A little bit of poetry and a lot of bit of reflection…
3 Things I’d do differently and 3 Things I’m most proud of on this wild parenting journey so far.

Preparing for Birth: What does it take?

After a really enjoyable prenatal visit with a lovely client, I got this message:

“A question came up for me afterwards. In your experience at different births, are there any common qualities, attitudes, beliefs, or actions you've seen among birthing people and their partners that have made the biggest difference between an empowering/calm/joyful/[insert positive adjective] birth vs. a more challenging birth?”

I’ve been sitting with this question for a while because there are so many ways I could answer it.

“…I'd like to think I'm leaving little sparks around for my little one to notice and say ‘ah’ and start some real wildly, creative fires.”

“My client, half asleep, but still armed in true birthing bad-assery, asked if there was any medical indication for her body or baby to need this intervention, just like we practiced during our prenatal visits…”

What’s the best part about the breath techniques below? This breath work is great for life in general. Being human is messy. Breathing makes it more manageable. You don’t need to be expecting to practice tuning in to your breath. You don’t need to be expecting to be kind to your body and mind. You don’t need to be expecting to grow more aware of this pretty rad body carrying you through life every day! What a vessel?!

The benefits of breath awareness are pretty fantastic. How did you navigate through the most recent stressful/ demanding event or experience in your life? My guess is that, even subconsciously, your body turned to a certain breath pattern. If you’re looking for more agency with this, different types of breaths and accompanying postures are really wonderful to explore. 

In the words of a birthing partner...

“Those first six weeks...they go by quickly...it’s hard but worth every moment...and simple gestures mean a lot. Just try. You don’t have to be perfect. You won’t live up to the birthing person’s power (if that’s who your partner is). You just won’t. Tell your ego to sit this one out, and witness the power of a birthing person.”

I felt held through an ending and a beginning by a community of dedicated professionals whose sole purpose was to focus on the very first moments of a person's life in this world. I thought a lot about how profound, poetic, and spiritual their work must be. And I think that's when a sneaky seed was planted.