Celebrate The Birthing Experience

Celebrate The Birthing Experience

- Zoe Donkin

I am in awe of the women I teach.

These are women who I meet when their bellies are big, sometimes huge, babies inside. They come to my hypnobirthing classes, often with their partners; a room of possibility and excitement mixed with rawness and vulnerability.

Fast forward to the next time I see them. Instead of a bump, they have a baby in their arms and they are now a mother. They tell me their birth story and every time, every single time, I find myself amazed.

Whether it has gone smoothly or not, with medical intervention or without, I am always inspired by their honesty. Their strength.

Their endurance. I am inspired by the love that surges through their words.

I want to celebrate these women - and every woman - who has been through the extraordinary transformation of pregnancy, birth and motherhood. Because yes, it’s something women do every day all over the world. But for each of those women, it is nonetheless remarkable and life changing.

“It was extremely challenging getting out of the water, I was about 8cm dilated so moving into another room was really difficult but I remember looking at the sunset over the Thames (our room looked onto the river and Parliament) and feeling awed by the fact that the whole day had passed when time had stood still for me… I was shocked and awed when they put my baby on my chest, and despite the fact my whole body was throbbing I was just totally focused on her. The magnitude of what I’d been through was somehow cemented by holding this little creature.”