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The concept of Birth as a Spiritual Journey is not generally an idea that is commonly found in our culture. Most women that you speak to who are either pregnant or have given birth tend to see giving birth as something that has to be endured, with a host of medical staff taking care of the pain for you, and generally making things as automated as possible. It certainly isn’t a process to be celebrated, far less enjoyed. Oftentimes the prevailing medical attitude of ‘something will go wrong’ has the necessary effect of pacifying unruly mothers-to-be who choose such outlandish things as no pain relief (!), water birthing (!!!!!) or home birthing (heaven forbid!!!). It seems as though there’s is an attitude full of fear and negativity towards childbirthing, instead of celebrating the inherent magic and spirituality of the process. However if you start to ask women about their birthing experience the stories of their births start to emerge where they are often amazed at what their bodies were capable of doing, the strength they didn’t know they possessed and how it has changed them. They talk of it as if it has been a rite of passage and perhaps it is. We’re speaking with Adela Stockton, a former midwife who gave up her post in the NHS after 10 years as she became increasingly disenchanted with the medical profession, and disheartened by the lack of opportunity to provide holistic care. She now works exclusively as a trained and experienced Doula and childbirth homeopath who provides emotional, physical support and information to a woman and her partner, before, during and after childbirth. As a Doula, she is specifically chosen by the mother/parents-to-be to protect the memory of their birth experience, and to assist in their transition to parenthood. It is important to be aware that a doula does not make any medical decisions or carry out any clinical tasks, however she facilitates the birthing process allowing space for spiritual experience. Adela, and Doulas like her, are trying to change the way we think about labour and birth. She says ‘giving birth isn’t necessarily dangerous or painful’ and suggests that we move beyond pain relief, and instead work with the pain in a more positive way. ‘The birth space is so important. The Doula holds the birth space so that the woman feels safe and can follow her intuition to birth her baby in rhythm with her own body, allowing for the spiritual aspect of birth to come through naturally’. She speaks passionately about the birthing process being as undisturbed as possible allowing the woman to access her primal brain and follow her own instincts. But what happens when things don’t go quite according to plan? She talks about the seven centimetre syndrom, how this is a time where many womens labour slows down, it is a time where the labour is about to shift and things kick up a gear and this can be frightening. “Birth is a beautiful and powerful and that is why it can be frightening”. Adela explains that late and prolonged labour often stems from fear and other strong emotions. She explains that when things deviate from the normal or expected route that homeopathic medicine can help. “Homeopathy, as an energetic medicine, can help the woman engage with the energetic process of birth and embrace it as the rite of passage that it is.” Giving birth is perhaps one of the most challenging, yet potentially fulfilling events a woman will face during her lifetime but some women are bullied into giving in to the establishment and handing over the power within this experience to others. Making a real commitment to preparing for your labour can make all the difference towards creating a positive birth experience for you, your baby and your partner. Being well informed of your choices and what impact the people and space around you can have on how your labour proceeds, as well as what effect any intervention may have, all helps to protect your chances of enjoying a normal birth and a gentle welcome for your baby. And it is in this that having someone like Adela, can make the difference for your whole family. From my own experience I felt that having the support and encouragement of a doula throughout my pregnancy to help prepare both myself and my partner really was invaluable, it gave my partner a defined role for the birth, to hold the space for me to able to give birth the way I wanted to and even though it was in a hospital environment and not the home birth I had initially wanted the birth of my son is something I will remember forever as one of the most spiritually moving experiences of my life. So don’t be afraid, find a Doula near you who can help you experience your pregnancy and birth in the way that is right for you.
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