On Tuesday during my show Beyond Birth Trauma – From Burden to Brilliance my guest Sophie Kirkham, a birthing doula and coach, shared her insights on the cyclical nature of birth, the profound impact of separation, and the empowering potential of ancient and modern healing practices.
Sophie’s own birthing experiences deeply influence her practice. Beyond personal anecdotes, she emphasized the importance of understanding the physical and psychological aspects of birthing positions and interventions.
For those of you who are pregnant, she referenced resources like Spinning Babies for moving fetal positioning, underscoring the necessity of informed and gentle birthing practices. It was so interesting! I wish I had had someone to guide me during birth even though both of mine were straightforward. But, anything can happen!
Her approach fosters a deep connection between mother and child, advocating for immediate and uninterrupted contact post-birth to facilitate essential bonding and biological functions like temperature regulation and microbiome development.
At 37 when I learned that when I was born I had been put into an incubator for 2 days, and not skin to skin on my mother, it profoundly explained so much to me about my relationship with her. I didn’t know about all of this back then, but I remember feeling robbed of that crucial interaction and cried and cried in my mother’s arms.
Our conversation also touched on broader themes of maternal anxiety and societal expectations surrounding childbirth and parenting. Sophie shared powerful personal stories illustrating the delayed onset of maternal bonding, challenging the myth of instant emotional connections and advocating for a more forgiving and realistic approach to maternal affection.
In a nutshell mothers, please let go of the guilt and/or shame from childbirth! We don’t really know what we’re in for, until we’re there doing it! I can help you rebalance all of those swirling or suppressed emotions.
As the interview concluded, Sophie led a centering exercise using M-braining techniques, connecting your brain with your heart, gut, and pelvic brains too through balanced breathing.
You don’t need to be pregnant to tap into that kind of internal wisdom! When meditating put your hand on your heart and “talk” to your heart, ask what it needs, what it can tell you, and the same with your gut, and pelvis.
We have the power to break the cycle of whatever ancestral or repeating trauma has come before us. Often if your baby is having a hard time coming out, chances are you did too! Or your mother did. We are all connected and our birth imprint is what sets us up for life!
I would highly recommend working with Sophie as her work not only supports women through the physical act of childbirth but also nurtures the long-term emotional and spiritual well-being of mothers, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of the birth process as a profound journey of transformation and renewal.
Why not be preventative about birth trauma and create the smooth path you want for your child in life?
Don’t worry though if it’s too late! Remember time is a human construct, we can always backtrack and energetically heal what’s been before. Even if you’re already a grandmother.
Interested in finding out a bit about your own path? Book a free 20-minute call, let’s talk birth!
© All Rights Reserved Shannon O'Flaherty 2023
