Birth is a Rite of Passage
A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.
Throughout pregnancy, women experience profound change: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. These changes occur in a pregnant woman’s body, brain, hormones, and her heart.
Pregnancy and birth are profoundly transformational experiences in which a woman becomes a mother, and her life is never again the same after birth as it was before. Birth has long been considered by many cultures to be a sacred rite of passage in which the power of the transformation shapes both the baby, mother, family, and the entire community.
Communities the world over have created ways of honouring and celebrating womanhood, pregnancy, birth, and the newborn through physical, social, and spiritual rituals and ceremonies for healing.
When we recognise that birth is a rite of passage, then how you choose to treat your pregnancy, birth your baby, and care for your newborn helps establish the foundation for their life and for yours too, as a mother.
The Importance of the Birth Partner: How They Can Support You During Labor and Birth
Birth partners also hold a unique power: the ability to trigger the release of the hormone oxytocin, often referred to as the “love drug” or “bonding hormone.” Oxytocin plays a pivotal role in labor and childbirth; its release is what causes the uterus to contract. So, when a labouring woman feels safe, loved, and supported, her oxytocin levels increase, which leads to more effective contractions and a smoother labor process.
The Power of a Birth Plan
It’s YOUR birth, so rather than just hoping for the best or ‘trusting’ your care provider, take the bull by the horns and do your own research. What you discover might totally surprise you!
This is the power a birth plan gives us.
When what we planned for doesn't come to pass, then we have the know-how and the tools to explore other options or Plan B, Plan C or Plan D that will still give us the positive outcome we are planning for!