Traditional Healing Birth & Postpartum

28/04/2022

I love the natural flow of gathering herbs and flowers to start postpartum care. It's also the most beautiful way to ground my energy after the birth.

To walk in my garden barefoot, taking in the surroundings of plants, earth and sky is reorientation for my nervous system. I am conscious about moving slowly, shifting down gears after being on call. So good for taking the time to reflect.

Yes the birth was big, and that part is over. But there is more work to be done. Considering the mother's immediate needs and the plants will help her in her experience is like a meditation to keep me present.

Here we have comfrey and rosemary to go in a mix for a herbal sitz bath to soothe the pelvic area and support healing of grazes and tears. From my garden I also source fresh herbs for yoni steams and teas that support the womb in the process it goes through after birth.

Harvesting and putting remedies together brings me back to this earthly realm after journeying through the timeless space of birth where earthly needs just don't exist.

I'm so grateful to be here in a beautiful space with gardens that nourish me and the mamas I walk beside. I can't imagine it being any other way.

18/11/2021

It was interesting and important to reflect on my postpartum skills and what I bring to the table to serve the families I work with during this sacred time

There are obvious skills- the ones that you see in photos; cooking postpartum specific foods, preparing herbal remedies, postpartum planning maps, a few rare snaps of ceremony + therapies like womb moxa or the effort to bring fresh flowers to every visit. All of these are necessary & contribute positively to mama’s recovery.

Yet the most important skills, I believe, are unseen. Postpartum is an incredibly raw time, the mother is wide open energetically and emotionally. There must be a sensitivity to that.
It’s my ability to hold space for whatever arises and and to meet the mother where she is at, whether it’s the peak of joy or the darkest depths. To listen deeply & offer validation rather than bypassing or judgement. I truly believe postpartum is rite of passage in itself. The feelings she has, the challenges she faces, are part of the Rite. It doesn’t serve to try and fix. I weave all of my skills- physical, practical and emotional to hold her in safety so that she can traverse this passage and come out the other side not broken but whole, and step into the new version of herself that she is meant to become.

What I practice was not learned through a doula course. The understanding I carry for the sacred window was imprinted through my own postpartum journeys. I was lucky enough to have the optimal care modeled for me, now embodied experiential knowledge. I owe so much to my human teachers and mentors.
My struggles and dark times through early motherhood are also my greatest teachers that have imparted the gifts that I share with families today. My time in the postpartum space, whether as a friend or doula has been a fertile learning ground.

My skills - visible + unseen- are made potent by reverence for this sacred fragile time, backed by knowledge of the physiology of the postpartum mother- something I will always be a student of.

I aspire to continue to gather skills. Such as deeper knowledge of pelvic recovery and supporting the nervous system cont. in comments ⬇

01/11/2021

We gathered in ceremony to honour the first year of motherhood and a baby’s life, acknowledging their Rite of Passage of birth, postpartum, the integration of these phases and the learning that has taken place.
The first year is a huge milestone and moment in time. For the baby, they have landed in their body and made their way from their parents arms to become more of this world.

For the mother, she has made it out the other side of what has been called the year of trevail. She has worked hard on every level to birth herself as a mother, and learned so much!

The ceremony is designed to celebrate in a more meaningful way than what often gets lost in typical birthday parties.
It is a chance to witness and acknowledge the mother for her tribulations, triumphs and transformation.

The family and village circled in sacred space and shared from the heart -beautiful testimonials, memories and wishes for the years to come. I was not the only one that was deeply touched and brought to tears. The reverence, respect, admiration and love for this mother was there all along, it just needed a space where it could be expressed. Do not underestimate this medicine for a mother in our often isolated/‘not enough’ context

I walked away from this day wondering how many of us have missed this opportunity cos of our modern culture that denies the Rite of Passage aspect of birth. And how much of a difference it makes to simply create a space with intention to show the mother/parents that they are deeply seen, valued and worthy. How different would modern motherhood could look if celebration, acknowledgement and holding were commonplace? We must not let these monumental experiences in our lives slip away unnoticed.

Creating and holding this ceremony is something I’ve been dreaming up for a long time. Thank you Laura .doula.services for trusting me so this dream could come into fruition. This ceremony is available to anyone that engages with my birth or postpartum offerings - past or future 🦋
And of this inspires you- as a mother, birthworker or space holder- I implore you to give it a go, you won’t regret it

19/09/2021

When I hand mama a bowl of food & she confesses she hasn't eaten yet - its 10am and she's been up since 5
I know this care is not a luxury

When she falls asleep on the couch while I settle her baby in the carrier and tackle the dishes, laundry and dinner, I wonder how she would have got this rest otherwise. I know this care is not a luxury

When I feel the built up tension melt underneath my hands as I massage her exhausted body, I know this care is not a luxury

When I give her herbs & balms that have been lost from our common knowledge, yet essential for healing perineal tears & ni**le blisters, I know this care is not a luxury

When I bind her belly & we both sense her muscles breath a sigh a relief now that the organs are supported, I know this care is not a luxury

When the a new mother's basic needs can't be filled without the dedicated helping hands of others, I know that postpartum care is not a luxury

At some point in recent history, caring for mothers was no longer deemed important. Postpartum care has become a luxury, an extra cost, an expense. This is coupled with the mentality that mothers don't deserve care or should cope on their own. Which blocks not only receiving or investing in care, but finding solutions to the travesty of too many mothers being left under resourced and unsupported. This leads to mood disorders, depression and depletion.
Mothers guide & nurture the emerging generations, our future depends on them! Why is it so hard to acknowledge that & support them adequately?

