The Moment We Work Toward Together
This is what we come together to prepare for at Bodies for Birth; this impending and dare-I -say, monumental event that brings new life into this world.
Week after week we try on new coping strategies, challenge our bodies with interval and strength based training, challenge our minds through mediation and visualization, challenge our abilities to stay steady with balance exercises and come up against sometimes uncomfortable emotions and sensations throughout the process.
We do all of this in the name of preparation; because how we show up for birth matters. Our mental and physical states send signals to our bodies that influence the labor experience. And while these signals are not solely responsible for any particular birth outcome, we aim for the messages to be of confidence, of calm, of safety and serenity.
My two labor experiences were remarkably different, and each taught me valuable lessons and shaped the person I am today. It’s my honor to share these stories with you.
Will and I struggled and recovered over and over again for 4 1/2 long, excruciating hours of pushing while I moulded his sunny-side-up head, ultimately ending in a vaginal delivery after what felt like a completely merciless battle. You can read the entire story here. (Please note: It is overall, a positive story, but it does have some very intense and perhaps triggering moments. Please skip ahead to Johnny’s story if you’d like to avoid exposure to what may be upsetting to read).
Five years later and with an abundance of knowledge and experience under my belt, Johnny and I rode the waves of contractions with ease. I felt so completely calm and enjoyed the experience of labor so much that we barely made it to the hospital in time.
In beautiful synchronicity, I am releasing the story of Johnny’s birth today, on the five year anniversary of his due date. You can read the entire story here.
I’m grateful to have twice experienced what I consider to be “good birth stories.” While there were times of fear and suffering in my labor with Will, I still qualify the experience as positive overall. And here is why I do…
I was empowered and supported by my family and care team both times. I labored in facilities and with providers that honored my wishes. I was never pressured or coerced into interventions/decision making or forced to feel I was on any particular timeline. For this and so much more, I am forever grateful.
The experience of Will’s birth was the catalyst behind Bodies for Birth. The provider that believed in us and fiercely protected my desire for an unmedicated vaginal delivery changed the course of my life and in effect, the community. By supporting me in an empowered birthing experience, despite the challenges, I then felt further empowered to create, to build and to support this population.
Johnny’s birth reaffirmed my unwavering belief in myself, my intuition and in the strength of my mind and body. I emerged with a new understanding of the healing, empowering capacity of birth.
I know firsthand how wildly different one birth can be more the next and that how we birth matters. May you arrive at and move through your experience in peace and with unwavering support. May you always find both at Bodies for Birth.