剖宫产康复座谈会Cesarean Birth Healing Circle, April 4th,2009

[Ottawa Midwife]

Cesarean Birth Healing Circle

On Saturday, April 4th 2009, I will be facilitating another "Cesarean Birth Healing Circle" in Ottawa. After hearing so many stories of women who have given birth by cesarean, I was strongly motivated to create and offer some sort of space to honour their births, which were in most cases very unexpected and to one degree or another, somewhat traumatic.​

It is my intention to provide a safe place for women who have birthed their babies by cesarean to share their stories, begin healing, remove emotional scars and celebrate themselves as birthing women. By use of visualization techniques and symbolism, participants will find common ground and support while sharing their own unique birth stories in an environment that is supportive and understanding.​

Of course, space is very limited as these types of circles are very intimate and numbers need to be kept small. I plan to run several circles throughout the year to ensure that everyone has the chance to participate. A maximum of 3 women (plus facilitator) will make up each circle.​

It is important that participants are at least 6 months postpartum. We know that many emotions lie dormant before this time and you may not get what you need out of this type of experience if you are still in the earlier postpartum months. This is a women only event and so we ask that childcare arrangements be made. This will be a very emotional and vulnerable time for many of the participants and so it is best that the circle be interrupted as little as possible.​

The fee for this circle will be by donation (not obligatory). After the circle there will be a quiet social time and debriefing before it is time to go home. If you are receiving this email and you did not give birth by cesarean, I ask that you forward this onto your friends/family members/patients/clients who have had a cesarean birth and who could benefit from something like this. They can contact me directly by email at mothernurture@sympatico.ca or by phone at 613-646-9912 for more information.​

Sincerely;​

Julie Keon CD(DONA), PCD(DONA)​

Mother Nurture Childbirth Services

 

[Ottawa Midwife]

Cesarean Birth Healing Circle Testimonial

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“My beautiful daughter, Penelope Moon, was born ten months ago by cesarean. We were hoping for a natural home birth but after eighteen hours at seven centimetres “without progress” we moved to the Montfort. I had three botched epidurals, a steady pitocin drip, a spinal block and a cesarean. Penny was born strong and healthy and I was up and around in no time, but as my physical wounds healed, my emotional wounds seemed to get worse. I was left with feelings of regret and failure. I was constantly being reminded of the fact that my baby and myself were healthy so I pushed these feelings to the sidelines. But anytime I thought about Penny’s birth, I couldn’t help feeling remorse. When I heard Julie was having a healing circle, I jumped at the chance to go. I had no idea what to expect or how it might help, but I figured it couldn’t hurt. What I found when I got there were three loving women who shared their hearts and souls with me that day. I can’t begin to describe the relief in hearing that the feelings I had were valid, and that other women were struggling with the very same emotions. We shared our stories with each other and said things we had never uttered out loud. As I told my story, I realized that I had been holding a lot of anger inside myself. I think that I and many other women are ashamed to have these thoughts when we think we should feel “lucky to have a healthy baby.” But as I spoke, I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. For a few days after the circle I chewed over all that was said and felt and I realized that I had been associating my feelings about Penny’s birth with past sexual assaults. Finally I was able to separate the emotions of these two very different events in my heart and in my mind. Doing this has taken away the anger and sense of failure I had been feeling towards my own body. I forgave myself. The support and understanding that surrounded me that day has enabled me to look back on the birth of my daughter with all the respect, wonder and reverence that it deserves.”