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

The postpartum period, that time from when your child is born to up to when he or she is about 8 weeks old, can be challenging. Usually, we focus so much on pregnancy and birth and assume that once we have made it through labour everything else after that should be relatively straightforward. As with everything this time can come with surprises. In this episode, I reflect on my experiences, with a focus on feeding your baby in those early weeks.

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

In this episode I reflect on what happens in the third stage of birth with the delivery of the placenta and the cutting of the umbilical cord.  We dont often think about or pay too much attention to these processes because once our baby's born we are too caught up in the joy and awe of this moment, fair enough! However, what happens during this stage and how it is handled is important to both the baby and mother's well being and is worth paying attention to.

Useful references:  
 'Gentle birth, gentle mothering' by Sarah J. Buckley
 'Ina May's Guide to Childbirth' by Ina May Gaskin


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

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

As I celebrate publishing my 10 episode,  I conclude the short series of episodes that I called 'Birth your way' with what I call the grand finale! This, as you may guess, is about what happens as your baby is about to enter the world. My focus here on birthing positions and the benefits of being upright and not lying down when giving birth.

Useful references:  
Ina May Gaskin's Book 'Ina May's Guide to Childbirth'.
Michel Odent's book 'Primal Health'
Janet Balaskas's book 'New Active Birth'

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

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

Birth is often characterized by images of pain and tension, especially based on what is portrayed in movies or on TV. How we can transform this narrative for ourselves and learn to let go and flow with this natural process? In this episode, I will reflect on the basics - breath, sound and movement - and how we can learn to harness these techniques and become aware of how they can help us to have gentle birthing experiences.

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

In this episode, I reflect on how we can prepare our bodies for birth. I present the analogy of labour as similar to running a marathon and how we should not approach this transformational but challenging undertaking unprepared. I share some of the steps I took during pregnancy and reflect on how I think these may have influenced my birthing processes. This is the first in a series of three episodes on birthing your way.

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

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

Pain during childbirth is one of the things many women dread, especially those who are having their first child. There is so much misinformation out there that scares us - what we see portrayed on TV or in the movies, the stories other people tell us. But is there more to this? Does this pain have a role to play? Can we and should we avoid experiencing pain?  Can we change our relationship with the pain we experience as we birth our children? In this episode, I reflect on these questions and present an alternative way to understand pain, as well as tips on how to cope with it. I reflect on how changing our attitudes towards pain during childbirth is another way for us to reclaim our power and to lead us to experience gentler births.

In this episode I refer to the book ' Ina May Gaskin's  Guide to Childbirth' by Ina May Gaskin. I highly recommend it as she discusses the issues I touch on in this podcast in more detail.

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

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

Men are often at the edges of discussions or information about pregnancy and birth, and in this episode, I reflect on the role of partners - men in particular. I discuss what this role means and reflect on how partners can empower themselves and in so doing support and enable women to reclaim their power.

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

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

We are often unaware of the processes happening in our bodies during pregnancy and birth, and beyond. Is it important that we have some understanding of the work our bodies do during this process. Could increasing our awareness lead us to make more informed choices and decisions to better nurture and protect ourselves and our babies, to help us understand how to have a gentle birth? Yes. In this episode I reflect on an important but often  little known aspect of pregnancy and birth - the role of hormones, and the impact  that unnecessary medical interventions have on our hormones and on our birthing experiences.

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

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

Most women are often not aware of their rights during pregnancy and birth.  They give their bodies over to the experts without awareness and understanding of the effects various procedures may have on them, their bodies, or their babies. Certain procedures are often considered as standard and not many question why they are being done, or if they are really necessary. In this episode, I will use examples from my work as a doula and from my personal experiences to reflect on the issue of our rights and also the role of consent during pregnancy and birth.

Here are the links to the websites I mentioned:
Pregnancy and Parents Centre • Welcome to the Pregnancy and Parents Centre
Liv laga – Liv laga (liv-laga.no)

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

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

During pregnancy, birth and after the baby is born, the focus is often on the baby, while this is important it is also crucial that we take care of ourselves, nurture ourselves. We too are important. This episode is reminder that we need to appreciate and celebrate ourselves for the important role we play during this process.

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

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