Odds are that you and almost everyone you know can spin a tale about birth: the birth of their children or grandchildren, births they witnessed or heard about, or the story of their own entry into the world. And these stories are important. People want to tell their story, and need to be heard.
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Photo credit: Allison Andres Photography. Model Lilea Duran.
WHY SHOULD YOU STAY ACTIVE DURING PREGNANCY?
Did you know that the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day or two? (Unless you have a medical or pregnancy complication.)
Exercise increases our natural vitality by stimulating blood flow and oxygenating the body. It awakens the mind and may also help to ease or prevent depression. It has been known to prevent gestational diabetes, pregnancy pains and aches, and it even helps you sleep better! OUR JOURNEY WITH ELIMINATION COMMUNICATION The number one thing I wish I had known before the birth of my son is that you can start potty training babies right after they are born. Ok, not really. It’s not potty training. It’s really more like a parent training in which you pay very, very close attention to your child so that you can put them over a sink or a bowl when they need to eliminate. In case you have never heard about this before, in the Western World this “method” is known as Elimination Communication (EC), Diaper Free Baby, or Natural Infant Hygiene. Amongst most indigenous people around the world, EC doesn’t even have a name because it is the norm. I know this must sound crazy to most people, and you might be wondering why in the world would you want to sit around waiting for your baby to fart or kick his/her legs in a particular way when we are blessed with the miracle of diapers?
Well, there are many reasons.
LOBA FILM REVIEW
TRIGGER WARNING: This movie contains some traumatic birth experiences and stories of women who suffered from obstetric violence.
Last month I had the chance to watch the film LOBA during an International Women’s Day online screening. This film, directed by French osteopath Catherine Béchard, is an honest and beautiful exploration of what giving birth means nowadays in a variety of settings and locations. The word loba, meaning she-wolf in Spanish, is a very appropriate title for a movie that explores deeply and with a multiculturalist lens how our seemingly ever growing distance from nature is transforming the way we are born, and especially the way we as women relate to our bodies. Shot in France, Spain, Mexico and Cuba, this film opens up a window into the reality of different parts of the world and invites us to challenge and widen our understanding of normality. The other day I was showing my menstrual cup collection to some friends who were interested in learning about them and we ended up on the topic of cervixes. I don’t even know how, but I found myself pulling out one of my books and looking for a picture of a cervix at two different stages of the menstrual cycle. One of my friends got a little grossed out at the images and confessed never feeling comfortable about bodily things. “Have you always been so open and comfortable with these subjects?” she asked.
Since I grew up in Mexico, my awareness of the seasons was never very strong.
I will always remember the second year I was living in New York City when I was walking down the street and I saw some little buds flowering in a tree. My heart swell with joy. Here in Olympia, WA, the days are slowly becoming longer and the streets are slowly welcoming the colors of the blooming flowers. Last week we had the chance to attend a wonderful community event organized by The Red Thread Apothecary. We went to Priest Point Park to harvest nettles and it was wonderful and refreshing. Sophie, the young and wise herbalist who led the nature walk, invited us to intentionally sting ourselves in the forehead before we started harvesting. "Nettles change me," was the blessing she did while touching her face lightly with the plant, "so when you get stung, remember to welcome the change." This change of seasons is a very creative time for me, so I have a couple of things to share with you today and I hope you enjoy them. First, I made a video!
PART 2: DANCING FOR BIRTH™ AND
UTERINE RECONNECTION DANCE HOW PREGNANCY CHANGED ME AND HELPED ME DISCOVER MY CALLING
When I was a teenager, I took pride in considering myself a very reasonable and scientific person. I was quick to dismiss anything that couldn't be proved by science and I felt deeply annoyed by superstitions of any kind.
As I grew older and I started traveling and meeting many different people with different perspectives, I started to open my mind to recognize that there was a lot of value to intuition and other things that couldn't be measured or scientifically proven. During my pregnancy I was deeply connected to an unexplainable way of knowing. I kept on meeting all the right people at the right times. Some shared their stories and recommended the inspiring readings that helped shape a new vision for my future: I needed to become a birth worker. The birth of my son was definitely the most powerful spiritual experience I have ever gone through. I swayed and sang my way through each contraction and discovered a huge power in childbirth that profoundly impacted me. It was tremendously inspiring.
PART 1:
HULA HOOPING THROUGH POSTPARTUM I was never a dancer.
I remember my first dance experience at a Quinceañera party. I stood awkwardly in a circle of teenagers and tried to move my very stiff body, feeling terrified about being ridiculous and way too nervous about the way I would look dancing.
That self-consciousness was part of my life for a very long time. I was never the “fit” type. I always struggled with body image. I was always one of the last to be chosen for sport teams and I hated PE more than anything. I hated running. Sure, I was on the swim team when I was ten and I did some yoga for a while when I was in college, but I never felt super passionate about any kind of physical exercise. I always had to force myself to do it. During my pregnancy I did yoga a lot more because I was set on being as healthy as possible, and spent tons of time outdoors in nature. It really helped me connect with my body. But it wasn’t until about two months after my son was born, one sunny afternoon on a San Diego beach, that I discovered a passion to move my body. I was eleven when I first got my period. My mom had talked to me about it in a very factual manner and I think we also heard about it in school, so it wasn’t a surprise. I had been anticipating it for a while. Although I knew it was generally discouraged to talk about it, I told a few of my best friends I had “gotten it.” How could I help it? I was just so excited about growing up. I was terribly disappointed when I found out a year or so later that my best friend started menstruating around the same time than me, but had not told me anything. When I asked, hurt and offended, why she kept it secret even after I told her about my period, she explained that her mom instructed her to NEVER, NEVER talk about it with anyone or leave any trace of evidence that would let anyone know that she was bleeding. And even though I don’t remember feeling any shame about menstruating before, I felt very ashamed in that moment. Over the years I have talked to a lot of people whose first experiences with menstruation were negative and even traumatic. Many of them didn’t even know anything about menstruation before they got it. One of my friends told me she was punished when she started bleeding. She was called gross and messy. When looking at herbal aids in the time of pregnancy, it is easy to feel somewhat daunted. There are many different plants that can be used for the different stages or ailments that occur before, during, and after pregnancy. To give you an idea of the many benefits herbs can have during pregnancy, I will briefly touch on one great herb ally per momentous stage in pregnancy. |
AuthorMarissa Rivera Bolaños is a doula and visual artist with a passion to create change around the way our culture approaches women's health. Archives
February 2024
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