E31-Part 1-Heart to Heart Parenting Author Robin Grille – Home Birth Story & Anthropology Chat

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Part 1 – Yes this recording was that good that it went over 2 hours.. 

Over and over again I am in awe of my guests and in awe of their unique journeys into birth in what ever way that may be. This recording has been absolute flow of conversation and team that up with my second recording with a father, is no doubt a podcast not to miss! We not only talk birth we talk parenting, sociology, psychology, cultural changes, anthropology and just good old connections to how we be, and are as human..

Robin begins by talking about the birth of his daughter who is now 19. So we go back a little in time with Robin and Robin goes back in time to his own birth journey. We talk about Robins life before the birth of his daughter; studying and practicing as a phycologist. The study of phycology, according to Robin, had no where near as much impact as finding out about his own birth experience. Robin teamed up with a bunch of different therapies during this time and experienced full rebirth experience! We are looking at late 80’s here early 90’s where is seems that there was a string sub culture to rebirthing and healing our childhood. The conversation heads over to the talk of our imprints, what do we carry from our birth and childhood? This question some may never look into, however Robin describes this experience as powerful and never regretted the experience. He recalls feelings such as terror, panic and ecstasy during this ecstatic experience. Robin was born in Uruguay, and at that time pregnancy and birth was considered an illness thus his mother had a cultural induced terror of giving birth, all mothers and fathers faced trauma in birth at this time, the outlook was not good for Robin being born fear free. 

We then talk about how Robins programming that come back into play during the birth of his daughter. He describes this experience during the podcast. Robin was present with the birth and was aware of the numbness, the triggers that come and went. If it was not for the therapy that he undertook things would have been different. Sounds like a calling for healing for mens birth journeys before they witness their partners! Robin talks about the supportive midwives, that kept the experience very normal. His daughter was born in the lounge room. Just another day in the life of! Here we get into some talk about fathers in the birth space, how this was personally for Robin and generally how Robin feels towards fathers being present with their child being born. The oxytocin runs though, and you become smitten and you fall to your knees you are never the same person! At this time Robin describes this as altered reality, this is not every day life. You are flooded with commitment, loyalty and love for your partner and baby at this time.. 

Now things get rather deep and intertwined here. We start talking about shame, guilt, trauma and the detachment of what our anthropological history shows the basing of womens sexuality in now most of the worlds cultures. The capacity for women to be sexual and animalistic beings. Yes, we have grown more than that, yet Robin descries this as the fundamental aspect of our embodied life. This was butchered even before the church. Ancient greeks and Romans this can show in their history these events around the rise of the patriarchal society. Where are the elder males? We cant be placed into a cycle of blame here, Robin calls out to all younger men, all men, having a baby find your support, find your elders. It makes such a difference.

Now Robin, before the birth of his daughter, stumbled across a birth at his friends place! Back in Robins musician days Robin rocked up to his friends place to practice for a gig, guitar in hand, walked in to a midwife, birth pool and full labour! Robin talks about the house overlooking the ocean and dolphins jumping out the water...