As we get closer to meeting Noah, labour and his birth is quickly becoming all I think about and meditate on.
We watched this documentary, ” Birth Day” produced by Sage Femme, on the first day of our Birthing from Within class, and it made a profound impression on me. I’m sorry that this version is not in English, as I think that every woman preparing to give birth could benefit from it, but even watching it in a language you don’t understand is incredible.
Watching this woman, Naoli Vinaver Lopez and her family as she progresses throughout her labour, from the light contractions of early labour right up to the pushing stage, and the serenity and respect that is paid to the process is beautiful.
I love that her children and her husband are there to witness the experience, her pacing, toning and pushing, and to celebrate the coming of the newest member of their family.
This was the first time that I realized that Chris could be a part of Noah’s birth as well, beyond pacing the halls or just rubbing my back; he could be in the water, supporting me as mother and woman, and being in the same waters his son would be born into. When I voiced this to him, to my relief and joy, he expressed the same wish.
Of course, this not being in English, you miss out on much of the wisdom and insights she shares. As a midwife and as woman who has given birth already, she describes how a woman already knows how to give birth, even if it is her first time, that it is within her.
“There is a secret in our culture, and it’s not that birth is painful. It’s that women are strong.” ~ Laura Stavoe Harm
