Rachel
Guest post-Athena B. Serapio
I remember the very first time I thought about ‘giving’ birth to a child. I was a 15 year old girl (barely a freshman) sitting in the hallway of my new high school with my friend and her older cousin. She was recounting her friend’s birth story who graduated just last year. My mouth dropped [...]
Acceptance
When I was pregnant with my first child, a local birth center was recommended to me. I had never thought about different childbirth options, but thought it might be a good way to go and see what birth was like without an epidural. I went into birth, knowing full well that I would feel pain, [...]
“We were born together”
“My mother was me and I thought that on the day I was born, we were born together”.
I came across this quote awhile ago, but apologize as I don’t remember where I found it. I thought this was an interesting idea about how birth is really the birth of both the mother and the baby.
In this [...]
A spiritual birth
“This was a new nursing role,
A change in jobs
Moving from a hospital unit
To assist birth at home.
Labor pains came gently
Through the night.
A skylight streamed morning light
As she labored in a rocking chair.
Her labor intensified.
She walked, groaned, clutched my arm.
Glad for my presence and
Words of encouragement.
I supported her work,
Noticing her intuitive movements.
I assisted her position changes
And massaged her back.
She [...]
Birth Stories
As part of these birthing classes I am putting together, I want to have a day set aside to honor the woman who is becoming a mother. During this class I would love to be able to share positive birth stories that help uplift and inspire. As such, I would love if anyone would like [...]
Essay Contest Winner
My husband Josh and I had been trying to get pregnant for a total of about 18 months (with some hiatus periods because of insurance issues from job changes), and each and every month of trying would culminate in excitement and end in tears. We eventually went to see an OB/GYN for a fertility evaluation. [...]
My assumptions
I believe….
labor is a natural normal process and is best left that way. On the other hand, there can be complications, and it is best to be able to have someone there to help monitor both you and baby to make sure all is going well and give medical care when necessary.
birth and motherhood are some of [...]
Exploring our assumptions
Here’s an activity to try. I’ll do this next week and report back to you my answers.
“Write as fast as you can anything and everything you assume to be true about pregnancy, labor, birth and being a mother. Write your birth legacy: family/religious/cultural beliefs, images, fears, traditions, unforgettable birth stories, and old wives tales….What is the [...]
Letting go of expectations
Part of being able to answer our questions about birth and labor, is being able to understand how culture plays a part in how we view birth, and then being able to break through that. England describes it this way, “In birth preparation, your first task is to empty your mind of expectations and [...]
My own question
So here is my question…and since I am done having kids, I am applying this to my mothering also….How will I cope when something unexpected happens and options are pulled away from me? I would hope that I wouldn’t become bitter. I would hope that I could find forgiveness. I would hope that I could [...]
Finding Your Question
Everyone enters birth with questions. What kind of mom will I be? How will I deal with pain? Will I be able to control the uncontrollable? Each of us has questions that no one but ourselves can answer. These are the questions that I want to turn to right now. If you had [...]
“Through soul-searching
and listening more deeply
to the women I was working with,
I finally understood that women
have to prepare for birth
in their heart and soul,
not their head.
And that giving birth is something a woman does
in her body,
not in her head.”(Pam England)
To me, birth has become something with meaning and it’s something I think the medical community fails to recognize. To have a successful birth, we must nourish [...]
A rite of passage
Pam England talks about childbirth being a rite of passage, not just a medical event. In our world today, it is very hard to get past the medical event stuff. So, I thought I’d offer some tips and choices.
Home birth is an option and research has shown (as far as I can tell) that it [...]
Artistic Expression
“Daring to express oneself through painting, sculpting or poetry is a way a mother (or father) boldly says, ‘I made this, it’s about what I know, what I feel as a mother (or father). This is me’. This self expression, and the acknowledgment and validation given by the group, infuses mothers with new confidence and [...]
Parent Preparation
“I realized that childbirth preparation should also be parent preparation” (p. x, Birthing from Within)
I have found this idea very profound. Part of what strikes me about birth is the fact that what is being born here is more than a baby. A new mother is being born as well as a family unit. To me [...]
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