Birth - the somewhat different encouragement

This article was originally intended to be about the "individually perfect birth." It was intended to inspire you, the reader, to visualize the type of birth that best suits you, one that best supports your ideas and circumstances, and offers you a safe environment in which you can give birth according to your personal needs. It was intended to be a kind of decision-making aid, but during the writing process, my thoughts on the topic of birth itself took me so much deeper.

The purely medical and physical approach has left many women I've spoken with feeling inexplicably dissatisfied. Any woman who has experienced childbirth will know what I'm talking about.

Birth is the physical experience of the end of a maturation process. The natural cycle of humanity and nature, of humanity in nature, and humanity as nature, flows in waves, ever anew: seeding, implantation, growth, maturation, birth—and all over again.

Not only do our children and ourselves come into the world this way, but our emotional, mental, and physical processes also essentially follow this pattern. All of this is embedded in the same cycle of growth and reproduction in animals and plants.

Every phase of childbirth follows a specific pattern - even the possible postpartum depression, which is often viewed with suspicion, seems, when viewed up close, to be part of this mosaic: Do you know the feeling when you have finally achieved a big goal, have finally arrived at your destination, have finally passed an exam, you have gotten married, separated or started a business - the inexplicable feeling of emptiness that may overcome you?

New beginning

It's done—what now? Everything's done, the child is here, you hold the fruit of your labor in your hands, contemplate the work you've accomplished, and a strange feeling of nostalgia overcomes you. It's hard to come to terms with that! It's happened, unbelievable. You've worked toward it for so long. It's entirely possible that your emotional system is overwhelmed by this sudden release. Especially given the more strength and energy you've invested up to this point. It's nothing for a woman to condemn herself for—these feelings can be part of becoming human and are permissible and natural.

The entire process of human existence is subject to these laws and cycles, the deeper meaning of which can only be guessed at. Yet it is worthwhile to allow this idea of ​​all-encompassing oneness in the growth and birth process of all living things to sink in.

Imagine how differently a woman can feel about herself and how she is held in the world during childbirth, deeply aware that the process taking place is a result of life and growth within herself, something that every being on this earth experiences and goes through in one form or another in order to become what she is destined to be?

What an awareness of power may flow through her, a perception of the stream of life, which also gives her the strength through the hormones to give birth to the new, to be a part of ensuring that there is a future for us humans.

I recently read an article about how all of the eggs that every woman will release throughout her life, cycle after cycle, are already present in her body when she is a four-month-old fetus growing in her mother's womb.

This means that the foundation of a new human being's existence is already contained in his grandmother.

A miracle

Another calculation showed me that to be born you needed:

two parents

four grandparents

eight great-grandparents

sixteen second great-grandparents

thirty-two third great-grandparents

sixty-four fourth great-grandparents

one hundred twenty-eight fifth great-grandparents

two hundred and fifty-six sixth great-grandparents

five hundred and twelve seventh great-grandparents

one thousand two hundred twenty-four eighth great-grandparents

two thousand forty-eight ninth great-grandparents

For you to be born, it took twelve previous generations. Over the last four hundred years, it took four thousand ninety-four ancestors for you to be here today.

Just imagine: How many battles? Victories? Depressions? Joy, stories, adventures, courage, new attempts, faith, hope, grief, overcoming, and affirmation of life?

Your birth was a miracle. And if you're currently pregnant or planning to become pregnant, the birth of your child is also a miracle. You are supported and sustained by countless stories from the generations before you – this, in a very sober and down-to-earth way, is simply worth a moment of awe and wonder.

Yes, considering your wishes and needs for childbirth is essential, very important, and should not be underestimated – the better you can prepare, the more confident you will feel during labor. Your health, along with that of your child, is our top priority.

The above, admittedly slightly philosophical, thoughts are based on a profound knowledge that can be of immense help to you: Life works the way you will soon. Do you remember facing a major challenge and not knowing how you would ever manage it? Passing your high school diploma, passing your driving test, making a presentation... and then perhaps you remembered that thousands of people before you had already accomplished it. You may be experiencing the same thing now—not surprising, given the challenge! Take heart, you are not alone. Nature knows what it's doing. And you can use this knowledge and relax into it.

If you would like to learn more about healthy eating, mindfulness or sustainability, Check out more exciting blog articles on these topics here.

AUTHOR: SARAH ACKER