Trusting Your Intuition and Wisdom for a Natural Birth
As women today, we are forgetting to trust our intuition and inner wisdom when it comes to the freedom of natural birthing. We are forgetting that we are the CEO of our bodies, that we know what’s best and that there are options for us when it comes to wanting to have a natural birth. That little voice inside of us is talking, we hear it now and again in a whisper, but we forget to listen, our past experiences have either opened or closed us off completely from listening to that little voice we have called intuition. You know that gut-feeling we may have or that “knowing” that we may experience about something. We all have it; it’s a matter of how receptive and aware of it we are. It will always guide us if we listen and pay attention to it. Each one of my children has taken me on a different journey of trusting my intuition and inner wisdom. Learning to recognize that little voice in your head can be hard sometimes especially when there is so much out there to counter-act it. I have had to learn to let go and trust, and that is hard to do sometimes especially when many things in our society come from a place of fear. With each of my children I found my own inner wisdom and guidance challenged but with the support of family and practitioners that were supportive of my decisions it made trusting my intuition that much easier to do. It’s important to know that it’s your birth and you have every right to have a say in it. Granted there are times when other things are necessary and sometimes out of our control but even in those situations, you have a right to have a say and a decision in what happens to your body throughout pregnancy and your birthing experience.
The natural process of birth just like pregnancy is dependent on the woman’s ability to trust her inner guidance and wisdom. When a woman trust’s in this process she can trust and support the process rather than fight against it. She allows nature to work as it naturally flows.
This for many years was how woman were guided in support of their medical choices and healthcare not only for themselves but for their families as well. For years women decided which position would be most comfortable for them, they were free to move about during labor and free to eat and drink. Women knew that squatting allowed their pelvis to open up more freely, and getting the baby out was never an issue. The baby was born just at the right time and was given right to the mother to be snuggled and nursed. Immediate bonding was a must and separation was never heard of. It was because of this that mom and baby recovered together faster with an increased bond. The woman was confident and trusted her body and her inner guidance.
Fast forward to today: Insert the “New Technological Birthing Process”
Today our “natural birth process” has turned into something that is much more technical and it is more of an event and procedure than a natural flowing process. It is because of this increased in technology that women are scared or placed inside a fear-based model of care with restrictions that may cause more harm than good. Women feel powerless. Fear can shut down the process not just physically but mentally and emotional as well. Today women are forced to comply to someone else’s schedule and beliefs. Women are not allowed to birth as they want and are put into positions that go against natural gravity and basic anatomy. This slows down the natural process of things. Fear can constrict blood vessels and muscles and cause greater pain and discomfort. Drugs are then given to ease the pain and the woman’s uterine function and strength is impaired even more. She becomes disconnected from her body.
The drugs and the position of the mother cause her to push and excessively and strain in order to get the baby out. Because of this the doctor has to pull and twist the baby’s tiny head and spine in order to get the shoulders out. Even in “natural births” the standard procedure is to pull the head and neck of the baby. There is research to support that routine force that is used in birth may damage the spinal cord and nerves of the baby. In this country we have allowed increased technology to overcome our practical guidance, our intuition. Before this, women trusted their innate abilities and function and outside interference was not the norm.
With this information available to us it is even now more than ever for us as mothers to become more involved in our birthing experience and decisions. Knowing that you have choices is the key to unlocking your inner guidance in order to trust your body and be able to make decisions during your birth. We have to look at decreasing the amount of birth trauma in any way we can as undue force and stress has become much a of routine procedure in our modern birthing procedures.
As mothers we need us to take responsibility and make our own health decisions and choices in our family’s health from conception on. This needs to come from a place of inner wisdom and guidance trusting our intuition, instead of coming from a fear-based model in which we are taught from today. Especially today it can be hard to take a stand out and learn to trust the natural process of things as our society doesn’t teach us that currently but rather implants fear when our body is performing normal and natural functions. As woman we have been taught to fear pain and suppress our symptoms and we try to control the natural process of things. We are taught to look outside ourselves for solutions instead of trusting our inner guidance and intuition.
Today, Doctors of Chiropractic are concerned with the amount of force being used throughout births. We realize that the nervous system has an enormous effect on the child’s ability for optimal health and we realize that birth injuries can have lifelong health consequences. This has led us to develop specific techniques in order to care for woman throughout pregnancy. Chiropractic care throughout pregnancy removes interference to the mother’s nervous system and enhances baby development and uterine function. Care can balance a woman’s pelvis which in turn balances pelvic muscles and ligaments and allows baby to get into the best possible position. Chiropractic care can help facilitate an easier and safer birth for both mom and baby. Chiropractors help to enhance the natural process of birth by encouraging pregnant moms to choose safe procedures, supportive environments and practitioners for their birth. We help to assure and give confidence to a woman and her body’s ability to accomplish a natural birth process and we recognize that birth is a natural process and should be treated as such. The chiropractic philosophy and the science behind it stems from trusting the body’s ability to function based on its innate inborn intelligence.
Below are some tips for a safer and more informed birthing experience:
Learn about your choices for your birth. You have options, research and discover the options that may be best for you.
Find a birthing provider who supports the natural process. There are many providers who support the natural processes of birth; Midwives and doulas are excellent resources.
Rely on your body’s ability to function as it is designed to and trust your intuition when making healthcare choices
Receive chiropractic care early in pregnancy from a doctor who is enthusiastic and works with pregnant moms.
Dr. Meagen is a House Call Chiropractor and Holistic Living Practitioner serving the Southeast area of Michigan. Follow her on facebook at Dr. Meagen House Call Chiropractic or Instagram at drmeghousecalls.
