Birth Healing

Game: Interview

Gaia's Child — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 07:47:51 GMT

Just for a bit of fun, let's have a game.

Here's the rules. You answer the three questions in the post above yours, and then ask three different questions. The next person comes along, answers your questions and posts three of their own. Lets see how far it can go.

So, to start off:

1. What is your middle name, and do you love it or loathe it?

2. If you were stuck on a deserted island, with plenty of food and water and stuff to survive, what would be the one luxury you would ...

Another Obstetrician Under Investigation

Gaia's Child — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:15:08 GMT

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/investigation-into-botched-cases-and-sex-assault-claims/2008/10/05/1223145175344.html

This just makes me so angry Where is his respect? How the hell does someone think it is okay to do this kind of stuff?

My thoughts are with his victims.

Hi from Brisbane

Ayla — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 13:48:35 GMT

Hi all, I was invited to this forum by Heket and I see some familiar faces already I'm a student doula in Brisbane with a 12mth old munchkin.

a new road for us!

heket — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:00:50 GMT

Just some random thoughts and rambling.......

My period has just returned. It's making me feel really positive because now I know I can take my fertility into my own hands again. I realise now that I was feeling like I would never have another baby, and I felt hideously infertile because of losing James.

His due date has been and gone. It was a really hard week. But now it's over it's like a small weight has lifted off my shoulders. I know that having another baby will never take away ...

Links

Gaia's Child — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 23:47:58 GMT

I will be updating this section for useful links regarding birth trauma, pregnancy, various related support services and other parenting websites soon. If you have any links you think would be appropriate please post away!

your fault / their fault

heket — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:55:43 GMT

What did YOU do wrong to cause your traumatic experience, what did the hospital do wrong?

The first time I'm going to put the blame squarely on the hospital. I was 19, and I thought I could trust them because they crapped on about being the best maternity unit in this hemisphere. They coersed me into every procedure I knew was bad for me and my baby by saying I was putting her at risk. I knew THEY were putting her at risk, but I was young and confused by the contradictions I guess.

The ...

making revolution on our own behalf

Janet — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:56:46 GMT

I was reading a book last night which is about the feminist journey of a woman in the US. She said a lot of things which, unsurprisingly, resonated with me, particularly around women's refusal to support their own human rights movement (while being heavily invested in many other human rights struggles!) and the complicated issues behind that. Some quotes seemed pertinent to me. I hope they provoke some thought and some revolution on behalf of ourselves and our sisters in you. The lack of response ...

A day you'll never forget

Janet — Fri, 09 May 2008 00:45:59 GMT

http://www.tabs.org.nz/pdfdocs/simpkin.pdf

A Day You�ll Never Forget�

The Day You Give Birth to Your First Child

By Penny Simkin, PT

It happens to every pregnant woman. Other women, even strangers, old and

young, approach her in the grocery store, elevator, at the bus stop, almost

anywhere, and embark on the �When I was pregnant�� story, or �Let me tell

you about

my labor!� A swelling belly seems to be an invitation for this kind of

well-meaning, sometimes helpful, but ...

Healing Circle for Eilis

Gaia's Child — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 14:05:32 GMT

Liz,

Please know that many women around the country have you and your family in your thoughts and heart. I wish you a healing journey full of growth, love, support, peace and light. You are a woman with a magnificently beautiful soul, and that inner beauty will guide you at this difficult time.

October Book Club

Gaia's Child — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 06:42:20 GMT

Meg- did you ever finish "This Charming Man?"

Lets start a new book. Any suggestions? How about something non fiction this time- maybe something birth/parenting orientated to keep in line with our ethos to be well informed?

'Birth Healing': New Website Name Poll

Gaia's Child — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 11:55:11 GMT

I find the name "Birth Healing" a bit dull and boring and want to change it. What are your thoughts?

Men and Birth Trauma

Gaia's Child — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:13:14 GMT

A few days ago Dan had the opportunity to open up about what the birth was like for him, how he felt and how he feels about it now.

I think it's fairly common knowledge around here that men can suffer from PTSD after a birth.

But I'm wondering, is it possible for the man (or the non-birthing woman, or support person or whatever) but not the woman to have PTSD after birthing?

I'm looking forward to an interesting discussion here.

C'mon Dads

heket — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:37:33 GMT

Tell us about your experiences during the births of your wee folk. I've spoken to my partner extensively about his perspective and feelings, and as time goes by how it changes. I'd like to hear from other support partners

What is feminism?

