Baby keeps stretching and kicking inside my belly. I swear he is doing somersaults sometimes! Looks like we may have a little gymnast in the making. 😉
With our birth day beginning to approach, more and more of my time is filled with preparing for the birth of our baby. Sorting through baby clothes, subscribing for free baby boxes :), organizing our soon-to-be nursery, and going through list after list of to do’s. Suddenly there is so much to do and so little time to do it all! But at the same time, I have this overall feeling of calm that baby will come when he is ready and we will figure it out one step at a time :).
This weekend, my brother asked me if I was getting excited for our delivery. I’m not sure if he was sarcastic or serious, as I know many women do not look forward to the labor and delivery process. Being done with pregnancy, yes. Holding their beautiful baby, yes. But the actual delivery? Not typically yes…
But for me, looking to the actual delivery, the honest answer is yes.
Our preparation for a calm, natural childbirth is preparing me for the most extraordinary, miraculous experience. Bringing a life into the world. As I have read the Hypnobirthing book, I have been reminded of the miracle growing inside of me. I am reverenced by the responsibility I have to bring this baby into the world. Everything about it is amazing.
So, then, why should the delivery process be any different? As my body follows the intuitive process it was built for, my baby will come into the world. If I relax and allow my body to do what it was born knowing to do, not allowing fear or tension to get in the way, I will have a beautiful, peaceful experience.
Sometimes it’s hard to believe this with all the opposing views on childbirth that surround me. Peers, relatives, and the media all share their terrific birth experiences. Yet I am convinced that birth does not have to be that way. Here are just a few lines I love from what I’ve read this week.
From the experience of one mother. Following a remarkably smooth birth, the midwife said to the mother,
“I have never seen anything like that before. You are obviously made to have babies.” To which the mum replied: “Of course. I’m a woman!” (p.208)
“All natural birth has a purpose and a plan. Who would think of tearing open the chrysalis as the butterfly emerges? Who would break the shell and pull the chick out prematurely? Who would force these birth processes that are so perfectly designed?” (p.43)
I can’t find it in the book, but it compared the intimacy of labor with that of conception. I love this connection. The baby enters the world through the same outlet by which he entered the womb. Both should be an intimate, love-filled experience. I want to welcome my baby into the world with love and a full heart. I want my husband to be actively involved as our baby enters the world. We created this life together, and together we will welcome him into the world.
“Nature in her most empowered state bringing life, through you.” (from Marie Mongan’s Birth Rehearsal Imagery)
“Each one defined as three. All three connected as one, in a celebration of life.” (Birth Rehearsal Imagery)
I’m grateful for what hypnobirthing has taught me about the natural, intuitive nature of labor. I am learning to release my fears and embrace the miracle occurring within me. We can’t wait to welcome this little one into our lives 🙂
