The Circle of Birth - Story Medicine - Birth & Transformation

  BEFORE YOU LISTEN: With this birth there was some healing and lots of awesome personal development that I had to overcome, when you listen you will hear on why its so important to take a big note of your support networks and the information that you receive in birth. This is a good learning story that has me where I am today! So here it is! My first and upmost transforming birth experience that shifted me to WOMAN! So, there was some healing that I had to overcome from this birth, and it took me a long long time to even realise what those feelings meant! I got told the classic ‘your baby is healthy so shut the f&^% up’ scenario!!! Not in those words of course! So yes it affected my bonding and I took the way I was treated straight to my vulnerable heart at the time. However… now look at me!.. Melissa & Deb from How to Heal a Bad Birth stated this well in their Instagram post This experience still has a place there for me, yet I can look at in now and observe, its not confronting my choices! This is the story of a hospital birth in a busy city hospital. I, at the time was looking to birth as a single mother so you will hear about how the support and the challenges I faced into this birth. So you will listen to this story and I can now tell it in ‘light’ I hope this will find some space where you can find understanding. I am so glad I spoke to Deb and Melissa in Episode 7 and soon to come Part 2 as I have really sat with my birth and now found the right space to tell this with some more clarity and intent of healing. I feel I could look it now with a bit more light and humour, which is nice! Listening to these woman really motivated me to get this story out speak more of my alignment into the person and mother I am and can still grow into. Now I love it, I am completely into healing, connectivity to the natural patterns of earth and embracing our feminine. So with that the more we share our journeys of birth and healing the more we can develop and embrace our innate parenting abilities. Resources * Well this should be the what I have ‘learned’ section as I mentioned in the podcast I did not do much reading or researching, and yes, as you will hear in the podcast I was to naive for going into the hospital system not prepared! If was in sock draw… we would have nailed it! In a sense I handed over responsibility to the system… listen to your intuition it really knows best! For the rest, take what you need from your chosen care providers and leave the rest. Ask for support from those who have experienced first hand to! * Support… I have some amazing people in my life and things could have been a whole lot different! So yipee to all those people who helped me keep it all funny and true!! * Language in birth – find your own style and what works for you that fosters positivity. * Saucepans.. .listen to the podcast

  BEFORE YOU LISTEN: For those first time mammas and partners out there this podcast is a great listen to remind you about solidifying your support networks and informing your selves (and birth team) leading up to the birth, so you can have an empowering first birth and be prepared for what ever the outcome may be. For those that may have had a diffucult birth experices this is it, you will hear first hand on how you can find the path to healing and acceptance. and its never never to late! And anyone else prepared to be inspired by these women and their journey! THIS IS PART 1 – BE SURE TO LISTEN TO PART 2 – ♡ Debby and Melissa share with us their stories of birth and with that their journey to BirthTalk and the recently published How to Heal a Bad Birth. We begin in Part 1 with Deb’s first birth and how she managed to rally her strong support team together and inform her self on her choices in birth. Her labour was a long 30 hours with a vaginal birth. During this time her sister in law Melissa was anxious on her outcome after her enduring birth that resulted in a cesarean a few years earlier.  Part 1 & 2 we will hear about their connection to each other through out their birth journeys and how BirthTalk come about from these experiences. Listening to these stories struck a chord with my own personal experiences. I could not get enough of their wise journey, you will feel the same! The infomraiton you will receive from this journey will become invaluable as you prepare for what ever your birth jounery may hold. Resources * Birth Talk – Healing from birth trauma, grief and disappointment  OR Planning a positive birth no matter how you are birthing.
 OR Birthing After Caesarean support and education  including VBAC and Positive Caesarean information * How to Heal a Bad Birth is a gentle guide for women who have experienced a difficult, disappointing or traumatic birth, and want to make sense, make peace and move on.  http://howtohealabadbirth.com * Article on breastfeeding after a traumatic birth  * Article – ‘The Pitfalls of Going With the Flow in Birth’  Please watch this video and spread the word – In my personal experience I had to learn that its OK to talk about your experien...

