4 Ways Yoga Prepares You for Birth

So many people have asked me:  "Does yoga really make birth easier?"

My answer is always yes, Yes, YES!  The practice of yoga makes much of life easier, and the more we practice, the more we can rely on the tools of yoga to back us up in challenging situations.  When you look at Yoga as a way of engaging with life, as a lifestyle, then the gifts are much greater than physical benefits.  However, when it comes to the intense physical changes of pregnancy and childbirth, physical benefits cannot be understated.

1.  The Power of the Breath:  A large component of my prenatal yoga classes is the breath.  Noticing how the breath is naturally moving inside the body is a huge clue to how we are feeling internally.  If we are stressed or rushed, the breath will be fast and short.  If we are frightened we may hold our breath completely.  But, when we are calm the breath moves slowly, deeply, fully.

We can use these simple clues of the breath to change our state of mind and physical sensations in the body.  For example, when a contraction is painful a woman may try to hold back.  They may feel frightened and literally hold their breath.  A woman with a foundation of yoga will observe her body doing this and then through reminders of their own or of a labor companion she'll remember to deepen the breath.  These deep breaths will relax her body, helping her feel calm through the contractions, and physically soften her muscles to open up for baby.

In my Prenatal Yoga Classes we really get to know our breath.  I emphasize feeling how the breath moves in different positions so that Mamas notice the difference in their breathing from sitting down meditating to moving through very dynamic poses.  The idea is to create an equanimity in the breath no matter what is happening externally.  At all the births I've attended the word most commonly said by midwives and doulas in labour is "Breathe".  It is much easier to tap into a deep, calming breath when it has been practiced regularly prior to Birth.

2.  Moving for Comfort:  Prenatal Yoga can really teach a Mama how to create comfort in her body.  Many Mamas that come to my classes complain of back pain, sluggish digestion or uncomfortable sleep prior to class.  These same Mamas report major relief from back pain, smoother digestion and improved sleep the night after class.  This is a HUGE testament to how simple yoga asanas create ease and comfort in the body.

This idea of moving for comfort easily transfers to birth itself.  Gently swaying the hips or rocking on hands and knees in labor can dramatically reduce pressure on the hips and low back.  With almost every contraction of my labour I got into an all fours position and swayed my hips back and forth.  This was just as vital in easing pain as was my labour companion's hands on my back.  I've held many Mamas as they lean forward during contractions.  Moving in early labour helps encourage contractions to pick up.  Moving right up until birth helps baby find an ideal position, and good positioning of baby also can reduce pain in birth.

When a Mama can find a comfortable (or at least a MORE comfortable position) for birth they are able to relax and open easily.  In prenatal yoga classes we learn a variety of positions that can be used in birth to create ease.

3.  Setting Intention:  Intention is a cornerstone of yoga that differentiates it from other forms of exercise.  I have found intention to be vital for creating a positive attitude.  As one of my mentors, Stephanie Dawn says, Intention creates a pathway for consciousness to flow.  Setting an intention is as simple as asking yourself "What do I really want from this experience?".  I encourage Mamas to practice this through out pregnancy, or even prior to conception if you are preparing to conceive.  This is an incredible way to tune in with your womb or spirit baby and ASK THEM what they want.  Daily intentions provide a solid place for pregnant Mamas to turn back to when they feel confused or stressed.    In my life I have found that when things don't work out as I wanted, many times I did not have a clear intention for the experience.

One Mama I worked shared this with me: "My intention was to open, and I visualized baby moving down and out throughout the last weeks of my pregnancy.  I had a fast and relatively short labor for a first time mom and I know it was because of my clear intentions".

When birth is an intentional experience, with clear desires and visions laid out before labor begins, a family is most likely going to have the birth experience that they want.

