Birth Renewal
Birth Renewal was first offered in October 2000. The creation began in February 1999. My daughter Elaya was born July 21, 1998 by emergency Cesarean section. I had been practicing as a midwife for 3 years by the time she was born. Her birth was originally intended to be a home birth. Due to her position and the late detection (she was a kneeling breech) after over 40 hours of labor I decided to make the call to transport knowing full well in our area that a section was my only option. Read Elaya's birth story It quickly became obvious to me that there was a lack of support and resources for women healing from Traumatic births. Birth Renewal is ever evolving as each woman I encounter teaches me something about my own healing.
How does Birth Renewal Work?
First and foremost is the open atmosphere created which allows women to share their birth experiences with others in a safe, non-judgmental space.
Stories have been considered a tool of healing for as long as people have had relationships. They are a way to ease the pain by letting someone else know what happened. They also serve as a means to connect people who have shared similar experiences.
Throughout the weekend each woman explores not only her birth, but also the lessons she learned before, during and after in her own Creative Journal. She also looks at the "perfect birth" and how her perceptions of perfection affect how she views the outcome.
Generational Mediation is a guided visualization that leads women back to connect with the women of their ancestry. It is a wonderful way to see what beliefs we each hold about pregnancy and birth. It also makes very clear to each woman that the women in her family gave birth at some point in the not so distant past – her mother or grandmother.
Healing Circles are created safe spaces. In some traditions they are called Sharing Circles. In Birth Renewal the Healing Circle allows us space to share our expectations of birth and how those expectations were or were not met. It also gives us time to begin to explore the lessons that we were presented with in our birth experiences. This Healing Circle makes space for positive healing to take place.