  This podcast with Tanya Strusberg, Lamaze childbirth educator was uplifting, it felt great to know that there is light in the birth tunnel! These birth journeys show the importance of support and definitely childbirth education such as Lamaze.  Tanya tells of her two births that take place while she was living in Israel. You will hear about the birth system in Israel, how she found her mentor, friend and Lamaze educator Rachelle Oseran and how this aided in her choices in childbirth. Tanya first birth shows an induction for low amniotic fluid, she describes in the story how the placenta looked after the birth. Three months later she was preganant again with her daughter. Tanya, her husband and their son moved house to a apartment on the fourth floor no elevators, so picture this 9 months pregnant with her 12 month old in hand walking up four flights of stairs each day! Go Mamma! Her second story with her daughter outlines how strong and knowledgeable she become as a birthing warrior and how she had a much more relaxed experience. Resources Lamaze is definitely worth looking into. Listen to the podcast and at the end Tanya will beautifully wrap up what it means to take upon childbirth course such as Lamaze and what the program is all about. Here is her other resources she mentioned during the podcast. * Caring Mums (Melbourne) http://www.ncjwavic.org.au/caringmums Mum for Mum (Sydney) http://www.mumformum.org.au/ * Lamaze for Parents http://www.lamaze.org/ * Lamaze Courses – http://birthwellbirthright.com * Here is a link to an excellent article that appeared in the Lamaze blog, Science & Sensibility by Rebecca Dekker (founder of Evidence Based Birth). Key points near end paragraph starting with So what is the evidence for induction because of low amniotic fluid (without any other complications) at term? * Having a Doula – Start Here to learn more about how awesome Doulas are http://findadoula.com.au Connect with Tanya Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/birthwellbirthright/?fref=ts Tanya runs #birthtalk on Facebook page every Tuesday eve at 8pm AEST so cool if you want to hear a wrap up of the issues and stories that are circulating. Ie check out Tanya’s great response here to a recent press http://birthwellbirthright.com/childbirth-time-stop-fear-mongering/ Website: http://www.birthwellbirthright.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/birthwellbirthright/ Tanya Strusberg is a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator (LCCE) and founder of birthwell birthright, an independent childbirth education practice based in Melbourne. In 2015, Tanya was inducted by Lamaze International as an FACCE (Fellow of the Academy of Certified Childbirth Educators) in recognition of her significant contribution to childbirth education. She is also an accredited educator and trainer with Childbirth and Parenting Educators of Australia (CAPEA). Through her internationally-accredited Lamaze Educator Training program, she is very excited to be training a new generation of Australian Lamaze educators. In her spare time, she volunteers with Birth for HumanKIND as a doula,

  BEFORE YOU LISTEN – Check out Catherine’s first birth story Episode 3….  So secretly I really want to spend more time with Catherine and her fruit buns! I have just enjoyed being a part of the family and then listening to the birth stories, I am glad she is doing what she is doing, becuase it just makes sense. Prepare and inform your self is really really open you up and connect you to super mammas such as Catherine! NB – Audio contains 1 explicit word and lego shuffling!  This story is going to be her next birth story of her son Anarion. Now this was fun! I got a real insight into a family with 4 children! We sat together with our daughters in the playroom while the other kids hung out trying their best to be quiet! You will notice that during the recording Anarion comes in to make a clothes iron with wheels out of lego! During the story you will hear all sorts of noises of children at play! This is real as it gets! I appreciate the time that Catherine gave to tell these stories, I will hopefully catch up with her soon for the last two stories. Resources So Catherine has compiled all her years of experience as a Mother and Doula into this perfect informative guide to birth preparation. Grab a copy on her website below, you will also find other resources that may be useful in birth preparation. * http://www.bellabirth.org/the-book.html  * http://www.bellabirth.org/links-and-resources.html * Here is an article that Catherine has written for ‘Preparing your first born for a sibling’. * Article from Australian Breastfeeding Association on Breastfeeding through pregnancy and beyond * Article of regarding the prediction of birth weight and the accuracy during ultrasound.  Connect with Catherine Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bellabirth/ Website: http://www.bellabirth.org You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIzsJSCPMc7VIjCcK4ElZlQ

  This week we are joined with Sarah Purvey who is a Clinical Psychologist, Hypnobirthing Practitioner and now, mother of two! These stories encompass the rich work of Hypnobirthing it is especially great to hear from a practitioner!  Sarah talks about her first birth that was planned to be at home with an independent midwife, with a last minute transfer to hospital Sarah really shows that when you are well supported and surrounded by a positive environment you can remain in a calm and relaxed state and safely birth your baby. In her second story, Sarah birthed at home surrounded and supported by a loving team, especially her partner Andrew. These images say allot for the love and dedication these guys have for each other into this birth expriecne. Sarah certanitly shows how the relaxation techniques learned by Hypnobirthing can not only help in the birth expricene but become life long learnings. Its great to see Sarah really open up to these stories and I certainly connected to her emotions in this, such a feel good birth story! PHOTOGRAPHY – Jessica Jackson Itty Bitty Photography So below in these images is Sarah and just birthed Lyla, Sarah said that this was the ‘I did it moment” , then below that was when she realised the people around her and said “hello”! Look at the love and radiance in Sarah’s face, this is just absolutely precious and brings such joy to my heart.  Resources So being a Hypnobirthing practitioner we will link to Sarah’s work, by listening to this story, for any of you that were on the fence about Hypnobirthing classes. You will see how the methods can give you the tools to manage what ever may come your way in pregnancy and birth. * Clary Sage Oil – For Labour * Affirmations during pregnancy and labour – See link here. Sarah mentioned that the surge of the sea album with the affirmations is the one she used the most. * Light Touch technique and Birth Cheat Sheets – Sarah will explain this in your Hypnobirthing course and if you are out of the Tasmania area there is a onine course that can be done . * Language in Birth – Very important for the birthing mother to be surrounded by the right language, especially when it comes to decisions regarding her body. * The next course that Sarah runs is on Sun Sep 15 and Sun Sep 22 from 9.30 – 4.30. But as mentioned, the online Hypnobubs course is available, also with an upgrade possible to have a personalised 90 min Skype session with Sarah. (see website for details) See the Circle of Birth’s resource pages for more info Connect with Sarah Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hypnobirthing-in-Hobart-Sarah-Purvey-319429211576798/?fref=ts Website: http://www.sarahpurveypsychology.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hypnobirthing_tasmania/ SaveSave

