sure how long this time will last but we must not lose sight of the courageousness and wisdom of the mind, body and heart and the strength of love and compassion in the world. This is what we need in order to move forward – love and compassion, within these is all the strength and courage you need. There has never been a more important time to practise mindfulness and to learn the deep wisdom of hypnobirthing.