Welcome to “Empowered Through the Process,” a weekly newsletter dedicated to supporting you on your journey through motherhood.
From here forward, you will begin to see a second weekly newsletter! On Sundays you will continue to receive the Coach’s Corner Weekly with a focus on personal growth, self-development and Health Coaching. The Saturday morning newsletter: “Empowered Through the Process” will be devoted to all things Preconception, Pregnancy and Postpartum.
I continue to be hungry for knowledge and on a mission to share what I learn with our community. I believe that “Knowledge is Power” and that Power can translate to Empowerment!
With that in mind, each Saturday, you can expect a new topic from me accompanied by two weekly recommendations:
Something to Learn & Something to Share
Today, learn about “The Bodies for Birth 6 P’s” and the Empowered Approach we utilize.
As always, my work stems from love and this newsletter is no different. May this bring a bit of knowledge, inspiration and empowerment into your day!
| “Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.” – Barbara Kingsolver |
As I developed this concept of “The 6 P’s,” one theme came through clearly over and over again, the importance of personal Power and of Empowerment. While the foundation of our work at Bodies for Birth is fitness, within the fitness instruction, there is clear message of Power and of Empowerment.
And, with good reason. The perinatal time can be an era when our Power feels stripped away.
We may quickly learn how little Power we have over this process when first trying to conceive—in Preconception—the first P on our wheel—especially if this process takes longer than we’d hoped.
As our bodies change throughout Pregnancy—the 2nd P—we again realize, how little Power we have over the changes that come along with the process—the heartburn and stretch marks, the growing belly and erratic emotions.
Preparation—the 3rd P— puts the Power back into the process!! And this is what we do at Bodies for Birth–we Prepare–thoughtfully, thoroughly, specifically.
There is no debate, we cannot control experiences or outcomes in labor and delivery, but we CAN prepare. And, I’d argue that Preparation is happening throughout one’s life (long before pregnancy) culminating in the skills that make a pregnant person perfectly ready for their own unique experience–if only they’re able to be aware and tap into these skills in the moment.
This is an essential component of our mind-body Preparation at Bodies for Birth.
Parturition—the 4th P–this is the process of childbirth. Recognizing that so much is out of our control, we can still aim to have a Powerful, Empowered labor experience—and what a life changing event this can be!
Postpartum—the 5th P—the mixed up, messy, sleepy, dreamy, dozy, hazy, blissful, terrifying, aching, overwhelming new phase of life with baby. Here, the “paradoxes of parenthood” become exquisite as we hold a breathtaking amount of love and fear all at once–experiencing the ultimate in vulnerability. Despite this, we aim to be Empowered by education gained during prenatal preparation and with community support.
Parenthood—the 6th P—and the rest of your life! We come full circle, settle in and settle down–recognizing that the beauty found while on the rollercoaster of Parenthood. We are empowered through experience, through shared learning, through community and a growing sense of confidence over time.
And so,”The 6 P’s.” Each “P” a Process of its own, and collectively, a transformative one to say the least!
Bodies for Birth aims to provide life training and sustaining skills to help you thrive so you may be “Empowered Through the Process!”