Gaia's Child — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 03:22:39 GMT

From reading posts on this and other forums, and also in the media, it appears to me that the concept of 'feminism' is one that is often confused, misjudged and corrupted.

I would like to invite Heket to give us a run down on feminism, and let's talk about what it means to all of us.

Forum Guideline Suggestions

Gaia's Child — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 05:56:43 GMT

I will be assessing our forum guidelines shortly to reflect the membership base and issues that affect this base. I would be most interested in hearing your opinions about the forum guidelines- what works for you, what doesn't- and also the site as a whole. Please post your thoughts here

5 things you may not know about me...

Gaia's Child — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 02:50:40 GMT

I stole this idea off another forum but I thought it would be a good thread for us to get to know each other a bit better. Pretty simple- just write 5 things about yourself!

1. I grew up on a big farm in an old rented house with just my mum. We were very poor but life was a lot of fun!

2. I am a Queen's Scout.

3. I am learning to fire dance.

4. I'm studying Social Science and have just started Work Placement with a local youth service.

5. I want to start up a commune ...

Member Blogs

Gaia's Child — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 05:00:14 GMT

I thought it might be a cool idea if we could link our blogs here and get to know the "other sides" of people.

Here's a link to my latest blog post:

http://gaiaschild.wordpress.com/2008/10/05/the-problem-with-being-radical/

Who's with me? I want to read your blogs!

TOTW- 3rd October 2008- Bias in the Birth Healing Site

Gaia's Child — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:01:44 GMT

Hi everybody!

I am currently assessing this site and it's ability to help people afftected by birth trauma, and the way that we do that.

I am aware that the site has developed a number of biases towards attachment parenting/homebirth/feminism.

I want to know, is this a good or a bad thing for you? If you are not from one of these ideological backgrounds, do you feel it prevents you from speaking up? And if this is the case, what in particular turns you off, and what specifically ...

Ashton's birth

ellyash — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 05:26:49 GMT

Firstly I just want to say that I had a strange feeling throughout my whole pregnancy that I would not have a straight forward birth with my second child. I always just had a feeling something would go wrong - this haunts me still to this day.

I was one week overdue with my second child. It was 5:30 am on Sunday July 22nd when I woke with a warm trickle running down my leg. I got up and walked to the toilet and was excited to realise that it was in fact my waters breaking. I was so excited ...

Christian's birth story

purplegirl — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 12:36:59 GMT

14th october 2007 saw me in labour with my fourth child. Nothing major, a few twinges at 8pm so off i went to bed to get some rest. By 11 pm i couldn't sleep through them, so decided to get up and walk around a bit to see if i'd go into active labour. by midnight i was holding on to the wall with every second contraction. my natural rythym seems to be one long peaking contraction, small break, one short breathing contraction. I woke up DH and called a friend we had arranged to come sleep over ...

hello and wow what a great site!

cortykaran — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:37:44 GMT

i'm Karan, from Coffs Harbour, a mother of three grown children, 20 and 16. i divorced about four years ago, and a while back met a wonderful younger man who is my best friend and partner-in- crime i'm 43, and we've been trying the natural way for a baby, and we're now the battle-weary survivors of three miscarriages and an uncaring, unsympathetic medical system. still, we're trying again, and this time armed with a lot more knowledge and love for each other

i'm a member of a conception, ...

Circumcision

Gaia's Child — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 13:42:33 GMT

I read this article today:

http://www.kindredmedia.com.au/library_cat1/Circumcision/27/1

Whilst it was always a given that Bodhi would remain 'intact', it was simply an instinctual choice we made. There is, however, some stuff that was really thought provoking in here. Well worth the read, even though it's long.

TOTW- 31st May 2008- Plastic Surgery and Caesareans

Gaia's Child — Sat, 31 May 2008 09:20:13 GMT

Today I finally had the chance to watch The Business of Being Born a film by Abby Epstein and Ricki Lake about birthing practices in America and the increasing use of interventions in birth (and what that means for mother, baby and society).

One topic that really made me think, that I hadn't considered before, was the increasing acceptance of medical intervention to 'fix' undesirable parts of ourselves. Namely, talking about the trend of celebrities (and from that, the greater population) ...

Multiple support group

Gaia's Child — Wed, 28 May 2008 09:29:15 GMT

https://webmail.westnet.com.au/express.asp

Anyone here have multiples?

New here

purplegirl — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 09:02:58 GMT

Hi everyone, some of you may know me from Australian Breastfeeding Assosiation Forum. My name is Liz and i am married with four children, A(boy) is eight, E(girl) is six, D(girl) is two and C(boy) is eleven months. I hope you don't mind me dropping in and out i'm a busy homeschooler so may be around in the evenings if i can get DH off the computer lol. i am prompt to answer messages/questions etc.. well hope to get to know you guys, and thanks for letting me in lol.

