The She Births Show:
‘Doing the work’ and staying embodied during a challenging birth.
Varlie’s birth story told by Donna and Adam
Welcome to Season 5, Episode 2 – The birth story of Varlie told by Donna and Adam.
‘Doing the work’ and staying embodied during a challenging birth.
So many people are encouraged to tell their birth story these days and I think it is fantastic, mostly.
What frustrates me however about the telling is the lack of empowerment a listener will bring to the conversation.
People are encouraged to share as though the experience is only happening on a purely physical level.
As a doula, my role is to support not only physically but also psychologically, emotionally and spiritually. To care for the whole person and the inter dynamic relationships of that family. I would call what I do transpersonal doulaing.
As an educator, I am trying to share stories with you that demonstrate a perception of beauty within the process.
The real power of a birth story comes from the deeper sharing. Sharing the shadow and sharing the work.
This story is a prime example of a couple ‘doing the work’. A She Births® family, Donna @this.is.donna Adam, baby Varlie and dog Billie. I first met them during our weekend course here in Byron Bay. They are an embodied couple, both surfers, a great bodyworker and carpenter.
They talk about the body to be a guide and lead the way in our preparation and our healing is key – it is a portal where we can learn to let go of all the beliefs and ideas that no longer serve us.
Bodywork and shadow work is so important in the motherhood journey. Our tears, our letting go, our crisis are all opportunities for powerful transformation. Just like pain is a portal for power.
In this episode, we chat about:
- How they scripted their birth
- How they scripted each trimester
- How they chose to rewrite their family lineage
- How labour was irregular and even stopped
- Using active birth strategies like duck walking to help with an asynclitic head presentation
- Osteopath’s help with lactation
- A partner and doula’s role throughout pregnancy, labour, birth and postpartum.
Enjoy listening to this incredible birth story and the processing of lessons learnt.
Episode Resources:
Donna Butcher Instagram (including all those beautifully insightful words)
She Births® Weekend Birth Classes the in-person antenatal course that Donna and Adam prepared with.
How do you find the right Doula for you and your family? We highly recommend hiring a Doula to support you and your partner during birth.
What is the She Births Doula Service? Nadine Richardson, She Births® founder is one of the longest standing doulas in the eastern suburbs of Sydney and with over half of our families asking her to recommend or send her little black book of doulas, she decided to curate a team of the best in the business all trained and experienced in the She Births® methods.