Conscious
re-creation
When I gave birth to my son, Thomas, seven and a half years ago it was not consciously done. But I look back and am grateful for my instinctual nature to birth and bond, and of a general ‘knowing’ that the baby would be alright. Then I had not heard of the work of Jeannine Parvati Baker, Ina May or Elizabeth Blum, women who work with and understand the female body, its cycles, and the innate ability to consciously prepare for the conception and birthing of new life. Augmenting this now is the work of those who can assist in communicating with souls before conception and the empirical studies of foetal consciousness in the womb. This article is focusing on the welcoming of a baby, however the principals of consciousness are just as important if one has to chose to terminate a pregnancy, or the pregnancy ends pre-term. How we hold ourselves, our actions and our needs are sacrosanct.
Becoming conscious of anything begins with the Self: finding oneself aware of the Present moment and making a choice in that moment. To be Present is to allow endless possibilities to unfold and to be receptive and responsive to those possibilities. This is not always an easy process but the rewards are worth the effort. How conscious are you of your menstrual cycle? Do you know when you ovulate? Do you know when best to have sexual intercourse to conceive? Or is it enough to just truly want to have a baby and let nature take its course? All the above is relevant. The first thing is to think about it.
To be conscious of wanting to conceive starts with asking some fundamental questions: Why do I want a baby, and why does the father want a baby. Opening honest dialogue allows both parties to explore what they want or expect from becoming parents. How do you feel about calling a Soul to join you and your family? There is a body of work that looks at this possibility, and of releasing past trauma that may be preventing a pregnancy from happening. Often conception happens because contraception fails but the pregnancy is welcomed. Whether it be before conception or finding out that you are pregnant, consciousness about the process will be welcomed by the baby who will grow in the woman’s womb. So no point is too late to become Present to the reality of creating, carrying and birthing a baby.
The same applies to nutrition. Best to be conscious before conception, with most practitioner’s of nutrition and natural/energy medicine ideally wanting to work with both mother and father for about 3 months before conception to ensure that the bodies are functioning at optimal capacity. Also consciously nourishing/nurturing mother and baby’s needs, and being present for this holy symbiotic relationship which reacts enormously to the fluctuating emotional responses of the developing pregnancy. Knowing that, like PMT, these fluctuations can be nutrition/vitamin/amino acid imbalance based, as well as responses that are deeply held in the psyche that need to be acknowledged and released (often times with empathetic help from a practitioner). Much that is presented during a pregnancy can be worked with consciously. This is not always easy and the time is already intense but acknowledging all your needs and asking for help cannot but be of overall benefit when birthing and bonding with your baby.
Following the development of baby and learning from the body of evidence that indicates the early awareness of the foetus shows us that the baby is conscious from a very early stage. Hearing begins at 8 weeks and evidence reveals that baby responds to familiar voices long before you can feel movement. Scans have witnessed the foetus moving out of the way of invasive procedures apparently responding to the mother telling her baby what is happening. Then when you can communicate physically with the baby in your belly you can consciously play and experience your baby responding, building rapport from the very start.
And how about the birth. There are a myriad of options available to help you prepare for birthing, the most powerful experience in a woman’s life. Hypno birthing, active birthing, birth art, breathing techniques, shamanic techniques. All empower mother and father to be present for the process of birthing. And who will be present? Where will you birth? It is increasingly difficult for independent midwives to practice but home birthing is still an option within the NHS system. Doulas are gaining in popularity: Having someone to guide you and look out for your needs and desires during a process when you may feel vulnerable, whether at home or hospital. Whatever you choice. If your water birth at home doesn’t go to plan and complications arise the Doula will be there with you in hospital striving to achieve the essence of what you wanted even in a different setting. Becoming conscious of what is available and what is attainable allows not just an empowering birth but growth through an experience which insists that you are entirely present.
For it is only in this Present moment that one can make the choice about conscious sex; knowing your menstrual cycle; how you nourish yourself and communicating with your unborn child. Only in this Present moment will you find yourself with the responsibility and joy of making the choice to conceive, to carry, to birth, to bond, to realise the beauty inherent in being awake to the infinite possibilities of parenting. I wish you well on the adventure.
Lila McLean 2010
Lilamae McLean and Alexandra Tilley will be running a workshop at Quest this year exploring some of the topics touched on above, and offering information for anyone interested to take these ideas further.