4.  Opening the Pathway:  Regular prenatal yoga practice literally prepares the body for birth. With carefully selected asanas the pelvic floor is widened, strengthened, and an awareness of how to open the birth canal is gained.  There is a delicate balance in prenatal yoga of muscle strength, and organically opening.  We expand the space in the body.  With these fine-tuned asanas the birth canal and whole body is made ready for birth.  My prenatal yoga classes also emphasize opening the heart, because no matter how a Mama births, her heart will be opened in ways unimaginable before.

Do you want to engage in this potent practice with me?  

A 6-week series of Heart-Centered Prenatal Yoga classes begins the end of the month.  Click Here for more info on Facebook, or email me and I'll send you the details.  

Space is limited and a special price is available if you register by 11/10/12.

Placenta Power

Let's talk about Placentas, one of my very favorite topics.  The placenta is an incredible organ designed to sustain our womb-babies life, growing with the baby from the very first cell division.  The role of the placenta doesn't stop at birth.  As baby is born, the placenta holds on to the mother still, ensuring baby gets all the oxygen, blood and life-force until baby is ready to manage on his own (with Mama's support, of course).   In most cultures throughout history the placenta has been honored and revered, and most mammals eat their placenta (placentophagy), including herbivores.  The placenta provides mothers with optimal nutrition after birth, yet in our modern-American culture many mothers do not take the placenta up on its nutritional, hormone balancing offer.

A healthy placenta with cord and sack still attached.  Photo from Dear Baby G

The benefits of placentophagy, or as I think of it, placenta medicine, are so vast.  Benefits have been sited to reduce "baby blues" that occur from the dramatic shift of hormones around 3-5 days after birth, restore vitality & encourage healing for mom, lessen postnatal bleeding by encouraging the uterus to shrink & tone, increase milk supply, restore iron, help with menopausal symptoms, increase libido and much, much more.  Seriously who doesn't want to experience this kind of goodness?!  It's powerful, holy medicine!

These last two benefits I cannot speak of personally because I didn't want to save any of my placenta that long, though I will preserve some for years to come in future births.  However, I experienced all the other benefits of eating my placenta, especially its effect on easing the transition from pregnancy to mother hood.  My world was rocked by this transition.  I felt emotional, primal, protective and weepy.  It is completely normal to feel this way after Birth for many reasons, both physical and spiritual.  A great physical contributor to the so-called "baby blues" is the incredible shift of hormones in a woman after birth.  The mother-baby's placenta is made just for them, unique to one's own needs.  By eating the placenta either immediately after birth or in the first few days & weeks postpartum a mom is able to regulate the shift of hormones.  I was so grateful to have my own personal Placenta Medicine, and by taking it daily starting on 1.5 days after birth I was able to find a more centered place.  The honor that I hold for mine & Sly's placenta is enormous, not just because it sustained Sly in utero, but also for the stability it offered me afterbirth.

Placenta with sack cut open.  Photo from A Midwife's Muse.

Before birth I knew only 1 other mama that had prepared and ingested her placenta.  I am so grateful she told me about it!  I read about placenta preparation in Aviva Jill Romm's book Natural Health after Birth, which is now my most recommended book for prenatal mamas.  Papa Bear prepared my placenta while I watched and held Sly.  It was a simple and deeply reverent experience.

I have had the honor of helping a few other women since I began working as a doula with the preparation of their placentas.  These women cited similar benefits of helping ease the transition to mother-hood.  I feel so blessed to have been a part of their experience through the simple, mindful preparation of their placenta's for them to enjoy the healing benefits.  It makes me deeply happy to see families wanting to honor the placenta.

Many women who aren't eager to ingest their placenta still  find great comfort in honoring their placenta in a sacred way.  Common tradition are to bury the placenta under a special plant, or make placenta prints with it, a form of art.  Cultures around the world engage in a variety of ceremonies to revere the placenta, and I see these ceremonies as alternative Placenta Medicines as well, as they are medicine for the soul.

Placenta print.  Photo from Babble

Unfortunately, the largest hospital near me no longer allows placentas to be sent home with patients.  Many hospitals still readily send placentas home with patients, and often there is an informed consent for the parents to fill out.  After all, the placenta is an organ.  Of course, if you birth at home you can do what ever you want with your placenta.  I hope to work towards change on this policy through education of the wondrous benefits the placenta has to offer. 

