One Woman Awake

One Woman Awake Awakens another the second awakens her next-door neighbor and three awake can rouse the town And turn the whole place up side down And many awake can raise such a fuss That is finally awakens the rest of us. One woman up, With dawn in her eyes multiplies -- author unknown

First Miracle BY A.E. Stallings

First Miracle BY A.E. Stallings

Her body like a pomegranate torn Wide open, somehow bears what must be born, The irony where a stranger small enough To bed down in the ox-tongue-polished trough Erupts into the world and breaks the spell Of the ancient, numbered hours with his yell.

Now her breasts ache and weep and soak her shirt Whenever she hears his hunger or his hurt; She can’t change water into wine; instead She fashions sweet milk out of her own blood.

a woman is her own best expert

"I preach to all who will listen that the best way to serve a woman during her pregnancy is to help her realize that she is her own authority and that a midwife or doctor or doula is only a paid consultant…a woman is her own best expert for her birth and her body knows exactly what to do if given the chance." ~Carla Hartley (From Midwifery today magazine)

"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving much advise, solutions or cures, have rather chosen to share our pain and touch our wounds with a gentle and tender hand."

-Henri Nouwen

Life is Terminal

Blossoms fall and weeds grow wild

Enjoy the ride dude

-Craig Kyusen

"The midwife considers the miracle of childbirth as normal, and leaves it alone unless there's trouble. The obstetrician normally sees childbirth as trouble: if he leaves it alone, it's a miracle." —Sheila Stubbs

You were pregnant for nine months; you are postpartum for the rest of your life. -Robin Lim

THINGS THAT MATTER

OUR LIVES BEGIN TO END THE DAY WE BECOME SILENT ABOUT THINGS THAT MATTER
-MARTIN LUTHER KING JR

"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving much advise, solutions or cures, have rather chosen to share our pain and touch our wounds with a gentle and tender hand."

-Henri Nouwen

Words every laboring woman should consider before they choose a care provider.....

"If a woman doesn’t look like a goddess during birth, then someone isn’t treating her right."
~ Ina May Gaskin

Your doctor may be well-known, and even well-liked but that does not mean he or is she is right for you. Find a care provider who treats you and your pregnancy gently. The way you are cared for during your pregnancy is a reflection of how you will be treated during labor. Do not ignore signs if you feel uncomfortable during your prenatal visits, or if you feel rushed in and out of each visit. There ARE doctors and midwives out there who will listen to you, help address your fears and answer each and every question you have.

‎"Birth isn't something we suffer...but something we actively do and exalt in"
~ Sheila Kitzinger

"Imagine if you sent your kids to the local swimming pool on ten different days in the summer. If your child was given complete CPR, oxygen, and a drug injection on nine out of the ten days he went there because the Lifeguard “thought” he was drowning, and he wasn’t, you’d get pretty upset. The fact that normal, healthy young women walk into the hospital to have a baby, and 90% of them came out looking like they’ve had major trauma, is ridiculous."
- Gloria Lemay

quote of the week:

"the ego must surrender ambitions and allow the journey to unfold"

Quote of the Week:

"Try to remain in the natural state. This is a bit like a river which is flowing quite strongly, in which you cannot see the bed of the river clearly. If there was some way you could put an immediate stop to the flow from the direction the water is coming from and the direction the water is flowing to, then you could keep the water still, and that would allow you to see the bed quite clearly.

Similarly, when you are able to stop your mind from chasing after sensory objects and when you can free your mind from being totally "blanked out," then you will begin to see under this turbulence of the thought processes a kind of underlying stillness, an underlying clarity of mind."

-from Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a Buddhist Perspective by the Dalai Lama

"Realizations come only if we practice joyfully, with confidence and courage. Realization doesn't grow within a timid or weak state of mind--it blossoms in the mind free of doubt and hesitation. Realization is fearless. When we see the true nature of reality, there's nothing hidden, nothing left to fear. At last we're seeing reality as it is, full of joy and peace."

--from Tara's Enlightened Activity: An Oral Commentary on "The Twenty-one Praises to Tara" by Khenchen Palden Sherab and Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal, published by Snow Lion Publications

"A newborn baby has only three demands. They are warmth in the arms of its mother, food from her breasts, and security in the knowledge of her presence. Breastfeeding satisfies all three."
-Grantly Dick-Read

"There are eighty-four postures of yoga, but all people, whether Westerner or Easterner, have done them in the womb of the mother. So you are yogis anyway."
-Yogi Bhajan

One of the most amazing women I know, my aunt Mary, shared this quote with me. I love it! My aunt has been on an amazing yogic journey herself. She is becoming a Yoga Instructor. She is extremely passionate about her journey and this amazing practice that has filled her life with so much joy.

Thanks A. Mary, you are a beautiful soul.

Birth Guru

This Dharma quote relates nicely to birth work:

"Sometimes we put our glasses in our pockets or on our heads and later we ask, "Where are my glasses?" This is quite common. We look everywhere else without finding our glasses. That is why we need the guru, who can say to us, "There are your glasses." That is all that the Mahamudra and Dzogchen teachers do: they simply point out. What they are pointing out is something that you already have.
It is not something that they give you. They do not give you new glasses. They cannot afford to give you new glasses, but they can afford to point out where you can find your own glasses.

When we receive pointing-out instructions from our root teacher, we are being introduced directly and nakedly to the reality of mind's nature. These instructions become very effective if we have prepared ourselves to receive them."

Think of your midwives and doulas as your guru - they are there to simply point out and remind you of all that you are CAPABLE of doing as a woman. Birthing is a natural capability that women are born with. If we believe in her, and remind her of what she is doing, her body will do what it knows.

If your care provider does not believe that your body can birth...consider interviewing new providers. Your OB or midwife is there in case of emergency only, and must respect the process of birth for all that it is.

a doctor's note

"I want women to know that if you’ve had a cesarean birth, an induction, or an epidural, that doesn’t mean you’re not going to bond with your baby or you can’t lo...ve this baby, or any of that. Humans are incredibly adaptable. But why adapt if you don’t have to—if you can let your body do what it was designed to do? I believe that the connection between overuse of intervention and postpartum depression is enormous. If women experienced the ecstasy of birth, they would have the high that would get them through the hormonal changes of the next week. Your body and your inner wisdom give you that high."

-Christiane Northrup, MD

"...this time belongs to the mother and baby..."

"The importance of uninterrupted birth is, scientifically, just beginning to be discovered. Michel Odent and others have written about the irreplaceable first hour after birth. This is the time when the love hormone oxytocin is highest, and meant for the mother and baby to meet and set the foundation of their lives together. It is irreplaceable, and even we midwives are often busy getting in the way. Unless there is an emergency, this time belongs to the mother and baby. We need to learn to safeguard this hour for motherbaby and not just talk about it."

~ Jan Tritten, Midwifery Today