Thoughts on the Childbearing Year
This section of the website offers a glimpse into my working background and the perspective I bring to the rest of my work.
Prenatal Period (Pregnancy):
Photo by Thiago Borges from Pexels
The nine months (ten lunar months!) of pregnancy are a time of slowly, slowly growing a new life within. As the baby grows and develops, so too does the life-bearer. The role and transition into becoming a parent/mother does not happen overnight. Rather, it is slowly acquired – day by day, little by little.
The ten lunar months of gestation are a time of openness, receptiveness, and growing (physically, emotionally and psychosocially). I believe it is important to care and nurture the life-bearer though this powerful and sacred (yet often vulnerable) time of change and transition.
Intrapartum Period (Labor and Birth):
Photo used with permission of the family and Moonshine Studio.
Pregnancy and birth have the powerful ability to affect many areas of life – physical, emotional, and social – and it is a transformational process for the life-bearer and for the family.
Through supporting labors/births, I have developed a strong passion for holding space surrounding the birthing experience so that I can witness the raw strength and power of those laboring and bringing life into the world. I believe birth is a normal, physiological process that works best when it is supported. I also recognize the psychoemotional influences on labor and birth that may require reminding the one giving birth of their inner strength and ability in order to overcome fatigue, fear, and/or the influence of past experiences.
It is an honor and a privilege to be present with a life-bearer and their newborn during this significant life event and to help facilitate a healthy start to their new phase of life.
Postpartum and Newborn Period:
Photo used with permission of the family.
Even after birth, the transitions continue.
The “Fourth Trimester” is a time of shifting – from carrying life within to being an interconnected external dyad. It involves learning what works and what doesn’t. It requires adjustments to grow and to change as the life-bearer realizes all the tremendous work they are doing now that a new life has been borne into the world.
The mind in the postpartum period continues to be open and receptive as it grows at a rapid rate to encompass new learning and connections.
It is so important to nurture each life-bearer during this period: to honor them, to provide rest and respite, to validate their transitions, to empower them for the days ahead.