Some resources for more info are:
http://placentabenefits.info/
Another Moms Story of Placenta Medicine (and peaceful birth story too!)
Natural Health after Birth by Aviva Jill Romm
Placenta Book

If you are near my area and interested in my Placenta Encapsulation services, please email me!  All placentas are worked with in a healthy, clean environment at either my home or yours.  I maintain a clear mind & open heart while working with each placenta, and chant healing mantras through the work as well.

Labor (day) Blessings

I joined in a women's circle this Labor Day weekend to celebrate and bless the path of a friend preparing for birth.  Below is a poem of reflection from my labor with Sly-Baby, that I offered to the beautiful Sierra at her Blessingway.  Also, some pictures from my Blessingway (indoors) and hers (outdoors).  Happy holiday and blessings to all the Mama's out there!

Step into the fire that burns bright at a time darker than night.

The fire burns to purify you and usher in yours.

The fire is Creation; It is Creating.

Breath deep in the cavern of your soul.

You sit on the cusp of Heaven and Earth, timeless. 

From that infinite place your baby will be born.

The wind blows on breath, rousing the waters of Creation.

Water floods the fire of your Yoni, and Baby is brought to Earth.

A perfect dance; An alchemy only birth can create.

Listen to The Mother of us all.

Listen to The Child of us all. 

Ancient spirits & Innate wisdom.

You know exactly what to do.

Blessed are we women to experience the journey of Birth.

To touch our absolute freedom and definite limits in the same moment. 

To tap into The Source.

To expand in body and heart greater than we knew possible.

"Mama" is a title of honor.

show your Self some love

It has struck me within the last year how infrequently we offer ourselves love.  I say "we" referring broadly to all humans, but really specifically, at least for today, I am speaking about mothers.  In my experience it is often easier to give love to those outside ourselves than to really spend time loving our Selves.  And then of course we hold others responsible for loving us, or even believe we aren't worthy. There is a whole slew of antics we can play with ourselves rather than acknowledging our own power to be who we want to be; our own responsibility for loving our Selves.

We are all served by cultivating our own Self-love, and a mother focused on this has all the more to give to her child. What does it mean to really Love one's Self?  It can look like a massage, a walk alone in the woods, or eating healthy food.  These are great ways to honor and treat yourself.  But, what I'm talking about runs deeper than that, to a belief that we are capable, that we are valuable, that we are beings powerful and beautiful beyond measure.  This kind of Love gives fruit to empowerment.  I even see Self-Love as the bedrock of empowerment.

Love and empowerment go hand in hand through pregnancy, being pivotal components of a satisfying birth experience.  An empowered woman trusts that her body and baby know how to birth, she is confident in her ability, honors her instincts, and takes responsibility for decision making.  An empowered woman focused on loving her Self is able to release judgment and fear.

One way to practice empowerment-building Self-love is through using affirmations.  An affirmation reinforces belief in one's Self.  I encourage Mamas to find the affirmation that really speaks to & feels natural for them, some examples being:  "I am made to do this",  "I am strong", "I am supported by all mothers that have birthed before me and that birth after me", "I am perfect as I am", "I have everything I need", "Love flows continuously through me".  Believe these affirmations!  (And if you don't believe it, try another one that feels better).  Through regular use, affirmations strengthen a woman's sense of center.  It is wise to use affirmation throughout pregnancy.  Then, your specific affirmation can serve as a reminder of your center during labor.

We can only truly love what we truly know, right?  Pregnancy is an invitation to get to know the depths of your Self.  I tell my yoga students all the time: "Listen to your baby; Listen to your inner wisdom".  It is amazing what we can learn about our strengths, our needs, and our babies just by sitting still and listening.  And the more a woman knows her Self, the more able she is to tap into the well of inner strength.  I have seen women using this in labor and birth when a decision needs to be made.  They pause, listen to their inner-knowing and then are able to make a change if necessary.

