​Contemplations on Birth while down with the Flu

Giving birth can be tricky. It’s easy to feel that your body is working against you, because you’re in pain. As a doula, I spend A LOT of time thinking about pregnancy, labor and birth. I was thinking about it last week, as I lay in bed with the flu. My energy was low, my body was weak, I had a headache, and I could feel my chest filling up with phlem, which I knew meant that I'd spend at least a week coughing, and losing sleep. Boy was I feeling sorry for myself…And wondering why my body was putting me through such misery!

But then I asked myself...is it, though? Is my body working against me? It’s true that I felt miserable, but the truth is that my body was doing exactly what it’s meant to do under these circumstances. A virus had invaded, and my body was doing its best to regain balance. In the process, I was feeling pretty crummy.

Here’s the thing…when I brought my mind around to gratitude for the good work that my body was doing to protect me, then it didn't feel quite so horrible. I was able to relax a little bit, and the intensity of the discomfort eased. When I acknowledged that my body is strong and intelligent, and that I would get better, some of the tension (and down-right crankiness) was relieved!

This is true for pregnancy, birth and parenting as well. When you just can’t stand to be pregnant any longer, know that this is part of the process. You are designed to reach a point where your body just can’t hold the baby any longer. And be grateful for the nature of the design. Your body holds your baby just as long as it needs to, and then it lets go.
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Yeah, I know it’s easier said than done. But if you can access that place inside of yourself that is grateful for a healthy, functioning body, I promise it will make a difference.

The same holds true for you during labor and delivery. Giving birth is painful, no doubt about it. But it’s our mind that creates the suffering. When you allow yourself to fight the pain and the natural process, to wish it could be other than it is, then it just hurts more. When you brace yourself, you get tense. If you are tense, afraid, and angry that you body is making you feel so miserable, then how can you relax and open up to bring your baby into the world?

So when you’re feeling uncomfortable because the baby is kicking your ribs, or your feet are swollen, or your nose is stuffed up, I invite you to relax into the sensations and know that they are all part of the design. Start practicing now and you’ll be a pro by the time you give birth!

Trust your body. Your body has its reasons. Your body is smart, and it knows just how to handle the flu, your pregnancy, and the birth of your baby.

​~Rainbow