Why work towards a better birth?
*TRIGGER WARNING FOR BIRTH TRAUMA*
Most people rarely talk about, or fully recognise, the impact that childbirth can have on them. I believe that as women, during pregnancy and especially in childbirth, we are cracked open to our deepest core. And I believe there is a purpose to this ‘cracking open’: it gives us the opportunity to access our deepest power.
For many women, this is exactly what happens. They discover a depth of power they may never have known was there. They birth their babies and claim this rite of passage. They enter motherhood knowing that they were built for this - knowing themselves as a superhuman Goddess who has claimed the right to stand on the throne for her family, strong and deeply rooted at its centre. To me, this is what birth was meant to offer women: the chance to discover just how incredible they are, so they can bring that strength into their families, rooted and leading them with love.
Regrettably, for many, many women, this is not what happens. Being cracked open creates the possibility of accessing this extraordinary power, but it also leaves a woman incredibly vulnerable - perhaps more vulnerable than she has ever been before. She is opened up, right down to her core. And with that possibility for transformation also comes the possibility of deep, deep wounding.
When a woman is prevented from accessing her power during this potentially transformative experience, she is wounded. She becomes disconnected from her nature and from who she was born to be. The hurt can run so deep that it is almost intangible, yet it shakes the ground beneath her feet and reaches into the bones of her being. Rather than entering motherhood from the elevated throne she should be standing on, she may lose her sense of self-worth and her understanding of who she truly is, and become a victim. Her ability to mother instinctively is interrupted, sometimes irreparably.
This is my Why.
I support women to have the best birthing experience possible because I want them to move through this rite of passage - childbirth - and emerge as a more elevated version of themselves. I believe that when women are able to access this deep power and deep knowing, and become intrinsically woven into their own nature and who they truly are, the benefits reach far beyond birth itself.
The woman takes greater control of her life, her health and her family, and leads with love. Her child benefits from a deep and loving bond. Her partner benefits because, rather than seeing her ‘shaking’, ‘wounded’, or feeling ‘broken’, she is strong, certain and full of love. This strong centre often lasts a lifetime. Its effects spread outward to her wider family, her friends and her community, continuing further as she steps more fully into her power and purpose in life.
This is what I want for women, for families, and for the world.
You see, childbirth is not simply a day that passes and becomes a fading memory. It gets into your bones. It can build the ground you stand on, or break it. Not many people will tell you this truth, but I want you to know it, so you can do everything you can to make your birth the best it can be.
Arohanui
By Joanna Rosina - Body Balance Practitioner
