Balance

I am old enough to know that birth is not perfect. I had two early losses prior to giving birth the first time. My full-term, 8 pound, two ounce, perfect baby girl was born still on a beautiful November morning the year I was 21. That birth cemented for me the incredible power my body held - the inner strength I had, and the massive power of birth. At the same time I discovered the insensitive control the medical machine has over women during this vulnerable, yet powerful time in their lives. Since that time I have worked to support women in having the births that they want, that they orchestrate.

Birth is as safe as life gets and we must accept it all – the happy and healthy, and the sad, not so healthy moments that are sometimes unavoidable. For without darkness we cannot appreciate the light, without coldness we would not appreciate warmth, without death, we would not value life.

When life/birth results in unexpected outcomes such as my stillbirth, over time these events can be seen as worthy of our respect in many ways. Grief is a harsh taskmaster, but some of our greatest life lessons are learned through the biggest challenges. Side by side, laughter and grief, love and fear, in balance. What we seek is balance and trust – to dig deep within ourselves and find the inner knowing that exists but has in many cases, been overwhelmed by cultural “shoulds,” “oughts,” and fear mongering by the medical establishment.

When we women trust ourselves, we open to the knowledge within that can guide us through our embodied life in a far smoother fashion than listening to the culturally derived and medically promoted fear that our bodies need doctors to mediate our experiences.