What would have helped prevent your birth trauma?

Gaia's Child — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 12:43:34 GMT

I am currently collecting information to be used in the Birth Healing submission into the federal government's Maternity Services Review. Hence, this poll.

What would have helped prevent your birth trauma? What will help you prevent it happening to you in the future? You can vote for more than one option, and I encourage you to elaborate on your vote, if you feel comfortable.

Positions of your baby in the womb: what the jargon means

Gaia's Child — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:13:51 GMT

There are a number of ways your baby can be positioned (known as "presentations") in the womb.

Your baby may be bottom up (vertex) or bottom down (breech).

Above: A baby in the vertex position. Most babies will be in this position at the start of labour.

Above: A baby in the breech position. There are different kinds of breech: complete breech, where legs are crossed, in the fetal position and with bottom in the pelvis; incomplete or frank breech, where ...

Healing After Caesarean Links

Gaia's Child — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 13:55:29 GMT

Thanks Kathryn for the following link:

http://users.picknowl.com.au/~caressa/

CARES SA is an Adelaide based non-profit support group for women and their partners. CARES SA is completely independent organisation, we come from a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences and preferences of birth place. In most cases you can speak to a member who has shared a similar experience to your own.

Does anyone else have some great healing after caesarean links they would like to share?

What Has Helped (or possibly would help) you heal from birth trauma?

Gaia's Child — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 12:54:24 GMT

I am currently collecting information to use in Birth Healing's submission to the federal government's Maternity Services Review.

Please indicate via the poll what has helped you, or alternatively, what you think would probably help you, heal from birth trauma. You can choose more than one response. I would encourage all members to elaborate on their votes, and also, let us know if there are any barriers to any of these measures, for example cost.

Loving my Scar

Gaia's Child — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 13:15:44 GMT

I was interested to know how those of you that have had caesareans feel about your scar.

I kind of like mine. I don't like that it has to be there in the first place, but it's a part of my body that has a lot of symbolism. In that, I cherish it and nurture it as a symbol of a couple of facets of my personality: the ability to draw inner strength and get through ordeals, and the part of me that is healing, or vulnerable, or the part of me that needs love.

I rub rosehip oil into it ...

How many forum members does it take to change a light bulb?

Gaia's Child — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 07:00:27 GMT

How many forum members does it take to change a light bulb?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One to change the light bulb and to post that the light bulb has been changed.

Fourteen to share similar experiences of changing light bulbs and how the light bulb could have been changed differently.

Seven to caution about the dangers of changing light bulbs.

Seven more to point out spelling/grammatical errors in posts about ...

Can you spare some time to take part in important birth-related online research?

sf68 — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:28:54 GMT

Hi there

I hope you dont mind me contacting you. I'm hoping you will take part in some research I am undertaking looking at postnatal depression and post traumatic stess disorder following childbirth.

I am conducting the research study at Sussex University with the help of Dr Susan Ayers who is a very experienced researcher in the area of Birth Trauma and postnatal psychological distess in this country. The current research investigates women's general memory, their memories of childbirth, ...

Take part in research into Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Postnatal Depression following birth

sf68 — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:38:51 GMT

Congratulations Lizzy and welcome earthside baby boy!

Gaia's Child — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 12:34:01 GMT

I have just read the following news on the ABA forum (credits to four&out):

Congratulations to Liz and family on the arrival of their healthy boy yet to be named. Born today just after 4pm weighing 9lb 2oz. Mum and baby doing really well.

We're all hoping you got the birth you were wishing for, if not, well...it's why we're here. Make sure you let us know what we can do!

Take part in research looking at Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Postnatal Depression following birth

sf68 — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:32:09 GMT

Can you spare some time to take part in important birth-related research?

sf68 — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:26:47 GMT

Midwives to gain 'doctors rights'

Gaia's Child — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 02:23:05 GMT

http://www.theage.com.au/national/midwives-to-gain-doctors-rights-20080909-4d22.html?page=1

Maternity Services Review

Gaia's Child — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 12:34:35 GMT

The Federal Government is currently undertaking a review into Maternity Services in Australia and is looking for submissions from consumers.

Submissions need to be made by close of business, 31st October 2008.