When I gave birth to my son, Thomas, seven and a half years ago it was not consciously done. But I look back and am grateful for my instinctual nature to birth and bond, and of a general ‘knowing’ that the baby would be alright. Then I had not heard of the work of Jeannine Parvati Baker, Ina May or Elizabeth Blum, women who work with and understand the female body, its cycles, and the innate ability to consciously prepare for the conception and birthing of new life. Augmenting this now is the work of those who can assist in communicating with souls before conception and the empirical studies of foetal consciousness in the womb. This article is focusing on the welcoming of a baby, however the principals of consciousness are just as important if one has to chose to terminate a pregnancy, or the pregnancy ends pre-term. How we hold ourselves, our actions and our needs are sacrosanct.
Becoming conscious of anything begins with the Self: finding oneself aware of the Present moment and making a choice in that moment. To be Present is to allow endless possibilities to unfold and to be receptive and responsive to those possibilities. This is not always an easy process but the rewards are worth the effort. How conscious are you of your menstrual cycle? Do you know when you ovulate? Do you know when best to have sexual intercourse to conceive? Or is it enough to just truly want to have a baby and let nature take its course? All the above is relevant. The first thing is to think about it.
To be conscious of wanting to conceive starts with asking some fundamental questions: Why do I want a baby, and why does the father want a baby. Opening honest dialogue allows both parties to explore what they want or expect from becoming parents. How do you feel about calling a Soul to join you and your family? There is a body of work that looks at this possibility, and of releasing past trauma that may be preventing a pregnancy from happening. Often conception happens because contraception fails but the pregnancy is welcomed. Whether it be before conception or finding out that you are pregnant, consciousness about the process will be welcomed by the baby who will grow in the woman’s womb. So no point is too late to become Present to the reality of creating, carrying and birthing a baby.
The same applies to nutrition. Best to be conscious before conception, with most practitioner’s of nutrition and natural/energy medicine ideally wanting to work with both mother and father for about 3 months before conception to ensure that the bodies are functioning at optimal capacity. Also consciously nourishing/nurturing mother and baby’s needs, and being present for this holy symbiotic relationship which reacts enormously to the fluctuating emotional responses of the developing pregnancy. Knowing that, like PMT, these fluctuations can be nutrition/vitamin/amino acid imbalance based, as well as responses that are deeply held in the psyche that need to be acknowledged and released (often times with empathetic help from a practitioner). Much that is presented during a pregnancy can be worked with consciously. This is not always easy and the time is already intense but acknowledging all your needs and asking for help cannot but be of overall benefit when birthing and bonding with your baby.
Following the development of baby and learning from the body of evidence that indicates the early awareness of the foetus shows us that the baby is conscious from a very early stage. Hearing begins at 8 weeks and evidence reveals that baby responds to familiar voices long before you can feel movement. Scans have witnessed the foetus moving out of the way of invasive procedures apparently responding to the mother telling her baby what is happening. Then when you can communicate physically with the baby in your belly you can consciously play and experience your baby responding, building rapport from the very start.
And how about the birth. There are a myriad of options available to help you prepare for birthing, the most powerful experience in a woman’s life. Hypno birthing, active birthing, birth art, breathing techniques, shamanic techniques. All empower mother and father to be present for the process of birthing. And who will be present? Where will you birth? It is increasingly difficult for independent midwives to practice but home birthing is still an option within the NHS system. Doulas are gaining in popularity: Having someone to guide you and look out for your needs and desires during a process when you may feel vulnerable, whether at home or hospital. Whatever you choice. If your water birth at home doesn’t go to plan and complications arise the Doula will be there with you in hospital striving to achieve the essence of what you wanted even in a different setting. Becoming conscious of what is available and what is attainable allows not just an empowering birth but growth through an experience which insists that you are entirely present.
For it is only in this Present moment that one can make the choice about conscious sex; knowing your menstrual cycle; how you nourish yourself and communicating with your unborn child. Only in this Present moment will you find yourself with the responsibility and joy of making the choice to conceive, to carry, to birth, to bond, to realise the beauty inherent in being awake to the infinite possibilities of parenting. I wish you well on the adventure.
Lila McLean 2010
Lilamae McLean and Alexandra Tilley will be running a workshop at Quest this year exploring some of the topics touched on above, and offering information for anyone interested to take these ideas further.