This week we have Catherine Bell on the show. I had the absolute pleasure of driving out to her bush property and hanging out with her amazing, full of life family while she took a moment to walk around in the scrub re-telling her story of her daughter Elanor’s birth. Elanor is 9 now and she is in complete nurturing mode taking such beautiful care of her new baby sister. This story tells of the beautiful birth experience then a sudden rush to another hospital and a night in the NICU and how Catherine and her partner negotiated the hospital systems. While I was hanging out with the tribe I had a warm mother moment gazing up at Catherine on the hill, microphone in hand, this woman is a soulful mama Queen! Her birth and life journeys are the real deal and she has managed to produce some quality guides for expectant parents on birth and birth mapping from this. This Podcast is PART 1 – Stay Tuned as Catherine is going to share more of her birth wisdom with us! Resources So Catherine has compiled all her years of experience as a Mother and Doula into this perfect informative guide to birth preparation. Grab a copy on her website below, you will also find other resources that may be useful in birth preparation. http://www.bellabirth.org/the-book.html  http://www.bellabirth.org/links-and-resources.html Connect with Catherine Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bellabirth/ Website: http://www.bellabirth.org You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIzsJSCPMc7VIjCcK4ElZlQ Also check out A Mother is Born where her husband asked her ‘how do you feel’ and documented a series of photos right after the birth of Elanor… Seriously this mamma is in love!

    Kristin Day shares her story of perseverance with the birth of her son Joey at the fun age of 24 in 1986. Living in Mullumbimby NSW and studying to be a naturopath Kristin was sure that home birth was what she wanted. She started to go into labour at 34 weeks and tells an interesting story of convincing the doctor for her home birth, a midwife that made this happen, a car that wont start and her partner at the time being locked up for unpaid fines on her birthing day! This shows her retrospective humour thought out the whole story of what could be quite a terrifying ordeal for a mother with a premature labour, I get the feeling that underneath all the chaos she held quite determination that everything was going to be ok and maintained connection with her baby. Something to think about… Resources Being a herbal practitioner Kristin shares her resources in her own words for pregnancy and labour: Massage Chiropractor Homeopathy Herbal Treatments: During labour I took Black Cohosh and of course ate lots of nourishing food! I must have taken too much Black Cohosh during labour as I had quire sever after pain, yet a week later I didn’t look like I’d had a baby. I was extremely pro health and was seen several time in the Avocado grove stealing avocados . I was TOTALLY inconspicuous because I looked like a avocado! Funnily enough Avocados are fantastic for fertility and pregnancy..! I had Caulophyllum ( Homoeopthic Blue Cohosh) to ease the after pains. Book: Every Woman’s Book: Dr. Airola’s Practical Guide to Holistic Health Kristin has also attended births as a practitioner. Connect with Kristin Right now with her 30 years of experience Kristin can see the gap in understanding why the body is struggling with fertility and how natural treatments, diet and lifestyle can dramatically change the outcome for fertility and a healthy pregnancy / postpartum and has had many successes with people struggling with fertility. She maintains that sometimes it it something quite simple that is missing as far as fertility is concerned. Her approach to holistic fertility and health is the result of her own enormous healing journey and a life dedicated to helping others in theirs. Kristen can be contacted at the following Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theholisticfertilitycoach Twitter: https://twitter.com/fertilecoach Website: http://theholisticfertilitycoach.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theholisticfertilitycoach/  

This story is the birth of our daughter Julia. I thought it would be only fitting to share her birth story as her birth really kickstarted this project into action. I am so excited to be a part of this and look forward to sharing hopefully what will be many birth stories of all types. This was a home birth in water and we were surrounded by an amazing team of midwifes with my partner present and son sleeping through the  whole birth, right in the next room! Pregnancy Resources Im not going to gabber on about resources to much I will list what has stood out for Julias birth – And let everyone else get a great pool going! Physiotherapist / Acupuncture Earthing Birth Videos and there is so many great ones! one of my favourites Also Birth as We Know it (in resources) was very inspiring, I got the spiralling out of that and really related to it. Books I read so many but here are my top 2 Ina May – Spiritual Midwifery – Dr Sarah Buckley, Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering (great stories on her births in this book) Birth Stoires! Calm Birth Class really good for partners Deep Breathing exercises – Find the one that is right for you. Love Labour Resources Essential oils – Cary sage for contractions – Peppermint on face cloth for nausea (make sure you read up on usage for these and inform yourself before using especially in pregnancy) Birth pool – can hire or buy relatively cheaply. Coconut water and pineapple juice for rehydration Acupuncture for anxiety Baths , lots of baths! Breathing exercises and relaxation Support team – so important Book + CD – 25 ways to awaken your birth power — listen to it allot ! Breathe in … breathe out..