Vocal Expression During Labour

I laboured very quietly, going so deeply inward that I barely spoke. I just hummed and sung quietly, speaking aloud some words of encouragement to myself and talking softly to my baby, telling her that she was okay and that I was ready for her to come... I spent time singing, ‘Yes, Life Yes!’ embracing the surges in each moment, saying YES and welcoming them as they overtook my body.

And when my body was ready to push ...the sound came...deep guttural sounds of my body, working hard to support my babe on her transition Earthside. This part for me was totally out of control. I experienced the Fetal Ejection Reflex in full force- you know how on the movies they yell “PUUUUUSSSHHH” and you’re supposed to push, directed by someone outside your body…well, in reality, when the Fetal Ejection Reflex comes in to play, you have no control over it….your body and your baby simply work together to get your baby out.

Experiencing this allowed the sounds to just flow from my mouth and though I do acknowledge that sometimes people have become so conditioned into doing what is socially acceptable that they keep their mouths clamped shut, lips sealed tight, feelings inside......

And where might this lead!? You guessed it, to a tightly clenched cervix!

So..... . What might it feel like to truly express yourself!??

Some women roaaaaarrrr in birth and I admire their freedom of self expression, letting their voice be heard, deeply expressing their inner process, and working through the sensations in their body with sound and movement, roaring and growling.

Are you going to give birth one day!?

Perhaps you could practice:

-Moan with delight at delicious food that touches your lips .

-Let what you are feeling be expressed by sound and voice

- Dance, following the lead of your own body, to the rhythm of your pulse

-Speak your heart's truth with honesty and compassion

-Howl at the Full Moon

Let yourself be free and true.

Motherhood- A Rite of Passage

In celebration of my transition to Motherhood, my dear friends held a Mother Blessing for me

I believe it is so important to honour these momentous occasions that mark our path through life.

I believe we should be celebrated as each transition occurs, for women: our birth, our step from girl to young woman/Maiden, the step from Maiden to Mother, from Mother to Maga, and Maga to Crone/Wise Woman.
.

This belief in celebration of each unique human in each transition of their life has led me to gift my love and heart into Tides: the Rites of Passage program for girls, celebrating and honouring their journey of becoming young women.

My own Mother Blessing was a day of delight!

We shared stories of births and wisdom for what lay ahead.
My feet were bathed and massaged, truly and deeply honoured.

A wishing tea was prepared, with the wishes of all sprinkled in with a delicious mix of herbal tea for us all to share and absorb all of the wishes.

Beads were brought as treasures gifted by the special and cherished people in my life from all over the world, their stories told and then woven onto the roots of my Tree of Life.

A magical jar of Crystal filled water stood proudly in the middle of the circle of women, ready to receive all the best intentions and blessings, and ready for us to each enjoy a sip.

We shared chocolate of course, in all different shapes and forms.

A wild rope was carefully woven by the hands of all who were there. A rope made of hand dyed silk, woven carefully around the wrists of each of us, to symbolise the umbilical cord and to bind us together until we all knew mama and baby were safe.

A special and most treasured day that stays so strongly in my memory........

I passed through my Rite of Passage with honour and celebration and I delight in being a Mother.

I am now offering facilitation of these precious ceremonies, how could I not!?

DM me if you would like to have one to celebrate your own Rite of Passage.

Delayed Cord Clamping

You have a few options to consider when it comes to your babies umbilical cord.

You could choose early cord clamping, which sometimes is a necessity due to things happening around the time of birth, but isn't the first option I would recommend.

You could choose delayed cord clamping, which means that you wait until the cord has stopped pulsing (usually about 1-10minutes) before you clamp the cord.

There is one third of babies blood in the placenta at the time of birth and delaying the cord clamping allows this blood to flow back into the baby.

You could also choose a Lotus Birth, leaving your Baby and Placenta attached until the cord dries out and falls off naturally. This could be maybe 3-10 days.

The choice is yours…..

What will you choose?