My Own Transition to Motherhood: Matrescence, Postpartum and when knowledge isn’t enough
I want to frame this up by saying, when I had my first babe in 2015,
I had the Knowledge, the Connections and the Skills.
By then I had almost a decade of experience working in women's health as a Chinese Herbalist / Acupuncturist.
I had administered Acupuncture to so many women in early labour and between contractions that it would be impossible to count.
I had worked in a hospital ED administering Acupuncture to women with severe nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.
I had actively collaborated with the whole range of women's health practitioners and specialists.
I knew all the systems pretty well.
I’d attended my first birthing class with Rhea Dempsey almost a decade prior to my own first pregnancy - bringing greater impact, compassion and knowledge to my in clinic birth preparation treatments.
I had attended births and was fortunate to 'catch' two of my very favourite humans.
When it came time to start my own family, I allowed for a generous period of preconception care.
I gained entry into the Continuity of Care midwifery led program a few days after my period was due.
I had the best practitioners from multiple modalities across two states of Australia on speed dial.
All this to say - I believe I had as much knowledge, experience, and practitioner support behind me that I can realistically imagine any of us having.
And still...
Having a baby that seemed to scream day and night, and that never slept, frayed my nerves, making me overwhelmed and anxious.
All my knowledge of sacred postpartum practices didn't make it any more possible to rest inside when baby cries bounced off every indoor surface, and there were no other adults around to help.
I had no idea about the sensory accommodations I had built into my child-free life, and how the endless touch and noise would impact me so profoundly.
Even in the presence of exceptional early intervention compassionate professional support, breastfeeding became the steepest learning curve of my life.
I didn't know how to ask for help (and sleep), despite knowing I needed it.
And I was still processing the enormity of that powerful first birth on the day my son turned one.
It took my own experience of this transition to really understand In My Bones that Women Deserve So Much Better.
To understand that what we offer in supporting experiences of pregnancy, birth, postpartum and mothering Isn't Even Close to enough.
I’ve spent my 9 years of mothering taking notes.
9 years unpacking and teasing out what's at play.
9 years refining my own skills.
9 years exploring areas of untapped potential within the perinatal landscape.
