Doula Education Series – Doula 103

Doula Education Series – Part 3/5

Doula 103 – Prenatals

As we start to attend prenatal meetings, we need to be well versed on our past triggers, traumas and the triumphs in life. As we walk alongside these new families, the parts of us that have not quite healed need to be set aside, in a safe place, so that we do not bring them into their home and birth space. When we sit with new parents, hear their fears, learn of their past hurts and realize that they have come to us as a guide and witness – we need to get our house in order.

Like attracts like.

There will be similarities in patterns between us and them – and we need a bit of separation to protect both parties.

Outside of active birth work, we need to working healing the parts of ourselves that may be showing up subtly or hitting us in the face. We heal each other if we make the choice to move forward towards the pain and surrender to what it has been trying to teach us.

I believe it’s why we come into birth work or why birth work finds us.

Releasing can be through therapy, meditation, prayer, mentoring and also processing with others who are intentionally working on the same things. Communal birth work, where we are in non-competitive community can be the most healing space of all.

Birth brings light to the shadows in ourselves and allows us to support and release the pain we find there. Discomfort, emotional and physical pain is stored within our cells. It is a felt memory, not a learned one we have heard about from others. We can only push painful feelings and energy down so far but thankfully, your body’s job is to release it.

Your body releases to free up more space for love, happiness and joy.

Love, happiness and joy are light filled emotions and fill your now open, released spaces within, so that who you really are, can radiate out. Believe it or not, THAT is why we are here to feel those feelings. It’s what we can work towards feeling and sharing all the time with ourselves and others. This is the flip side of birth work – showing and living your triumphs as inspiration and hope to those you work with and hold space for. And the parts of you that have overcome hard life lessons need to be present as inspiration and positive direction with the people you are serving.

The more self reflection we have, and the more we heal and open up our hearts, the better able we are to connect and empathize not only with our families but also the providers they are working with.

Imagine the kind of birth scenarios their providers have watched –

where shit has hit the fan – over and over(some they may have unknowingly caused the problems but it is truly coming from a place of best practices in many cases). Not only that, but if providers have not looked at their past “lived events, trauma and experiences”, they may be re-traumatizing themselves over and over and not even be aware of what biases and fear they are walking into the birth room with. The more we work on ourselves – the more we are able to hold empathy and love for every person involved with the birth of these babies.

To learn more about the upcoming Doula Education Series or to sign up – Click here