Shamanic Doula

Transformation

Every time a new human arrives on earth, the planet is transformed. This transformation is reflected in the birthing woman.

Throughout pregnancy, a woman’s body is changed – slowly, incrementally and profoundly. Her blood and bones change. Her thoughts and desires change. Her priorities, her sense of self and her role in the world change.

Birth is, in many ways, merely the natural continuation of these changes. The miracle of a brand new human being has already been created long before the first contraction. At the moment that labor begins, that tiny person is embodying their first act of will, choosing to leave the safety and comfort of the womb for all the pain and joy of the external world.

The process of expelling an infant is concurrently physical and psycho-spiritual. The hormone which causes uterine contractions also causes the mother to fall deeply in love with her child. The intensity of the opening body simultaneously opens the mother to the universal forces of life.

A shamanic doula’s role is to acknowledge the sacred nature of transformation. She works towards helping the birth to be comfortable and joyful, knowing that the effects of labor will reverberate throughout the entire life of the new being.