Birth

Mila was born in the bath.

It wasn’t a water birth. Nor was it planned to be bath birth.

I’d been in the final stages of labour, in the dark with a CD (it was 12 years ago!) of positive affirmations on repeat. I was hanging on every word in each empowering, positive statement. They were my drug, they effectively pushed away my fears, concerns and unhelpful self-talk...and pain.

They allowed me to focus, breathe, let my body take over, and surprise the mid-wives by quietly progressing through my labour that I couldn’t get out of the bath before delivering my baby!

It was unexpected, but in a way, all births are unique in their own way.

They can’t be predicted. They rarely go to plan.

Unless there is medical intervention, the body of the mother and baby take over.

It’s profound.

Primal.

A transition that marks the beginning of life after the birth and the end of the period before the birth.

It’s a moment in time when all the growth and development that has been hidden from view becomes visible to be witnessed, celebrated and critiqued.

The instant when your precious, protected, nurtured and much-loved baby is launched into the world.

It’s similar to when we birth anything we’ve created. (It could be cooking a meal for someone, creating a program for a client, or writing a book).

We can prepare as much as we like but there’s a point where we have to let go and surrender.

We have to release it, make it visible and put it out into the unknown.

How it’ll be received is out of our control.

This parallel is such an interesting one.

I was made aware of it a couple of months ago when I did a Shamanic drum-making workshop. Throughout the 1.5 day workshop, we were shown the similarities to birthing a baby. We were invited to consider our own birth and that of the children we’d birthed.

I found it fascinating so I invited Sarah Miller, my drum making teacher to help me shine love & light on our birth process & story in my latest podcast episode. Sarah is a Teacher of the Four Seasons Journey and MoonSong (Menstrual Wellness) Workshop for the School of Shamanic Womancraft, she’s the founder of Embodiments Dance and is an emerging playwright, storyteller and ritual artist.

Listen if you’d like to find out why ancient knowledge and wisdom about our birth process is hidden and shamed, why it's valuable to get interested in our birth story, how our birth story can impact us through our life, and the power we can tap into when we embrace and love our body, connect with natural cycles, and trust our feminine wisdom.

x Penny

ps. A couple of years ago I was gifted an audio recording of Louise Hay reading '101 Power Thoughts for Life'.

Oh, my, golly gosh. I LOVED listening to it.

It's an hour of relaxing music, Louise's reassuring voice and incredible, empowering affirmations that touch on every part of your life.

If you haven't experienced the power of affirmations, or, like me, you've forgotten what an incredible tool they are, I encourage you to find some that you like and immerse yourself in them. Add them to your toolkit and see what door they help you to open.

You can find Louise’s ‘101 Power Thoughts for Life’ recording on YouTube and choose from hundreds of affirmations on her website.