Childbirth: Your Body Knows What to Do
In this picture I was just days away from the birth of my second baby. Before becoming a mom, I always really remember being excited about pregnancy and birth. I figured that it was something every other mother before me had gone through, and I didn’t need to worry about how it was going to happen.
I had an idea about how I wanted things to go when I was pregnant with my first baby. I remember talking about my wishes with friends and family, and realizing that not everyone was as excited by childbirth as me. There are a lot of people out there that are uncomfortable and scared- reasonably so, because until you have done it, it’s unknown. It’s a huge life event. Not only is it physically and mentally exhausting, and considered painful (a note on this another time) but once you are on the other side your whole life will be different. No matter how it happens your life will never be the same.
The birth of my first child was a lot more complicated than I had anticipated. I didn’t prepare as much as I wish I would have. Now that I am on the other side, I see how much a little bit of support, and mental and physical preparation could have done for me. Not because I wasn’t capable of bringing him into the world… he’s here, and beautiful. Happy and healthy. Simply because I wish I would have realized that his birth wasn’t an event that was happening to me, but it was a life changing milestone I was going to get to experience. That I was actively a part of. That even when I didn’t have “control” I could surrender to the process, and literally breathe another life into this world. All birthing people deserve to feel supported and prepared for what is going to happen when they enter their birthing place. One day I hope to be able to share more about my births, but that’s not actually what this post is about.
What I really wanted to say is this: You already have everything you need to bring your baby into this world. You don’t need to be afraid. It’s an experience like none other, and you can do “hard” things. You will look back in awe of yourself, and what you accomplished. This is what it means to be empowered through childbirth. To get to the other side and say, “Wow, I did that. I didn’t know how I was going to do it, but I did. My body was ready, and my baby is here.” That’s how I felt after my son was born. It didn’t go how I had planned, yet, I still wanted to do it again. I felt empowered to give it even more of myself the second time around.
I know that there are a lot of mothers who equally need support on the other side of birth. It’s “easier said than done” when it comes to feeling empowered after your birth. A lot can happen that needs to be processed. I have been there. I hope to be a safe space for you to come to prepare for birth, or after, to process what you went through and how you feel about it. I am here to listen, to encourage, to empower, and if you are struggling more mentally than I am capable of helping with my skillset, to make sure that you land in the hands of someone who has the resources to help. A lot of what I share here will be about preparing for birth, and also taking care of you rmental health after.
Subscribe to my email list below, or check back to learn more about upcoming opportunities and resources I am sharing centered around sharing your birth story, processing, and caring for yourself mentally (before or) after birth. Please always feel free to reach out if you want someone to talk to! My free consultation doesn’t have to be for only my birth and postpartum clients. I want my listening ear and resources to be available to anyone in need.