My question is this; what would happen if we flipped the perspective and viewed postpartum care as a necessity?

Would we invest in postpartum rather than an expensive wedding, holiday or car?

Instead of gifting chocolates and champagne...how about a massage voucher or a warm nourishing meal?

Instead of buying unnecessary things for the baby, you could make a gesture of care towards their mother. Think organizing a meal train, herb teas, housework, funds towards a postpartum doula or babysitting the older child.

If mothers were a priority, then postpartum care would be considered a necessity and made accessible to all. Cont. in comments ⬇️

10/09/2021

My capacity to love grew when my second child was born
An ecstatic love that I’ve never experienced before
The process of his birth, the uninterrupted, perfect orchestration of peaking hormones
Allowed a breaking through
Making my heart big enough to hold both my children, more than I thought was possible
Though with expansion has also come a deeper despair, grief, rage-all of those harder emotions- felt more deeply
When the heart opens like this, it’s a cracking open to a larger spectrum of feeling - everything (and postpartum certainly served up all the opposites)

I wouldn’t give it all back
because there’s healing in that.
The painful parts make me feel alive and have initiated change
that I didn’t know I needed
for the healing of my family line and the generation to come
And this love is too good

Grateful for the alchemy of motherhood, grateful for my sun and for his birth☀️

And now I have a photo that says it like no words can
📸

02/09/2021

Please support Aboriginal birthing culture and come and watch the screening of this epic doco in Nambucca Heads, Gumbaynggirr Country 💛🖤❤️ If you’re not local and like to support this screening going ahead you can purchase a ticket as a valued contribution

Filmed in remote Arnhem Land, DJÄKAMIRR follows Ḻäwurrpa and Sarah on a unique journey through ancestral time, country and culture. As mutual trust develops between the two women, they hope to empower Yolŋu and reclaim 60,000 years of birthing culture from the stronghold of Western medicine. Th...

31/08/2021

I found myself saying to a couple recently that the success of their postpartum sacred window depends on how strong their boundaries are; to keep the inappropriate people or energy from pervading their space.

What’s wrong with this picture? It’s a heavy weight to carry for expecting
parents that already have a lot to do in preparing to welcome a new family member.

The people around them need re-education about how to be respectful of this time. In general, our culture does not understand the sacredness or tenderness of postpartum, or how to treat the mother baby dyad (if this has been you, don’t feel bad, we’re all learning).

Here’s a few tips, some postpartum etiquette, to ensure you will be leaving positive energy only when you visit a new family. Which, I might add, is a sacred invitation that must not be taken for granted.

✨Keep visits short. Mum’s energy is low & having visitors is demanding. Watch the time and be the one to finish up. It’s unfair for the parents to have to move you on.

✨Turn down the volume, this is a restful, healing space.

✨Don’t ask for the birth story. It is still fresh and is best kept close until it’s integrated on all levels so the story is not impacted by others opinions or views

✨Do not expect or ask to hold the baby. Mother and baby are deep in bonding phase, and their closeness is key. Mother’s instincts are heightened & having others hold her baby can cause anxiety

✨Don’t wear synthetic perfumes or strong deodorants

✨Do not give advice, unless asked for. Mama is tuning into her innate wisdom and learning in the right way for her and bub. Advice can come across as pervasive, or can even dowse her confidence.

✨Leave more than you take. Bring a meal, fresh flowers, some herbal tea, pick up groceries, contribute in some way. Focus on something that will help mum, as that is the best way to support the baby. If bringing something isn’t an option, do some chores like wash dishes, hang laundry, take rubbish out etc.

These simple gestures will lift the family in what can be an intense time, make them feel loved and honour the birth of of both baby & mother.

27/07/2021

Closing ceremony ✨

This is a beautiful and poignant way to acknowledge the end of the fourth trimester and the sacred Rite of Passage of the pregnancy, birth, postpartum continuum.

Each ceremony is informed by the mothers unique passage and her needs in that moment. I give her a choice of the variety of offerings she has experienced throughout the postpartum time. It could be a Yoni steam, womb massage, shiatsu bodywork or birth story listening. Then, in the very place she laboured and birthed,
it is time to wrap her entire body with woven cloths. This gently encourages her physical structure, that has opened so wide for birth, to come back towards its new form. It also works energetically to encourage the expansive birth energy to come to a close.
As I wrap the mama, I like to honour her with words about the major task her body has completed in growing, birthing and nourishing a new being. The wraps, firm around her body, are soothing for the nervous system which can be flighty in postpartum. They offer the sensation of containment, outlining the form of this vessel and ushering her awareness back home, to her body.

