When I was younger, I believed birth to be one of the 'hardships' of being a woman. I didn't know much about what it entailed, aside from what I had seen in movies and heard from adult figures around me. I had the impression that birth was unnecessarily painful - an experience that was medical, that could be numbed to help you enjoy it more. Something awoke in me a few years back where I began to question the narrative. One of the biggest credits is to Peta Jean Kelly and the stories she told of birth through her platforms. I began to see that the pain was paired with purpose. The pain evoked awakening. The pain was accompanied by the cocktail of birth hormones that support the process, and ultimately facilitate the bond a mother forms with her baby. The birthing process allows a woman to fully step into motherhood, after overcoming one of the most, if not THE most, intense & challenging experiences of her life. Birth is a rite of passage. And my word, has my perspective on birth taken a complete 180! I believe that society and medical constitutions have come to lose faith in the process of birth, and that this narrative is having a really tragic impact on birthing women, creating so much fear and detachment in the birthing space. Is it funny or is it sad that we spend hours upon hours researching the car we want to buy, and barely any time investing into researching options for birth? I want to be a part of the movement that is rewriting the narrative. As I am stepping into these new shoes of becoming a Doula, I embody all that comes with trusting birth. I am absolutely aware that sometimes medical intervention is needed and that it can save lives, and in this respect regard intervention to be some of the best technology ever created. However, intervention rates are growing higher and higher, and more often than not they aren’t needed. It is scary to me that birth is becoming something many women feel is happening to them, rather than being an active participant in it. As with anything, the stories we tell carry a vibration and have messages intertwined that can stay with those who hear them for years to come, good or bad. I feel strongly about the need for a shift in the stories we tell to ourselves, to our daughters, to our friends. And it starts with you and I. It comes down to the simplest of things sometimes, like using empowering language, i.e. replacing the word contraction with surge, wave or expansion. Birth is one of the most natural things to exist. Probably the most heightened physical, mental, emotional and spiritual experience one could go through. We have the privilege of a soul literally passing through us. How blessed we are as women to have this opportunity for growth and levelling up. I invite you to notice the words you use next time you speak about birth, or be aware of the language of others, and the beliefs conveyed through film and media. Let's change the stories one word at a time. Namaste 🙏 Alicia X
How I see birth
Updated: Nov 10, 2021