Alienation of the Body in Birth: An Epidemic

"Instead of women being taught to come into deeper connection with the wisdom of their bodies throughout pregnancy, mainstream birth education is being taught from a fear based paradigm that promotes looking outside of oneself for guidance and answers. This has serious consequences on the health of women, babies and our society as a whole. How we birth shapes the foundation of a child’s life as well as deeply impacts our own perception of ourselves as women and the world we live in. In the mainstream medical model of birth education, women are more often than not encouraged to disconnect from the body and sensations of birth. When we override or disregard any part of ourselves in day to day living, we are only dealing with partial information and this usually does not lead to the intended outcome. It is the same with birth. Learning to lean into our felt sense of the body throughout pregnancy and birth is paramount to birthing from a place of power as well as offers us nuanced information that is integral to the unfolding of conscious birthing. This talk will highlight some of the ways in which pregnant women are encouraged to override the wisdom of their bodys and why this matters. It will then highlight the importance of coming deeper into connection with the body and our internal guidance system throughout pregnancy, in preparation for birth. Throughout the talk I will give both women and practitioners simple trauma informed practices (tools) and experiences for coming into deeper connection and relationship with the body as a way to prepare for birth and come home to oneself. "