I acknowledge the transformation her spirit has been through. Her rebirth is symbolized by the unwrapping. The emergence of a new self, forever changed by birth, and an entry back into the world outside of the postpartum bubble.

I find these ceremonies so moving and vitally important. This is a chance to take some deep breaths and reflect on the epic journey in order to move forward. By acknowledging the Rite of Passage, the mother is filled with purpose, for the wisdom she has gained on her journey is valuable to her child and community. She’s left with the understanding that her new role is important. I feel so driven to offer these ceremonies to help close the gaps in our societal and cultural paradigm of maternity care. To deeply honour mothers exactly as they deserve.
Artwork pictured is by

12/07/2021

We gathered by the ocean yesterday to bless, witness & honour this beautiful mama as she approaches motherhood for the second time.
It always warms my heart to see the circle of support sitting around mama in the physical. The sacred space of a Mother Blessing is a perfect setting to affirm support for what is to come as well as an opportunity to share wisdom and story medicine that will serve the mama on her journey.

There’s a particular edge to the transition to second child. Yes, you are already a mother, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be passing through a Rite of Passage. Birth, even when you’ve been through it before is always stepping into the unknown. Postpartum comes with its own set of challenges and requires a new level of hands on help as there’s double the work to cover the needs of the older child.
If you didn’t first time around, you absolutely must get clear on your needs and find your voice to ask for help. We weren’t meant to do this alone, yet in our current social structure getting the help we need requires us to call it in. Especially if we are choosing postpartum to be sacred and deeply restful so we can be the mother we wish to be to our babies.
I see the challenge; it’s big to step into receiving, to let ourselves be centered in our care and centered in our community. Yet we want our baby to thrive, it is essential that we allow ourselves to be held.
This is the learning for a mama that is entering the realm of multiple children. It doesn’t stop with her, its a rewriting of our cultural ways that encourage independence and just getting on with it (and struggling). Because when one of us models how postpartum and parenting can be, it lights the path for others to reclaim this for themselves too.
As I was preparing for the ceremony, I drew this card which was a fitting theme for the day, and very much my ‘why’ for doing this work:

“We are in a moment of cultural purgatory where we recognise that we need more than we thought we did. In this gap, we must call in more wise women, more support, and in so doing, know that we are repairing the fabric, changing the world our children will inherit." - Kimberly Ann Johnson⁣

03/07/2021

Ceremony and ritual is a large component of my work, this is to support the completion of the Rite of Passage of birth and becoming a mother. On my last day visiting the Sunshine Coast, I got to receive a beautiful ceremony for myself. It felt so good to have space held for me, to have my body nourished and honored with loving touch and herbs. What stood out to me how was impactful it was to be guided into a intention and connection with my womb. To be witnessed. To have sacred space made for me by another woman. So different to doing it on your own at home. Not better, but different, relieving somehow.

It was a ‘Mama Medicina Ceremony’ - full body massage, Mayan abdominal massage and ending with a Yoni steam that had my intentions infused.

Lush, profound and powerful, but what I believe should be normalised for all women and mothers. Our ancestors used to do this in way or another for each other!

On another note, I was reminded how crucial it is to participate in and receive ceremony myself in order to be able to hold it. Not only to keep me nourished and to support self awareness when I do this work, its an incredible learning each time, leaving me with something to weave in or improve in the ceremonies I hold.

05/06/2021

Postpartum foods, for the most part are soft, warm, easy to digest soups, curries, stews etc. but I believe that wholesome treats have their place, once mama has regained her energy from birth and digestion has strengthened.

Snacks between meals are essential for hungry breastfeeding mothers and sweet is the flavor of nurturing. Which is an important requirement for the smooth healing of a postpartum body, mind and spirit.

Indulgence is also totally valid for a mama that is giving so much to her newborn baby. I’m sure anyone that I’ve cared for can testify that I cover this well 😅

This is how I deliver it, freshly baked delicious gluten free . The main difference you’ll see here between this and a regular brownie is the quality of ingredients and nutrient density. I use Rapadura sugar as it’s less likely to spike energy levels and still contains minerals. Cacao for its mood boosting qualities. Almond meal and nut butter to increase nutrients and Organic butter for healthy fats that aid breastmilk production.

Brownie
Ingredients
Wet:
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
1 cup rapadura sugar
3 eggs, whisked
1 TBS nut butter

Dry:
1/2 cup gf plain flour
1/2 cup hazelnut meal/almond meal
1/2 cup cacao powder
Pinch salt
Choc chips and pecan halves for decorating

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius

Melt butter and chocolate chips together in a double boiler or in a heat proof bowl in oven. Add rapadura and nut butter, stir and once cool, add eggs

Mix dry ingredients together

Gently fold wet into dry ingredients until well combined

Pour into baking dish (7x11inch or 9x13 inch for thinner brownie)

Bake in oven for 20-40mins (this is the part I forget to time) keep a close eye on them. They are cooked when a skewer comes out clean.
Leave to cool before slicing
Stores at room temp. for 2 days or in an airtight container in fridge for a week

Enjoy 🥰