On resilience and surrender

So here's our birthing mother, savvy about the possible interventions that may be offered to her, birth plan in hand, inner strength activated, aware that she is likely to be attended by someone she's not met before, moving into the birth zone of surrender and release. Wow what a combination!

I wonder if here is where one of the cruxes of safe birth lies? Being able to steer a course between the two extremes, being able to say No assertively at the same time as accepting the flood of labour as she opens up with a joyful Yes!

As I write I'm aware I'm directly recalling the words of my doula at last week's birth group, thank you Rachel!

Each of my pregnancies and births have offered me a gift, an area for development and growth and whilst this balance of Yes and No is true for anyone birthing in our culture, it feels very close to my heart in particular at this time.

To be resilient is not to be closed to those around me, but to be clear and centred in myself and aware of the skills I have to bounce and to cope with whatever a situation arises.

To surrender is not to pass over control to someone else blindly though it is an opportunity to lay back into the hands of God/Source/All That Is and trust.

To be 'in control' can necessarily accomodate surrendering, as it is my choice to do so.

I am re-reading a book called Birthing from Within which encourages the uncovering of layers of questions, focuses, anxieties to prepare oneself for birth. Using creativity to help unpack anything which may stand in the way of a flowing birth experience. I found a peaceful spot around dawn this morning to journal (which I totally recommend!) and played for some time with some oil pastels, and felt some real breakthroughs with addressing this balance within myself.

The image my subconscious drew helped me see that when I birth I am accessing a power greater than the hills. When focusing on the part of my body that physically needs to coast the balance between surrender and resilience, my Pelvic Floor, I drew rainbows of healing to any pain and worry held there. Rainbows for me represent the whole spectrum of experience. The act of colouring in this image really shifted some blocks and I will be revisiting it.

I didn't expect this blog to have further personal journeys within it as I thought my birthing days ended with my 3rd! I'm going with the flow as to where this takes the blog -- lets see if she chooses breech or cephallic!

I've found it so helpful to learn what other pregnant people are experiencing as we are each on such a personal path approaching birth. I feel there is always more to develop and open up, and again really encourage any reader to delve deep down into how you are (the book I mentioned above is a great support, like a manual, for doing this) and what this experience is bringing up for you.

Its a real joy to be fully present with the pregnancy, my body, its reactions, emotions, sensations. From this place of self-knowledge I can look upon the valley of surrender with the resilient strength of the mountain and it not feel like a contradiction!! You go girl!!