Reclaim your power: inspiration and reflections for pregnancy, childbirth and beyond
Giving birth is one of the most sacred experiences a woman can have and yet this time is often filled with anxiety and fear. Fear of the unknown and the known. How can we as women transform this experience and take back the arena of pregnancy and childbirth that has become constricted and heavily medicalized in many places? This podcast is a series of my reflections and insights about pregnancy, birth, and beyond, as well as other things pertaining to being a woman. It is based on my experiences, the experiences of women I have supported as a doula, and books written by midwives, doulas, and doctors who believe in a woman's right to birth her way. My aim is to inspire and challenge the way we are being socialized to give birth and to remind us that the power lies within us. To challenge us as women to take back our power by informing and educating ourselves so we understand the processes of pregnancy and childbirth. To awaken us to the possibility of having an empowered birth experience. To remind us that our bodies are ours and should be treated with reverence and respect. Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become
Reclaim your power: inspiration and reflections for pregnancy, childbirth and beyond
Episode 6: No pain no gain? Understanding pain during childbirth
Pain during childbirth is one of the things many women dread, especially those who are having their first child. There is so much misinformation out there that scares us - what we see portrayed on TV or in the movies, the stories other people tell us. But is there more to this? Does this pain have a role to play? Can we and should we avoid experiencing pain? Can we change our relationship with the pain we experience as we birth our children? In this episode, I reflect on these questions and present an alternative way to understand pain, as well as tips on how to cope with it. I reflect on how changing our attitudes towards pain during childbirth is another way for us to reclaim our power and to lead us to experience gentler births.
In this episode I refer to the book ' Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth' by Ina May Gaskin. I highly recommend it as she discusses the issues I touch on in this podcast in more detail.
Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become
Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become