Not only is it Spring time, the traditional time for the expression of fertility through birth of baby animals of all kinds, but with the Full Moon pulling on those pregnant Mamas…it’s also time for some baby birthing action! I am beside excited to let you know about a new Mother Rising Offering for pregnant, birthing and post-natal Moms.
I have teamed up with MY Doula, Christine Gonzales, to offer The Full Empowerment Package for those local SF Bay Area Moms. That’s right…FULL EMPOWERMENT! Christine is a Mother of SIX and myself, a Mother of THREE…between us, we share a variety of birthing experiences that have shaped and empowered us both personally. We also bring forth our embodied knowledge and confidence that a natural childbirth without intervention is not only possible but is safer and ultimately better for both Mom and Baby.
Right here is where I would LOVE to share with you my birth experience with my first child in all the lovely poetic nuances I could muster, but I submitted that piece to a writing contest! Fingers crossed that it does well. I suppose, the good news is that if it doesn’t do well, I can post it right here on the site! But what you should know of that experience is that I had all the high hopes of a natural childbirth that after 40 hours of labor turned into a Cesarean Section….without epidural until we did the Cesarean. It was a devastating experience for me and yet transformative as well. I went on to have two Vaginal Births with my other two babies and my lovely Christine Gonzales was right there with me all three times.
Christine and I went recently to see the Ina May Gaskin film titled Birth Story. Here’s a picture of us together, and below I have 
embedded the trailer for the movie. It’s an excellent movie about the truly courageously phenomenal woman, Ina May Gaskin and The Farm. She and the other midwives of The Farm and countless other midwives have dedicated themselves both to reshaping our outlook on birth and our birth experiences through building their incredible expertise from a trade that had been nearly taken away from all of us and through massive efforts in educating others. I cried through the entire movie and told Christine that I could just watch this movie on repeat all night long. This is one that will soon be in my library.
Trailer for Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin & The Farm Midwives
“Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin & the Farm Midwives” Official Trailer from Birth Story on Vimeo.
Another SUPER empowering movie to watch is the Business of Being Born. This one really rings true to me in so many ways. With my Master’s in Health Services Administration and having worked closely with many hospitals and medical groups, my understanding of medicine also being a business is all too close to home. It makes me sad that women and their babies health outcomes have been compromised. However, almost more upsetting than just the compromised health outcomes is the humiliation and the disempowerment of women that has taken place in the process of making birth a business.
Ricki Lake’s The Business of Being Born
There was so much more that Ricki Lake wanted to share about The Business of Being born that she and her fabulous crew came out with More Business of Being Born.
More Business of Being Born – Ricki Lake
And lastly the Water Birth
STOP YOURSELF FROM NOT WATCHING THIS! I KNOW THERE’S A NAKED WOMAN ON THE FRONT OF THE YOUTUBE CLIP BELOW! She’s naked because she’s about to give birth. So she’s supposed to be naked. If you feel some piece of you that is uncomfortable with the framed still shot of the YouTube Water Birth clip below, please ask yourself what it is that is upsetting. Don’t just settle for the simple, “it’s gross” or “Ugh, that terrible Mother Rising, how could she”! It’s BEAUTIFUL. It is a woman giving birth BY HERSELF! This is a strong and empowered woman. You will be amazed.
This is so phenomenal. To watch a birth just always blows my mind, but to watch a WATER birth is even more amazing. Highly recommend watching this.
For the Pregnant or Pondering Pregnancy Mamas
So now that you’ve gotten your FULL MOON dose of birthing, be sure to pass this information on to any friends or family members who are pregnant or considering pregnancy. They may be interested in the blog’s content and/or interested in knowing about The Full Empowerment Package.
Or if you know a new Mom in the following scenarios:
- New Mom who has recently given birth and is either adjusting to becoming a new Mom or a new Mom to a new baby plus older sibling(s)
- New Mom who has experienced a traumatic birth
- New Mom suffering from post-partum depression
Please recommend the Nurturing the Fire package that I offer. It can really help move them from a place of incredible stress into one of smooth, calm, mothering.
And one last recommendation
A BIG shout out to THE most empowering prenatal yoga instructor I know in the East Bay (East SF Bay Area/Oakland & Berkeley), Cynthea Denise of Shaktimoon Yoga. She teaches prenatal yoga, post natal yoga and birth preparation. Prior to Shaktimoon yoga, in her previous incarnation this time around, she was a Registered Nurse for 23 years working in pediatrics in the maternal and infant health arena. Her depth of experience on so many levels is huge and her presence in the way she will touch your spirit to infuse you with knowledge of your own power is AWESOME.
Happy Full Moon!
Margaret, Yin-care®’s Mother Rising
