Reclaim your power: inspiration and reflections for pregnancy, childbirth and beyond

Mavhu Farai Hargrove is a Zimbabwean American mother, grandmother, wife, postpartum doula, and educator. In this episode, she shares about her hospital and home births, and during our conversation, Mavhu's passion and commitment to sharing and preserving her cultural heritage from Zimbabwe shines through. We have a shared heritage and this enriches our discussion. Mavhu, shares her experiences of support before, during and after her births, and her reasons for becoming a postpartum doula. We talk about body image, consent, the necessity for the husband or birth partner to also get support, among many other things. This is a rich conversation with so much to it and where Mavhu shares some beautiful experiences and her wisdom. Truly a phenomenal woman!

For more details on some of the issues, we talk about check out Mavhu's website: https://www.chimoneramother.com/

Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become

This poem is a tribute to my paternal aunts, the strong women who were an example to me and who I now honour. It is a reminder of how we as women need to support each other, how we are torch bearers from generation to generation and how we have a responsibility to those who are coming after us.
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Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become

My first guest in this second season of my podcast is Sarifa Moola-Nærnes, a South African mother, wife, Anti-racist, Afrikan feminist, Relationship, Teams and Individual Coach, Speaker, Facilitator and Trainer.  Sarifa is the founder and director of Ubuntu Coaching AS in Norway. Her company offers relationship and team coaching – individually or in groups, self-awareness women’s retreats and Afrikan women’s Sankofa retreats, Diversity, Inclusion and Ubuntu Training and motivational workshops.

In our conversation, Sarifa shares her pregnancy and birth, and postpartum experiences. She reflects on how she has drawn on her cultural heritage during these periods. We talk about fear, consent, self-care, and the importance of having a support system, among other topics. This open and honest conversation shows why I respect and admire Sarifa and consider her a phenomenal woman.

Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become

A poem inspired by the documentary Woman

Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become

The second series of my podcast will build on the reflections I had in the first series, but this time I am having conversations with women I admire and respect. I am not speaking to well-known celebrities, but to women like you and me, women who are stepping out of their comfort zones, and sharing of themselves in different ways.  Podcast guests are often experts of some sort or other people who are seen as knowledgeable in their fields. This is not what I wanted to do, I wanted to talk to women we can all relate to, who have faced challenges that resonate with us, and from whom we can truly learn because their experiences are close to ours. I wanted to talk to women I consider authentic, who have integrity and are living their truth.

Between episodes of the conversations, I will share what I call poetic interludes. Poetry is a way I have found to express myself in the past year. My poetry expresses my thoughts, feelings, struggles, frustrations, realizations, inspirations, and joys.  It is a reflection that self-growth begins from within. It is an expression of how I am working towards reclaiming my power.

Website: https://fungisai-reclaimyourpower.com/

Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become

This is the last episode in the first series of this podcast. I continue my reflections on the importance of keeping our babies close and cover the topic of 'baby wearing' - or carrying our babies close to our bodies. I discuss the importance of this for the healthy attachment and development of our babies. I also touch on why babies cry and reflect on the controversial sleep training method of letting your baby cry themselves to sleep.





Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become

Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become

Getting our babies to sleep or sleeping with our babies is something that I am sure every parent has had to grapple with at some point in their parenting journey, especially in those early postpartum weeks.  In this episode, I reflect on co-sleeping and sharing our beds with our babies and why this can be an important part of our parenting journey, especially in the early days.

Useful references:
https://sarahbuckley.com/
Gentle birth, gentle mothering by Sarah Buckley (chapters 11 & 13)
Gentle first year by Gowri Motha


Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become

Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become

Midwives do a great job to support women during pregnancy and birth, and we often criticize them when things go wrong, or when they do not act as we expect them to. In this episode I reflect on the role of midwives, the challenges they face and how the maternity care system's focus on being efficient, effective and saving costs, has an effect on their ability to be with woman. I remind us to honour, support and appreciate the work they do.

Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become

In this episode, I reflect on the celebration that we have during pregnancy called the baby shower, why we do this, and what it has become. I present an alternative way to celebrate the mother or mother-to-be, the mother blessing ceremony or ritual. Something that I feel focuses more on nurturing the woman. I also touch on another type of mothering, something I don't focus on this in this podcast - adoption, and why we should celebrate adoptive mothers too.

Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become

In this episode, I reflect on a difficult topic - loss. Losing a baby during pregnancy or birth is one of the most difficult and painful things we can experience. It is also something that is not much talked about - women tend not to share their experiences, because it's hard, it hurts, they feel vulnerable - many reasons. I have chosen to talk about loss and share my experiences as I feel that this is important and that many women often feel lonely at this time, and they feel that no one understands what they are going through. There are so many of us who have experienced loss and by sharing my story, I hope to bring some comfort and let you know you are not alone.

Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become