http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/-t1.htm Tue, 12 May 2009 05:33:28 GMT 10 http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh232/sammicambray/001-1.jpg http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/-t1.htm http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/wishes-t459.htm kayla I wish that I had, had more supportive midwives and that I had seen more of them then Ob's I wish that my mother had of supported me the way she said she would instead of stepping back and saying you decided to have another baby you deal with it (not those words but pretty much) I wish that I had a partner who was comfortable with the idea of being at the birth. I wish that I could stop thinking about all the things that didn't happen for me and focus on all the good things that have happend ... Healing Journeys Tue, 12 May 2009 05:33:28 GMT http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/wishes-t459.htm#2569 http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/wishes-t459.htm http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/where-is-everyone-at-updates-t312.htm Morgaine How is everyone going? I'm doing ok I guess. I'm having dreams about dead babies, and they're not nightmares, they're just processing stuff. I'm starting to wonder when the next baby will come along! I've also been thinking lots about how EFM could have killed Spikee too Lizzy has just had her third c/sec. Send some love her way ~~~~~~~~ How're you going Lizzy? Karan is planning a new baby and having some issues along the way ~~~~~~~~~~~ how're you going? Sammi is approaching ... Healing Journeys Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:20:17 GMT http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/where-is-everyone-at-updates-t312.htm#1655 http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/where-is-everyone-at-updates-t312.htm http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/art-therapy-blog-t410.htm Sammi For those of us who are creatively inclined (and especially those of us who limit ourselves by saying we aren't), here is a blog about art therapy I recently found: http://www.arttherapyblog.com/ From the blog: It’s important to note that you don’t need an art therapist to reap the benefits of art therapy. If you go into art as therapy and learn about the basic concepts and ideas that it represents, then you can learn a lot about yourself through your own isolated creative expression. ... Healing Journeys Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:37:36 GMT http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/art-therapy-blog-t410.htm#2356 http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/art-therapy-blog-t410.htm http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/being-born-in-love-birthshops-with-elena-tonetti-vladimirova-t409.htm Sammi This information comes courtesy of mummadoula Dear friends, Many of us know what a blessing it is for a baby to be born gently and in love. But most of us did not have this ideal start ourselves. How might this first imprint have affected us, and our capacity for love, joy and self-acceptance? Elena Tonetti, maker of the acclaimed film Birth as We Know it offers us the opportunity to reprogram the imprint of our own birth by working with our emotional (limbic) brain, in a safe and supported ... Healing Journeys Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:18:13 GMT http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/being-born-in-love-birthshops-with-elena-tonetti-vladimirova-t409.htm#2355 http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/being-born-in-love-birthshops-with-elena-tonetti-vladimirova-t409.htm http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/the-happiness-institute-t408.htm Sammi This site and organisation has some great resources for positive psychology and generally cultivating and enhancing happiness in your life. Here's the link to their site: http://www.thehappinessinstitute.com And here's a couple of resources that may be useful and practical: http://www.thehappinessinstitute.com/freeproducts/docs/CHOOSE%20handout%20summary.pdf http://www.thehappinessinstitute.com/freeproducts/docs/CHOOSE%20handout%20summary.pdf There's a lot on the ... Healing Journeys Tue, 17 Feb 2009 10:57:00 GMT http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/the-happiness-institute-t408.htm#2354 http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/the-happiness-institute-t408.htm http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/the-anniversary-support-thread-t317.htm Sammi As a number of us are approaching an anniversary of birth trauma (including me), it is pertinent to have a space to explore our feelings at this significant time. There is much anecdotal evidence to say that birth trauma can become more pronounced around the time of the child's birthday. What are you doing (or have you done) to prepare for this time? What has come up for you? Are you able to separate celebrating your child's birthday to feelings about the birth? Healing Journeys Tue, 14 Oct 2008 01:34:53 GMT http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/the-anniversary-support-thread-t317.htm#1692 http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/the-anniversary-support-thread-t317.htm http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/rules-for-managing-anger-constructively-t394.htm Sammi The following information is from Johnson (1999), cited in Australian College of Applied Psychology (2004) Working with Adolescents Artarmon: Cengage Learning. Rule 1: Acknowledge anger and the angry state as normal, healthy feelings. Being angry does not mean being aggressive. Rule 2: Decide if anger should be expressed by clarifying the other person's intent. If the violation is intentional, decide how to respond. Rule 3: Express anger directly to the appropriate person. Be ... Healing Journeys Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:16:42 GMT http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/rules-for-managing-anger-constructively-t394.htm#2239 http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/rules-for-managing-anger-constructively-t394.htm http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/distorted-thinking-cognitive-patterns-that-can-impede-birth-trauma-recovery-t393.htm Sammi From significant events in our lives, such as a traumatic birthing experience, we create beliefs about the world around us. Sometimes these beleifs can be subconcious, other times we are aware of them, but all of them will have some kind of effect on the way we live our lives. These beliefs are based on our perceptions of the event. Our perception is the only way of seeing the world: it is like a filter which distorts and disguises reality. No one can see objective reality, we all have ... Healing Journeys Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:04:30 GMT http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/distorted-thinking-cognitive-patterns-that-can-impede-birth-trauma-recovery-t393.htm#2238 http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/distorted-thinking-cognitive-patterns-that-can-impede-birth-trauma-recovery-t393.htm http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/constructive-anger-t392.htm Sammi I wrote this on my blog tonight, but I am posting it here because I think it can be of relevance to birth trauma...not just in a birth reform sense, but in making sense of all the emotions that may be involved in birth trauma. Anger is so often seen as a negative emotion. The immediate mental image I elicit, when I think ‘anger’ is a loss of control, violence, and being swept away. The more enlightened of us will know, there is no such thing as “good” and “bad”, or “positive” and “negative”; ... Healing Journeys Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:26:54 GMT http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/constructive-anger-t392.htm#2237 http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/constructive-anger-t392.htm http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/reflections-on-your-year-t381.htm Sammi
How do you sit with your birth trauma, as opposed to the start of the year? What shows you that you have undertaking some healing, or are feeling more damaged?

