You don’t need to be fearless to give birth.
“Birth doesn't ask you to be fearless. It asks you to be brave.” - Britta Bushnell
At it’s core fear is a natural human emotion that serves a purpose on a biochemical and emotional level. It’s our alarm system for real or perceived threats of danger whether its physical or psychological. It’s basic human survival and how we react to it is personalised. Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t face your fears in regards to birth but I am saying that your fears have something to teach you if you unpack them and sit with them. Once we understand our fears and where it comes from we have the benefit of deciding who that fear belongs to. Is this mine to carry or does this come from somewhere else? Because if you don’t get uncomfortable with your fears they will show up in your birth and it can sabotage you and the choices you make.
We have been sold a Hollywood version of birth and it has a huge role to play in how society views it. I’m sure you can picture what I mean as you read this; water breaks, instant agonising screams, bright lights, legs in stirrups and they’re being yelled at to push that baby out NOW. It’s usually portrayed as a medical emergency and something that you have to suffer through. But it’s no wonder we feel fucked up about giving birth when this is what we have been shown time and time again! Eventually you start to unconsciously form ideas around birth because that’s what you know and you haven’t been shown anything different. This is why unpacking your fears is so important because you can get to know them inside and out. It’s an opportunity to let go of what doesn’t feel true to you because then you can distinguish your feelings.
Fearing what we don’t know is normal and it’s nothing to feel bad about because birth is INTENSE . Fear is ok. And at the same time, it doesn’t have to be what leads us either. What if we let our beliefs and our ideas about birth come from our own thoughts and intuition? What would that feel like? What might that look like? I encourage you to think about that and pay attention to how you feel physically, mentally and emotionally when you start working with your fears and work towards releasing some. And even if those fears appear in your birth, your body will still birth your baby. You will show up and do it anyways, however that happens for you.
