Intentional birth

Intentional birth

by alisonmendykaNo Comments

Just 12 weeks and 1 day ago right around this time a full day and a half had passed since my water broke.

Acupuncture had unmistakably put me into active labor around 5PM and yet the night took many twists and turns before I finally got to meet my baby boy 10 hours later (and 46 hours after my water broke).

Intuition drew me towards our birth team and intuition is who I have to thank for the intentional uninterrupted birth of our healthy baby boy. The twists and turns could have led us in many different possibly scary directions given a different type of care team. Crunchy hypnobirthing education midwife nurses yoga-centered doulas and water birth hopes are not for everyone. To be honest each of those elements were cherries on top to what I REALLY wanted.

I wanted a team who would encourage me to trust my body.
I wanted everyone in the room to have a holistic big picture approach to my baby s health m as well as my own.
I wanted people who would encourage me when I felt like I just couldn t BE with those damn sensations any longer.
I wanted to feel ANYTHING but rushed.
I wanted brainstorms rather than cookie-cutter reactions.
I wanted care and compassion.
I wanted to feel supported but not in a held way – in an empowered way.
I wanted to feel safe but also trusted.

It all sounds so demanding when said out loud but like all mama bears the health of my child was very very important to me and I recognized how interconnected we all ready were.

I am confident that compassionate knowledgeable birth teams like this are not restricted to birth centers. Hospitals homes and everywhere in between have the potential to make mothers feel safe & supported. Each of these places also have the potential to make her feel minimized scared and unheard. My prayer for all mamas is that they are able to birth where and with whom they feel the most care desired expertise and love.

Love is important.

However we choose to live… however we choose to birth our next generation I have to believe that having FAITH in ourselves and surrounding ourselves with people who TRUST one another might be two of the most important factors to bringing more love light and hope into this country and into this world.

CAUTION: pregnancy do’s and don’ts

CAUTION: pregnancy do’s and don’ts

by alisonmendykaNo Comments

I’m curious: how many things have you been cautioned about doing/NOT doing while pregnant… or while parenting… or while simply living your life?

I’m finding that the debates are NUTS about what “should/shouldn’t” be done and what is “wrong/right” for momma and baby.

Clearly, I’m quite new to this scene, but I’ve been shocked at BOTH how fear seems to rule one’s way of life AND how extreme distrust for “the system” forces people to ward off ANY recommendations.

Historically, I’m no better; I’ve struggled with an extremist mind as long as I can remember, but this process {for me} needs to be far more balanced and grounded than the swings of extreme rule-following or extreme rebellion.

Personally, the two ways I find the most peace, freedom AND safety in my decision-making process are through:
• a range of research from a variety of sources
• my own intuition
…and letting go of the fear & reality of judgment

We’re all doing the very best we can for ourselves, our families and our little creatures.

Maybe, just maybe, when we STOP judging others for their choices and START respecting people for honoring their bodies and their families THE BEST WAY that they know how, we’ll be able to share a much more open and compassionate dialogue about how to authentically move through the most thrilling transitions in this miraculous life.