Re:birth with Nicole Lawrence Nicole Lawrence

As mothers today, we are met with a huge physical, mental and emotional load to carry - and often without the support of a village. Yet even when we are offered the help, its common to brush up against the cultural conditioning of independence, the inner critic that says we should be doing more, the discomfort of feeling like a burden to others, or the grief of feeling like its inadequate or never enough.
 
This episode looks under the surface of the stories we carry around receiving - how these stories shape our inner dialogue, the ways we open to or unconsciously reject help that is available, and how we can begin to break the cycle of expectation that women should carry it all for our sons & daughters.
 
The wisdom of receiving is particularly potent for us during the early postpartum transition, and I’m joined by Ashanti Rivera, who offers fresh perspective and insight into this topic as a mother of 6, and 5 months postpartum herself at the time we recorded.
 
Ashanti is also a birth professional with over seven years of experience ranging from birth & postpartum doula services, birth story processing, and more. Ashanti specializes in efforts to educate and support communities that have been marginalized by providing free/low-cost services, goods, and events for parents and children through her non-profit organization, Woman's Choice Charitable Association.
 
Visit Ashanti's website:
https://www.womanschoiceperinatal.com
 
Her non-profit, Woman's Choice Charitable Association:
https://www.womanschoiceperinatal.com/non-profit
 
Subscribe for email updates about new episodes and more from the Re:birth podcast at rebirthformothers.com
 
 

We're in a time where most women are seeking autonomous births, but with providers and within medical environments with their own agendas, rules, and practices. So, what is really required to have an empowered birth experience? 
 
Hint: it goes beyond a birth plan.
 
The way you prepare for birth has the potential to change your entire life.
 
This episode is a juicy conversation with Kyleigh Banks, known as @theautonomymommy on Instagram. She is a mama, doula, and the host of two podcasts, Our Birth Wisdom and the latest, the Birthworker Podcast. 
 
Kyleigh describes an autonomous Mom as 
A wave-maker.
A woman who thinks for herself.
A mom who is tired of blindly following the status quo.
A woman who knows that birth has the potential to transform the world.
 
But here’s the thing - autonomous moms are also Humans.
 
When we are faced with the unexpected, our thoughts and choices are motivated by fear. But, fear hijacks our ability to connect with our hearts and our intentions, so we sometimes make choices that don't reflect our core beliefs — and then later, we feel shame, wish for do-overs and carry judgment towards ourselves.
 
In this episode, we discuss the stories we carry around fear, both the common and unconscious fears that almost all women meet in their preparation.
What unconscious ideals or biases are you bringing to birth?
What fears are shaping your birth plan?
How can lingering fears undermine the vision you have for your birth?
And, many practical ways to help you identify, examine, and work with those fears to feel more at peace, increase your confidence and have greater resilience in your birth - no matter how it unfolds.
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Do you know that there's more to birth preparation than reading books, taking childbirth classes or creating a birth plan - but don't know what else to do, or where to begin?
Visit rebirthformothers.com to subscribe for updates and receive a free Roadmap to Increase your Emotional Resilience for Birth
 
More about Kyleigh:
All things Autonomous Birth preparation at https://www.theautonomymommy.com/
 
Our Birth Wisdom podcast
https://www.theautonomymommy.com/our-birth-wisdom
 
Geek out over Birth while learning practical Business skills to help you start (and grow) your career as a birthworker:
https://www.thebirthworkerpodcast.com/
 

This two-part series looks at our cultural, group and individual relationship with control - as humans, mothers, parents, and through the lens of birth.
Whether you’re a parent or simply a human - this conversation is packed with the wisdom and perspective of a thousand therapy sessions.
In this episode, we discuss:
What does it mean to accept things as they are? What does that look like? How can we access this?
How to recognize the delineation between the fact of the event, and the meanings we made about it.
An exploration of how or when meanings are formed - is it before, or after a lived experience?
When you can’t let go, have trouble accepting, or in times of injustice - what then?
What’s the cost of fighting with reality?
How to create space for change in our selves, others, and society from a place of love
Do we carry emotional scars forever? Or can they change?
 
Want to work with Danit?
Located in Jerusalem, Israel, Danit works with birth storytellers remotely via Zoom and can be reached at danit[at]birthstorymedicine[dot]com to schedule.

This 2-part series looks at our cultural, group and individual relationship with Control - as humans, mothers, parents, and through the lens of birth. 
 
I am both honored and so excited to bring one of my mentors Danit Tsur Almog on the show - who brings a depth and warmth to this topic only she can.
 
Danit brings 20 years experience as doula, childbirth mentor, and as a Birth Story Medicine® mentor and facilitator. She is also a devoted student of Adyshanti, practices non-duality, and has been facilitating the training program of The Israeli Association for Emotional First Aid (ERAN) for the last 15 years.
 
If you only ever listen to one episode of this show - THIS is the one (but lets be honest...you'll probably want more.)
 
In this episode, we discuss:
Culture’s role in shaping ideas of control - from a developmental perspective, when & how do we think this happens? The false appeal of having control in your Birth An exploration of how our relationship with control is also an individual one How having an effect on an outcome is different than having control over outcome Exploring the symbiosis of the desire for personal power and its relationship to control Going into 2nd+ birth experiences, how can we find a balance of surrendering control AND maintaining wisdom gained The blaming mechanism and looking for fault, reason, control when things go "wrong" The internal pressure women put on themselves to perform to a high standard in birth Over-preparation vs under-preparation for birth - where is the balance? Are we “chasing control”? Control and its attachments to success & failure When does the mind start to narrate events in our life as right or wrong, success or failure? How we often use the idea of control against ourselves, regardless of outcome.  
Want to work with Danit?
Located in Jerusalem, Israel, Danit works with birth storytellers remotely via Zoom and can be reached at danit[at]birthstorymedicine[dot]com to schedule.
 

Kate White is is an award-winning educator and an advanced bodyworker, with a focus on working with babies and families that have experienced birth trauma. For over 20 years, she has specialized in mother-baby care using somatic approaches for both trauma prevention and healing. She is trained in multiple somatic therapies, prenatal and perinatal health, lactation, brain development, and infant mental health.
 
I was introduced to her work while I was pregnant in 2020, during the tension of the global pandemic, and was drawn in to the research being shared in prenatal mental health, birth interventions & outcomes, and the connections being made with a baby's mental health into adulthood. I immediately started studying inside of her library of educational offerings and what I learned certainly had an affect on the choices I made for my birth, but also in my resolve in labor. We recorded this in December 2021, a year later, and it was a delicious full-circle moment for me.
 
But now more than ever, this conversation is essential for every person. Birth is political, birth is cultural, and we must be considering both the body’s experience and the living story for both Mom and baby. We know the ripple effects carry an imprint far beyond birth - and will in turn shape our society’s well-being. 
 
So, what can we do now?
 
Our conversation is rich with case studies, personal shares and clinical research findings to help you consider the baby’s experience in birth, how & why it matters, and what we can do to build a better society by supporting the blueprint of our being.
 
Work with or Learn from Kate:
http://www.belvederearts.com
https://www.ppncenter.com
 
Research institutions mentioned on this show:
Lieber institute for Brain Development
Study on Schizophrenia
 
Published research studies of Dr. Catherine Monk, Columbia University
 
To connect with Nicole, work with her, or subscribe to podcast updates, visit rebirthformothers.com

In honor of Father's day in the US, this episode brings together three new fathers as they open up about their experiences - the surprises, the personal struggles, the lessons, and what they would do if they did it all over again.