A discussion paper can be found here:

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/0C95515942DDCB4CCA2574B0001CD4E7/$File/Improving_Maternity_Services_In_Australia.pdf

Information about making a submission can be found here:

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/maternityservicesreview-consultation

I ...

you can heal

heket — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:03:21 GMT

I don't think healing is something that you can complete. I think it's something ongoing, and that we never know what will set off our pain or ptsd.

Just an example : I was fine for several years, but on my babies 10th b'day I was set off again by someone reminding me about how she had met my baby before I had (I posted about it here, I dont need to recap). That set off all sorts of things in me that I hadn't revisited in years!!! Granted I had covered lots of ground and was able to face ...

Affirmations to assist in intimacy after birth trauma

Gaia's Child — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 10:59:08 GMT

Hi everyone,

I thought I would post this, it's a page of affirmations I wrote out (some from 'You can Heal Your Life' by Louise Hay, some of my own creation) to help me overcome my fear of sex after my birth trauma. I hope they can be useful for others.

I express love and joy easily, I am at peace.

I am free to circulate love and joy in every part of my world. I am safe.

I am safe at all times. Love surrounds me and protects me.

I am powerful and desirable. It�s wonderful ...

Blessingway for Eilis

Gaia's Child — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:01:51 GMT

Lizzy will be welcoming her new baby earthside sometime soon. Our thoughts are with you!

"My Best"

By: Myra DeLuca, Doula

As the moons pass month after month

My belly and breasts swell

Fuller and Rounder - radiating the glow of life within.

I admire the wonders of my womanly body as

My sensuous curves turn motherly

My motherly curves remain sensuous.

Finally, My day arrives.

The day woman becomes mother.

I'm frightened by the ...

Avoiding the hard yards

heket — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:29:28 GMT

What do you do to avoid working through your birth rape?

After my real, and first birthrape I was unable to bond. I think I tried to forget that I was a mother by separating myself from my baby. That's very sad isn't it.

After Spikee, I clung to the ideal that surgery had been necessary because the thought of enduring it twice for no reason was waaaaay too much. (turns out it probably was necessary, but in those early days I had to fight myself a bit )

After James was born I cleaned ...

For Sammi

heket — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:11:48 GMT

Sammi needs our love and kind thoughts atm. She is having some difficulties on her healing journey and we need to send our love and healing vibes to her!

Sammi, please know you're in our thoughts while you face this new phase in your healing journey. As each new leaf opens up it reveals a new layer or part of your TRUE self, and that is not always easy or pleasurable. But I know you are determined to heal well, and heal fully, so I hope you are able to fully embrace the pain as a tool for ...

my 400th post

heket — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:09:21 GMT

Here it is in all its glory

I haven't got anything interesting to say sorry

The challenge of healing

heket — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:11:16 GMT

Sometimes on our healing road we have to hear things we don't like, or read them in our notes, or come to terms with rape. How do we deal with the challenges in our paths?

I think that - especially when something doesn't sit right with us - we need to examine it closely to see WHY. For example some people are uncomfortable with anger, others defend the right of hospital staff over their own hearts and minds, some people think their bodies failed them when in reality is was the uncaring conveyerbelt ...

Participate in a new study on PTSD and birth!

Janet — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 04:09:24 GMT

A new Study on PTSD ... Subsequent Childbirth after Previous Birth Trauma:

In order to help clinicians provide better care to mothers who are having a subsequent childbirth after suffering through a previous traumatic birth, Cheryl Beck (Professor at the University of Connecticut) and Sue Watson (chairperson of TABS) are now conducting a research study on this topic. Women who have had another child after having experienced birth trauma are invited to participate in this research study. ...

I'm back online!

Gaia's Child — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:59:26 GMT

For those of you wondering about my absense the last week, I've been moving and then subject to a dodgy phone cord that brought down our whole communication system

But I'm back now! And looking forward to catching up with everyone!

Maternity Funding

Gaia's Child — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 09:06:36 GMT

https://webmail.westnet.com.au/express.asp

What do you think?

Is this a good direction for funding? Could it be better spent in other areas of maternity services?

sustainable living and hospital birth

heket — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:34:08 GMT

http://blogs.nzherald.co.nz/blog/rubbish-free-year/2008/7/28/rubbish-free-year-week-25/?c_id=39

apparently a hospital birth makes enough rubbish to fill a skip bin That is really alarming! It's also another reason to choose homebirth

the language of labour

heket — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:03:44 GMT

This discussion of language is crucial for all birthing womyn I believe.

This article is about the power of language with refenence to birthing womyn. A good read!

http://www.birthpsychology.com/prima.../primal21.html

In order to reclaim birth we must SPEAK differently about it!