Since before the moment life existed as a single cell, the concept of birth has been around. The Earth was birthed from a moment in time-space that was perfect to lead to the subsequent birthing and prospering of present day flora and fauna. The energy of birth has been present since the dawn of this Universe, so perhaps it is time as a society that we look upon Birth with more reverence and love in order to facilitate a collective healing within our individual and connected lives.
(Some of) My Thoughts on Birth
I recently watched a short series on Facebook Watch named Romper's Doula Diaries which has come as a revelation. Each episode is a short overview of a birthing family and their Doula. They are sweet recaps of why these women chose their Doulas, what their Doula offered to them, and how that changed their perspective on birth. The stories presented on these short series videos are absolutely stunning (each episode is less than 10 minutes long) and they capture so well the spirit of Birth. After binge watching all the available episodes and happy crying after each one, I began to think more about what Birth means to me.
Of course, my ideas on Birth were formed long before watching this series, but seeing more women with similar thoughts to mine proved even further what is needed in society today, not only in relation to Birth, but also life in general.
I started asking myself questions to gauge if my thoughts have changed since I began on this educational journey and I kept coming back to the same thing through alternate paths... Among countless other questions, I asked myself: How does birth make me feel? What are my thoughts surrounding birth? What are my ideas on how birth should be handled?
It came down to this: The love found within Birth means everything to me.
I am in love with Birth and all those involved with the process. Which means I am in love with each breathing being on this planet Earth at this moment because at one point each human was BIRTHED into this plane of existence.
And I believe this love is what keeps my passion and purpose strong.
Before going further, I want to clarify: No - Birth is not mandatory, women are not obligated to have babies.
But there are ways to support women and feel supported by other women in relation to birth. We all have this one thing in common: we have ALL spent time within a womban. Every human spends time in a womb.
So the idea of loving and respecting and nourishing the womb space and its abilities to either grow life or hold space makes sense.
Giving love, encouragement, education, and support to a womban at any phase in her life is INTEGRAL to facilitate overall healing. It does not matter whether or not a woman wants to or can get pregnant and have babies, what matters is that love and support are the two things each and every person receives, especially woman.
We hold stress in our bodies, and as women, there is a lot of pressure in modern society to look, think, and act a certain way and the stress of trying to maintain these conditioned standards shows up in the way women have, hold, and care for babies. There is an inheritance of trauma that occurs when we are born, the idea of generational healing intertwines closely with healing the stigmata surrounding both women and birth.
Women are magick beings! We are capable of so many powerful, wonderful, and life-giving things. It is only when we are supported as a community that we can feel this power, wonder, and ability to give and sustain life. Under this logic, it only makes more sense to treat women and those surrounding women with love, admiration, and honor. Even further, this means everyone should be treated with love, admiration, and honor.
And we can use Birth as a way to do that.
Aligning our thoughts on birth as a natural cycle in human life is a huge part of the healing process. As a society, it is important for every person, every human that has grown in a womb to realize innately that birth is instinctual and best left to be what it is, that it does not require heavy manipulation or alterations to be something it is not, that women KNOW their bodies and know how to give birth because they’ve been doing it for millennia.
So how does this relate to Birth care? It means trusting more - loving more - and being more present with each moment in life. When a woman tells you she knows what she's talking about in relation to her body, trust her. When a woman tells you she desires to feel more connection, give love to her. And when a woman asks you to comfort her and hold space, simply be there with her.
Always remember where you came from: You came from within a womb of life and you were built with love, so pass that love on.
What are your thoughts on birth? Do you think healing our thoughts on birth could be a way to heal the world? I am curious to know what you think - leave me a note!
Namaste, Cierra Urso