things we know for sure

Filed Under Pregnancy and Birthing, Tips & Tricks | June 11, 2009

When you’re preparing for the birth of your first child there are many unknowns, but the birth experts at Dancing Star birth know that there are a few core truths you can count on. No matter what:

What is true about birth?  Take a moment to reflect on this question.  What have you learned from family and friends, your culture, the media, books?  What do you know to be absolutely true?

We ask this question at the beginning of each Birthing From Within prenatal class, and the answers are perhaps the most important things to know about birth.

1. A baby will be born.  We may not know how it will be born, or whether it will be healthy, but a baby will be born and we will be parents.
2. Birth is a natural process.  Approximately 300,000 women around the world give birth every day. Our bodies are designed to birth babies.
3. Birth is unpredictable.  Despite our best wishes and intentions, birth often looks different than we would have hoped or imagined.
4. Having a baby is life-changing.  The moment we meet our baby something new is born within us.

While simple, these truths are not always easy to accept.  Most of us find it difficult to believe the bump in our belly is actually a growing baby.  While we may know that a woman’s body is made to birth, we wonder if we can do it.  We long for some measure of control, hoping that with the right care provider, birth location and choices we can have the birth we envision.  And no matter how many well-intentioned friends tell us our lives will change, we cling to the hope that it won’t change too much!

Over the course of our prenatal classes clients emerge with a wealth of information about labour, birth, and new parenthood, along with a deeper understanding of how to best navigate the changes to come.  Perhaps more importantly, they have a new perspective on these core truths, allowing them to embrace the unknown, trust in the process, and birth their baby with confidence.

Dancing Star Birth offers Birthing From Within prenatal classes, Birthing Again workshops, and Birthing by Cesarean workshops in Vancouver, North Vancouver, and Victoria.  To learn more visit www.DancingStarBirth.ca or email info@dancingstarbirth.ca.