Sometimes, when we are still and listening, we see gaps in our knowledge.  For first time parents, pregnancy, birth and a newborn are all uncharted territory, with lots of questions and decisions to be made.  An empowered parent knows and values the responsibility of decision making, not wanting to simply hand over this power to a Doctor or Midwife who "knows more".  When listening to our intuition doesn't proved a clear answer, this is an opportunity to use research as a means of Self love.  The research about where you give birth, standard new born procedures, ways to encourage nursing or anything at all really is a form of Self-love because you are discovering what you really want, and feeling the strength of making your own choice.  When I was pregnant with Sly I was initially overwhelmed by all the decisions to make and wanted to be as informed as I could.  Even if my intuition felt strongly about something, like not getting him circumcised for example, I still did my research to be well informed on all sides of the issue.  It began to feel fun and assuring to uncover all the information, and of course it was empowering to know I was informed enough to decide what was best for our family.

Certainly our pregnancies, births, and children do not always fit our desires and expectations.  Part of the beauty in a deep-seated love for Self is the ability to release fear.  The longer I am a student of life, the more I see that Love and Fear cannot exist simultaneously.  When we are truly engaged in Love for ourselves, and Love for our babies as well, we can release fears completely, trusting that we have done our absolute best.  I know Mamas that have not had the birth outcomes they hoped for, yet they felt empowered and satisfied none the less.  I've witnessed these same Mamas pause to listen to their center, commit themselves to Self love, research what they didn't know, and make affirmations of their strength and ability.  An empowered, Self-loving, inquisitive Mama is a jewel, and a possibility for all Mamas out there.  Show your Self some love.  You deserve it.

celebration of Life

A question I try to ask myself at each choice is "Does it celebrate Life?"  Answering this question helps me weed out activities that no longer serve me.  It also helps me spend more time in the activities that do celebrate Life.

And what more clearly celebrate's Life than a joyful birth experience?

Today, I share a video made by friends about their home birth.  Take a look if you have just a few minutes and want to feel uplifted.  Follow this link to view the video.  Unfortunately, I could not get it to embed properly to this site.

Luna and Joshua, makers of this video, also share song and joy through Kirtan and music!  More info about their music can be found here.

The Space In Between

Coming so soon, Autumn is!  Oh, I feel it in the crisp, cool of the mornings, and in the evening when I snuggle under the sheets and use a blanket for the first time in months.  There's a shift in the energy; with or with out visible signs of Autumn, I can feel that it's on the way.  To be fair, Summer still has a week to blow it out.  I'm loving the produce, and the blue skies.  But what I really love is riding the cusp of a season shift.  The space in between.  So exciting to anticipate and prepare for change.

Autumn has always been my favorite season.  I savor the colors, the smells, the chill.  I love it for it's beauty as much as it's signal to turn inwards, to let go, and be still.  It is something to honor - the vibrancy of nature as it dies.

We are celebrating the shift over here.  I celebrate each time I pull on a sweater.  I celebrate with a hot beverage each morning.   We celebrate with dinner on the front porch.  I celebrate by (slowly) putting up herbal medicines for winter.

Here's some photos of other ways we are taking in the change of seasons.

Sly rocks his Guatemalan overalls ...

and his Yoda-suit!

pumpkin, stout and belgian brews!

lots of walks outside ...

many, many knitting projects to start ... too many?  perhaps.

AND .... a P.S. for the last post AWomen's Choice, A Women's Widsom:

some links you may enjoy ...

-more info on the Midwifery Bill that can legalize homebirth in NC filed in the NC Senate and hopefully passed in 2012

-awesome resource for info and videos about midwives and birth at One World Birth

-and if you haven't seen The Business of Being Born you really, really ought to.  you can get it from Netflix and i doubt anyone would regret seeing it.  Ricki Lake is even making a sequel, there is that much to say and show about Birth.

