The is a lovely review of our 2006 North Carolina Childbirth Educator workshop.
The BirthWorks weekend retreat was nothing like I had experienced before. Through guided exercises, we explored feelings and philosophies about birth, discussed our relationships with our mothers, identified feelings of blame and guilt and released grief over past birthing experiences. Unlike other childbirth education workshops, BirthWorks uses emotional exercises and discussions to lift fear and empower the inner voice.
Over three days, I experienced incredible healing. In any other setting it would have taken more time to merely touch the surface of my feelings. By isolating blame and guilt, I was able to work through issues with my daughters birth. I realized that my birth was intended to be what my mother was denied with her children. I felt lifted after expressing grief over my mother's passing as I now explore what it means to be a mother.
Our views about and experiences with childbirth represent so much of who we are. By delving into the emotional realm of birth, I was freed to relinquish pain and hurt that may limit my ability to grow and blossom. The birth of a baby is our re-birth, and how better to enable the metamorphosis than to trust our ability to create.