Born Free
Entering the world feeling welcomed, loved, alert, confident, enthusiastic, and comfortable. What kind of world will this be when that's the norm instead of the rare exception? I spent a magical morning yesterday with Anna Verwaal, a woman who is committed to transforming the experience of giving birth and being born. Anna helps parents prepare for a wonderful experience for the entire family even before the conception of their child, helping them to release old, outdated unconscious negative patterns that are passed down through generations, so that the new child can start fresh and baggage-free.
Years of experience as a registered nurse in hospitals had shown Anna how little support parents-to-be traditionally receive during pregnancy, birth, and the period after birth, and so she became a Maternal-Child Home Health Nurse, encouraging new families to experience conception, pregnancy, birth, and infancy as conscious, joyful and pleasurable celebrations. She also photographs the water-births she assists with -- dads and other kids actually in the tub, participating in bringing the new baby into the world.
I have heard many mothers describe the whole process of pregnancy and childbirth as very uncomfortable and painful; I've heard stories of babies being whisked away by hospital staff or left alone; and I've seen photos and videos of brand-new babies who look groggy and stressed out; so it came as a revelation to me to see Anna's extraordinary photos! The first touch these babies feel is the welcoming hands of mom and dad, not a doctor's or nurse's; the umbilical cord is left intact for awhile as the baby continues to receive nurturing oxygen and food from the mother's body, giving the baby a chance to acclimate before being separated. These photos show alert, happy babies who are glad to be here. It's pretty amazing to see the calm, aware consciousness of a woman who is consciously giving birth, free of any drugs that often veil her awareness of the process and tamp down the emotional experience. And the fathers! Wow -- you've got to see the faces on these dads who are right there in the tub, holding the woman, kissing her, encouraging her, supporting and assisting her in this incredible process. I don't think I've ever seen such naked emotion on a man's face as in these photos -- I was moved to tears.
The site's Contact page features a photo of father and son, and the wisdom and clarity on the baby's face had me wondering which was really the father!
What if this kind of birth became routine? Can you imagine how lives would be lived and loved, how relationships would transform, how leaders would lead, if everyone was so consciously welcomed into the world? It sort of boggles my mind to consider what a huge difference it would make.
Take a look at Anna's website, and let me know what you think! (caution for the squeamish: there is nudity and intimate emotional rawness in the photos. NSFW.)
I may be biased, but I think this is a fantastic blog entry!!!
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Such an amazing site - the photos are so beautiful, and convey such love. What a way to be welcomed into the world!
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Amazing sure is the word! These babies look like they know how welcome they are, don't they? (
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Wow, thanks for sharing that, Angela. Those photos were quite something to see. There's something very natural about them.
I'm somewhat interested in this subject (mainly because I like every aspect of life to be as natural and saturated with wellbeing as possible), since the standard hospital birth process (and things like immunisation) seem... well, I won't judge them, but I'm not sure if they're as natural as they could be.
I think it's so cool that Anna applies a holistic approach to birth (not just saying, "okay, 'birth' goes here, 'emotional issues' go here, 'work' goes here," assuming that those aspects have no relationship with one-another).
If what I've heard from Daniel Vitalis about colostrum (and the things that are transferred in it), this type of birth process seems kind of important. (Daniel is another person who dabbles in the realm of holisim. His focus is getting back to a more natural way of doing things, with a focus on health and longevity. You can find loads paradigm-shifting, mind-blowing videos of him on YouTube).
You might like this video that talks about things like natural childbirth that moves away from the standard hospital paradigm:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm1yPgxT87E&feature=channel_page (it's an interview with a guy who's been immersed in this field for some time)
This is all interesting, since Abraham (of Abraham-Hicks) says that childbirth could be mostly comfortable (you can read the full quote here: http://www.lilly6.com/t/quote-on-childbirth/). I guess the real question we have to ask ourselves (in every area) is: what is our standard for joy?
-- Bruce
ps. So cool to see that you have a blog!
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Thanks, Bruce! Yes, it occurred to me how much we've bought in to that whole idea that children are brought into this world in pain -- and that's the way it's "supposed to be" -- what a con! I'll take a look at Daniel's videos.
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Wow! I am wonderstruck,don't know how to express my feelings. It is amazing to see the emotions that speak out loud through these pictures. Bless you for this entry and sharing this link.
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Wow, Angela, these were beautiful! Thankyou.
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I'm so glad you enjoyed them, Andrew. Love to you, too.
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