As a midwife, this ONE fact is absolutely true to me. Out of everything else I know about conception, pregnancy and birth, woman knowing that their bodies and babies are blessed with the ability (just like any other physiological function) to give birth is mandatory for a safe, ecstatic experience to take place . It’s the fear, trauma, false beliefs, misunderstandings, misconceptions, untruths that are passed from generation to generation that prevent that from happening.
An AMAZING book I’ve read over and over is called “As a Man Thinketh.” Thoughts are things and vital to our success in any endeavor we undertake. Mastering and disciplining our thoughts gives way to focus and clarity to be guided to help create whatever thing or experience your wanting to.
So believe then hope then have faith that our bodies CAN and WILL birth are babies naturally and safely. This process gives way to the blissful experience most pregnant mamas long for. Its our thoughts that will, inevitably, create FIRST what we think of birth. Its the stories we’ve been told. The fear or concern that it stimulated within us. Its our mothers, aunts, sisters, who share their birth experiences with us that will mold how we then go on to understand and incorporate birth into our psychological process.
If you’ve heard a story that was negative (which most passed stories about birth are), contemplate on that. Recognize that person is NOT YOU and your experience doesn’t have to be ANYTHING like theirs. Its just a story. Someone else’s perception of what happened to them. I recognize that there are those “scary” birth stories out there where someone’s body couldn’t do it or things didn’t turn out as planned. If we enter OUR experience believing first we don’t know what we might experience, then we can have all kinds of open doors to help us educate and navigate exactly what it is we DO want and how to accomplish that.
You will hear me say over and over and over again that EDUCATION and SUPPORT are 2 of the most important factors in having a wonderful pregnancy and birth experience. Its a rare woman that I meet that did everything she could. She read books. Took classes. Talked with professionals of all kinds. Ate right. Meditated. Exercised. A woman that truly took great care and consideration of her thoughts, body, and spirit, that didn’t end up with exactly what she hoped for and wanted in her delivery.
Ponder that. Its true. I promise the more you know, when it comes to birth, will absolutely help you find the belief, hope and faith that you can birth your baby safely and happily.