TRUE BIRTH
It’s a scenario all too common in birth stories these days: “I just couldn’t push him out, I didn’t have the strength. His heart rate was dropping and mine was too high. I needed oxygen. They had to get him out with a [vacuum extractor/forceps/episiotomy/C-section]. I don’t really like to talk about it because it was so scary, but they saved us.”
A mother convinced of the brokenness of her body, a baby delivered from catastrophe in the nick of time, an OB hailed as a hero. See? birth is dangerous, it’s risky. Female bodies are flawed, and weak; they can’t be trusted. We have to keep mothers and babies safe.
This was my story. My body failed, my first baby’s birth escalated into a crisis situation, and the OB team swooped in to rescue us. It was terrifying, confusing and dark. I was wrecked, mentally and physically. In my heart I knew it wasn’t right.
“But wasn’t it empowering?”, the medical midwife asked me at my follow up visit. No, you’re not listening! It was barbaric! I was a pregnant deer being eaten alive by a pack of coyotes!…”Yeah, it was great. I’m just thankful we’re both healthy.”
But we weren’t healthy at all. At 6 weeks post-partum, I was only just beginning to come out of the acute fog of trauma.
I was only just beginning to feel anything close to affection for my baby.
I was only just starting think we might actually survive this nightmare.
Is this really the best we can do?
There is a harmful misconception about birth in our culture: “all that matters is a healthy baby and a healthy mom”. Or worse, “just be thankful you’re both alive.” To put it bluntly, these statements are lies. And they hurt women, babies, families and society at large. They imply that birth doesn’t matter.
But birth does matter.
A woman’s initiation into motherhood is important. Her birth experience has profound influence on the ease and wellness of her post-partum period. Her post-partum period, in turn, has profound influence on her relationship with her children. And I think we all know how our relationships with our mothers effect our lives and in the world. A baby’s emergence will live in her body for her entire life, informing her beliefs, behaviors and relationships.
Bringing your baby into this world does not have to be a scary experience. It’s possible to give birth in peace and in power, and it’s well within your reach.
When I got pregnant with my second baby, I decided I would not be giving my authority away again. I did the internal work I needed to do in order to let go of the opinions of others, to look honestly at my fears, and to ask myself what I really wanted from this experience. Then I dove headfirst into educating myself about the truth of giving birth.
My baby was born, and I was re-born in a state of peace and confidence, all in the safely of our own home. I finally began the process of writing my true story.
Contrary to common belief, every mother on Earth has the ability and the right to birth her babies joyfully. Certainly, mothers deserve to give birth free from fear and trauma. We just have to believe it’s possible, and we have to be honest enough to look at the current paradigm with clear and critical eyes. We have to be willing to ask hard and uncomfortable questions, and to swim against the current when necessary.
My dream is to help women everywhere to remember these fundamental truths. I searched long and hard for some secret knowledge in the hopes I could “fix” my mind and body, so that I might avoid total annihilation in my second birth. What I discovered set me free in a way I could never have imagined, because I learned that I was never broken to begin with. My hope is that you, too, can uncover this life changing truth in yourself.
Welcome to the True Birth mini-course.
In this course you will dig down into layers of programmed beliefs that have been causing you to unconsciously limit your own powers. You will unearth the and nourish the roots of your womanhood; the divinely created and biologically evolved capacity to bring forth new life.
Using tools like guided meditations, journaling prompts and visioning exercises, you will take an honest and searching look at your ingrained negative beliefs and learn how they could be showing up in your relationship with birth. Once you see these unconscious thoughts more clearly, you will begin to dismantle them.
With societal and cultural programming out of the way, you will have the opportunity to discover the inherent perfection of birth. I will guide you through the process of preparing yourself mentally and emotionally for your upcoming birth, so that you can enter the experience of bringing your baby into the world feeling confident and strong.
It is my deepest honor and joy to share this offering with you, dear sister. As a mama who has experienced the difference between True and untrue birth first hand, I can honestly say that the time and energy you bring to this process on the front end will come back, amplified in so many wonderful and unexpected ways, both during your birth process, and in your everyday life.
So, now it’s time to ask yourself, are you ready to courageously and honestly own your True Birth?
What you get:
True Birth video series including guided meditations and birth affirmations track
True Birth digital course workbook
15-minute prenatal yoga video
Optional add-on: 60-minute birth prep coaching session
True Birth is not yet an active course. Stay tune for release dates, and feel free to email lindsey.martel@truebirthmaine.com with any questions!