A Woman's Choice, A Woman's Wisdom

Giving birth at home is among the best choices I have ever made in my life.

Before I got pregnant I knew I wanted to birth at home, for so many reasons, one being that I don't visit hospitals frequently and would not feel comfortable opening up (in the biggest way possible) there.  When I found out I was pregnant, I realized for the first time how limited my birthing choices were.  In North Carolina there is currently no licensure in place to legalize midwife-attended home births.  What that means is, sure, I can have my babies at home alone, or with the assistance of my partner, but if I hire a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) to assist us, then she risks arrests.  For the rest of this post I aim to look for the good.  I promise; this is my way.  However, the fact that a CPM, a highly trained professional with specialized skills in pregnancy, birth and infant care, risks serious criminal charges for assisting a NC woman during her childbearing year is incredibly disturbing to me.  This has got to change.

Now there are some fabulous midwives (that are also Registered Nurses)  that attend births in the hospitals, and I know many people that have had beautiful experiences with them in the hospital.  This is a wonderful, women-centered way to give birth if your comfort level desires, (or your insurance requires), a hospital birth.  That said, there are exactly 3 Nurse-Midwives in my area that attend hospital births; 2 of them at 1 hospital, 1 at the other.  The numbers alone are limiting.  And became more limiting when I began to look at home birth options, as I only knew 1 CPM in my area.

I had a choice of course, for where and how and with whom I gave birth, but I had to be reminded of that after getting bogged down in the limitations.  I had to expand my vision.  I was introduced to more midwives, and found out exactly what the laws surrounding midwives were, as well as what the loopholes are.  I had to learn a lot for myself.  This is perhaps the most wonderful thing about limited choices - one has the opportunity to educate themselves, to find a way to get what they really want, and from this education become empowered.  When I expanded my view of things and took initiative in learning how to create what I really want, the community of women around me blossomed, eager to assist.  

I had incredibly thorough and attentive care through out my pregnancy by a few CPMs working together.  I also utilized my pregnancy as inspiration to learn about all things birthy that I could get my hands on.  I read books, watched movies, researched homebirth and hospital birth statistics, took childbirth education classes, heard women's birth stories, learned about nutrition and herbs for the health of mama and baby, talked to my baby, and listened to my heart like never before.  Pregnancy was an opportunity for me to reconnect with women's wisdom that has been around since the beginning of time.  The flame deep inside me was re-lit.  Now I have a thirst to collect more and more of the Woman's Wisdom ... 

As long as there have been humans, we have been pro-creating.  In some cultures, women went off by themselves to birth, trusting their own wisdom, and that of the Goddess.  In many other cultures, a woman was supported in birth by other women.  They were held up in love by the care of a midwife, their mother or their sisters.  And the knowledge of assisting a birth was passed down, naturally taught to other women since they are the ones that birth the babies.  Women's knowledge holds natural remedies for miscarriage, hemorrhage, fertility, postpartum depression, milk supply, labor pain, labor stimulation, infant resuscitation, colic and on and on.  It also holds the loving ritual of celebrating the journey of birth, and the initiation of a woman to her fertile years.  I do not doubt the benefits of modern medicine in any woman's life.  I do not doubt the power in the tradition of women helping and teaching women either.

We've become distanced from the world of the Red Tent, though this world is not completely lost to us.  I feel so strongly that we must reconnect, remember, and join together as women.  We resurrect the Red Tent whenever we come into circle together, when we share our hearts with one another, when we listen fully, when we hold each other in love, and as we pass down or learn the traditional wisdom of women's work.

I feel so blessed to be in a community of women who share and love so willingly.  So blessed to be a mother, and therefor becoming more deeply threaded into the circle of wise women.  I am thankful for a  day this weekend of families gathering to support legislative change in NC for CPMs, for all of us coming together to honor and protect our midwives.  I give thanks for the knowledge that there is always a choice.  A choice to remember, a choice to reconnect, a choice to live the best possible life.