What were the big issues for you at the start of the year, birth trauma-wise? Have these been resolved, and if so how? What are the predominant issues for you now?]]> Healing Journeys Tue, 23 Dec 2008 11:36:45 GMT http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/reflections-on-your-year-t381.htm#2149 http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/reflections-on-your-year-t381.htm http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/hospital-medical-records-t83.htm Morgaine Has anyone gotten their records? I was wondering how many mistakes were in them. From 3 births, and having read all the records, you could read them youself and notknow they were talking about the same person . There are the most amazing errors in them! Quite astonishing given that they are supposed to be legal documents. They also showed me how little hospital staff understand womyn and their experiences. For example they quoted me as saying that I wouldn't have a c/sec "while I ... Healing Journeys Tue, 04 Mar 2008 05:20:56 GMT http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/hospital-medical-records-t83.htm#254 http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/hospital-medical-records-t83.htm http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/your-fault-their-fault-t98.htm Morgaine 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 ... Healing Journeys Thu, 06 Mar 2008 23:55:43 GMT http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/your-fault-their-fault-t98.htm#358 http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/your-fault-their-fault-t98.htm http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/loving-my-scar-t181.htm Sammi 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 ... Healing Journeys Sat, 29 Mar 2008 12:15:44 GMT http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/loving-my-scar-t181.htm#885 http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/loving-my-scar-t181.htm http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/affirmations-to-assist-in-intimacy-after-birth-trauma-t266.htm Sammi 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 ... Healing Journeys Sun, 31 Aug 2008 08:59:08 GMT http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/affirmations-to-assist-in-intimacy-after-birth-trauma-t266.htm#1416 http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/affirmations-to-assist-in-intimacy-after-birth-trauma-t266.htm http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/a-decade-on-t243.htm Morgaine This time 10yrs ago I was 42 + 3 with my daughter. Tomorrow, 10yrs ago (42 + 3 ) I was admitted for induction (I was never going to go into labour you see ) The next morning I was induced (42 + 4) despite insisting that I didn't want to be. Labour began slowly, but I was told I wasn't in labour because the contx weren't regular (and nor were they regular when I pushed my son out in January this year - regularity isn't so important as some think) The morning after that (42 + 5 ... Healing Journeys Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:36:28 GMT http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/a-decade-on-t243.htm#1285 http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/a-decade-on-t243.htm http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/bodhi-s-birth-story-if-it-could-have-been-t150.htm Sammi Dear Bodhi, If I could have given you the birth you deserved, this is what it would have been like. Having nurtured and wondered in your body, and mine, during pregnancy, I am in a state of bliss and divine connection with the universe. I am thoughtful, aware, peaceful. I maintain that beautiful connection I have with you! I am sitting on the balcony at twilight. I sense the time is near to meet you. Heavy, powerful storm clouds are rolling in. My back aches dully, the tightenings ... Healing Journeys Wed, 19 Mar 2008 01:11:01 GMT http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/bodhi-s-birth-story-if-it-could-have-been-t150.htm#680 http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/bodhi-s-birth-story-if-it-could-have-been-t150.htm http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/ceremony-ideas-t99.htm Sammi
It's going to be a kind of retroactive blessingway, to honour Bodhi, Dan and I as individuals and as a family unit. Also as a kind of "welcome earthside" to Bodhi, and a healing ceremony for us all after the birth trauma. I also want to have it on some kind of auspicious day.

Any ideas?]]> Healing Journeys Fri, 07 Mar 2008 06:30:17 GMT http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/ceremony-ideas-t99.htm#362 http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/ceremony-ideas-t99.htm http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/finding-the-positives-t50.htm Sammi Something I found very healing when I was going through the worst of my PTSD, was to find positive things that happened in my situation. Up until that time, I couldn't even see that anything good had happened. It was just all a big, black, heavy blur. Dan, Bodhi and I went out to a beautiful nature park, sat down and settled in for a long chat. Then we picked apart the experience, and tried to find as many positive things that happened as we could. I won't post them right now, because ... Healing Journeys Fri, 08 Feb 2008 02:45:56 GMT http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/finding-the-positives-t50.htm#135 http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/finding-the-positives-t50.htm http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/great-inspiration-for-planning-beautiful-births-t61.htm Janet I recently completed this slideshow for Homebirth Awareness Year which is this year About half of the women who choose to birth at home do so after experiencing standard maternity (s)care and are thus birthing after trauma of various kinds. Check out the blissful faces http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=4fce1bbdc1be211b451224&skin_id=1603&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url Healing Journeys Mon, 18 Feb 2008 22:18:42 GMT http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/great-inspiration-for-planning-beautiful-births-t61.htm#172 http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/great-inspiration-for-planning-beautiful-births-t61.htm http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/home-or-hospital-slideshow-t66.htm Janet This is a useful one to give first time mamas in pregnancy or people around you wondering why you're traumatised by a hospital birth or why you're planning a homebirth, or... well lots of things really *warning possible PTSD triggers* http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=511c2833c5c5549b6fa5d2&skin_id=1603&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url Healing Journeys Thu, 21 Feb 2008 07:10:52 GMT http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/home-or-hospital-slideshow-t66.htm#187 http://birthhealing.forummotion.com/healing-journeys-f10/home-or-hospital-slideshow-t66.htm