UNVEILING HOME BIRTH BEAUTY
[…] From her body language I could tell that her surges were getting stronger and that her body naturally started to push.
That same moment, she turns to me saying; 'I don’t know when to start pushing!'
And I respond; 'Does your body feel like it wants to push?'
- YES
- Then let it do it!
Every time I witness a woman’s journey of pregnancy and birth, there is a great conviction inside me, that BIRTH WORKS! The RAW, PRIMAL, field of birth, gifts and unravels exactly as it needs to for the initiation of every unique woman into motherhood!
During pregnancy, the brilliance of her body has created life. The perfection of her human-ness has brought her face to face with everything she needed to face to uncover the veils and cross this threshold into motherhood, Even, if she is a mother already.
CHOOSING HOME BIRTH IN CYPRUS
This second time mama chose to have a home birth.
In her previous birth, even though ‘natural’ i.e. vaginal birth, she was traumatised by the way she was handled… This had an after-effect of ‘postpartum depression’ and a journey of healing and re-membering her power as she was putting herself together piece by piece. This time, home birth looked like the only (and safer) option for her.
When a woman reaches out to me wanting support for a home birth, we investigate weather she wants a home birth out of unprocessed fear (of her previous story repeating itself) or if home birth is a actually a choice that is the right one for her.
In Cyprus where I am based, the ‘system’ does not support home births. This means that women have no easy access to birthing professionals who are willing to be there without ‘risking’ their professional career and legal implications…
Having said that, I have long now been CHOOSING TO BYPASS THIS and despite these ‘facts’, be there for(the right) women who want to have my support at their birth.
I am there as a friend, a woman, a sister, who also happens to be a birth doula and who strongly believes that;
BIRTH WORKS!!!
That is IF;
The conditions necessary for the body to work as it’s meant to, ARE STRICTLY THERE
The woman is willing to DIVE DEEP; to put in the inner work and practical preparation necessary for this initiation
Through the journey of pregnancy, the woman feels SAFE in herself and in her power
She is bathing in a space of love and chooses to be surrounded by people who TRUST BIRTH and who are not looking for ‘something to fix’ out of habit, or just to feel that they are doing something
THIS MAMA WAS READY!
The whole journey of her pregnancy PREPARED HER for the initiation of BIRTH; that is of course, because she was choosing to listen and respond to the whispers of her soul, the messages of her body, her mind, her intuition, her instinct…
April 20th 2023;
there she was BIRTHING; becoming a channel of life for LIFE!
7:00 am - I receive a message where she was informing me that she has been having waves from 1:00 am, that they were getting more intense but still 10 - 15 min apart. She would call me when she needed me to get there!
11:00 am - I was on my way.
The birth scene included her and her baby in the womb, her partner, myself, her 2 dogs and the reggae music! The shifts or transitions, that were happening during the process were visible in the loudness of silence. So much was said in science!
No vaginal exams to check the dilation or ‘where she was at’, nobody to refer to, no rushing, no loud noice… Birth was happening anyway!
I recall what she told me during our preparation together when I asked her ‘how do you want to feel during your birth?’ She said; ‘I want to feel calmness and peace’!
My role had been to remind her of her strength, of the normality of everything she was experiencing, to stand for the fact that she knew what she was doing and that even when her mind was doubting, her body had all the wisdom that she needed to birth her baby.
[...] I don’t think she is coming yet, she said, but I have a feeling we should move to the other room (where she planed to birth), is it a good idea?
- Do you feel like moving to the other room?, I asked.
- Yes
- Then let’s go!
Before her mind was starting to question, her instinct knew exactly how to guide her. Knowing her story, I saw traces of her previous birth story playing out; doubt and disempowerment…
If I could stand as a mirror of her power, this was simply an opportunity to heal!
She had another wave (or commonalty called; ‘contraction’) and I noticed that she was squeezing her thighs together as she was bending her knees and leaning on the kitchen’s table with her chest.
I could tell that her surges were getting stronger and that her body was starting to push.
That same moment, she turns to me saying
- I don’t know when to start pushing!
And I respond
- Does your body feel like it wants to push?
- YES
- Then let it do it!
Her body language gave me the impression that that there was a part of her that was afraid of the increasing intensity; I felt that it was time for her to melt deeper. So I decided to whisper to her;
‘REMEMBER that these waves cannot be stronger than you cause they are you! LET THEM MELT YOU, don’t stand against them’!
These short conversations where very important for her process; in their simplicity, these words were powerful! They were guiding her back into her power, instead of taking the power away from her!
We moved in the bedroom. The amniotic sac was still intact, so there was no leaking of fluids. I had a feeling I needed to ask her if she wanted to remove her underwear so I did. Her response was; 'Even though it’s not time yet, let’s take it off!'
Within the next 15 min she had a few more surges and her waters broke.
The baby girl arrived a few minutes later at 14:14!
She turned to me saying; I thought I had a long way to go!
There is so much magic in getting to know a woman so deeply in such a ‘short time’!
Deep enough to know who speaks through her words; is it her trauma (from the past)? Is it her fear (for what is coming)? Is it what is actually happening in the moment?
This is a deeply intimate relationship; trust needs to be built and I am beyond grateful for the TRUST of this amazing power woman! I feel so lucky to be working with people who are also my soulmates, who are willing to connect and let themselves be seen!
Working with her felt easy, simple, grounded…
Birth is NOT JUST pushing the baby out of a woman’s body; birth is a spiritual experience, a cleansing, transcendental process, a rite of passage that births both a mother and a baby!
BIRTH WORKS!
I left this birth field up with CONVICTION that
BIRTH WORKS
Birth can be simple and easy, calm and peaceful
Birth is a reflection of all that is going on in a woman’s life and the choices she has been making, leading up to that portal
Every birth is PERFECT
With LOVE & GRATITUDE
Stefanie
If you want to be supported in your Pregnancy & Birth, let's chat! Arrange a FREE DISCOVERY CALL or check out my work 👇🏼.