Summary: Today's episode is a treasure, honouring a woman at her most powerful and profound - when in labour. I was invited to guest host an episode of the heart-stirring Dumbo Feather podcast earlier this year, interviewing birth attendant, childbirth educator and counsellor Rhea Dempsey. For more than thirty years, Rhea has been helping women/birthing person and their partners to feel empowered and more prepared when navigating child birth. Known around the world for her earthy pragmatism as a birth support attendant and educator, she's attended more than 1,500 births (!) and knows a thing or two about how our attitudes to birth can be better. We cover: • How we can empower women through childbirth and postpartum • How doula's create a space to mother the mother • How a woman's brainwaves change during birth (which is *fascinating*) • Why we need the "love-bomb" hormone oxytocin and how we get it • Using pain as a compass • Listening to the wisdom within the body Rhea has the most poetic and lyrical expressions in the way she describes birth, that I was hanging on every phrase. You'll notice it too, it's a joy to listen to. We spoke about everything from why our attitudes towards birth have changed so dramatically since the 1980s, how we can hold sacred space between a mother/birthing person and their baby, and how we can provide unconditional support however their story unfolds. Enjoy! + Show Notes: • You can learn more about Rhea's work over at Birthing Wisdom • Rhea's conversation with Berry Liberman, Dumbo Feather's heart-stirring editor-in-chief here • You can find out more about Dumbo Feather over at their website, instagram or podcast page.
