Last Spring, I good friend of mine shared that she was pregnant. I haven't had many friends that I am close to get to this point in their lives (though I am sure this is going to be happening more and more often), and was very excited to hear that the following fall we will be celebrating the birth of her first baby. I had told this friend early on that I would be more happy to come after the birth and do some cranial releases for her.
The cranial work that I do, called Cranial/Structural, releases restrictions in the soft tissue surrounding the cranium bones affecting the structure of the rest of the body. The cranium is a mirror for the rest of the body and we can affect the pelvis by releasing the cranium. The main release that we do for the cranium in SET is called the Core Distortion Release. This release changes the relationship of the pelvis and the sacrum allowing those bones to move into a more balanced state.
Following childbirth, the hormones secreted to relax the ligaments, tendons, and muscles so that the pelvis can open for delivery are affected the soft tissue of the whole body. When the Cranial/Structural Core Distortion Release is applied at this time, we often get more movement out of the release because everything is already loose and we help the mother's pelvis to return to a more balanced state which is invaluable to healing from such a dramatic experience. Not only is her pelvis healing from delivery (if it was a vaginal delivery) but it is also healing from at least 6 months of carrying around extra weight in the front of the body. Mothers often suffer from back pain during pregnancy and after, so this is my gift to hopefully decrease the discomfort and help her to recover and begin her new life with her baby.
My friend, who I will call Lynn, is the first person that I was blessed to have this experience with. Lynn expressed interest in this treatment and asked when it was best to do it. I told her that we can do it as early as when the placenta comes out and ideally within 24 hours of the birth. I told her and her husband that they can call me at anytime and I would be there as soon as I could; the release would only take about 30 minutes at the most so Lynn wouldn't have to be worried about being away from her baby for too long.
When we were approaching her due date I received an email from Lynn letting me know that the time was near. Her daughter might arrive as early as two weeks before the due date or as late as two weeks after. They had decided to have the birth at a local birthing center called Labor of Love, which was ironically, less than a mile from my North Tampa office. Lynn and her husband had decided to not have anyone at their birth besides the midwife and assistant, so I was to be the first friend/family member to see the baby. I felt honored to be included in this inner circle, which was my first introduction to many more intimate birth experiences to come.
On a Wednesday night in November I got the call. Luckily, it was early in the evening and I had the night off. When I answered, I could hear Lynn's husband on the line saying, "She's here, our daughter is here." His joy was palpable. They were ready for me to come and see Lynn and I said I would be there shortly.
Stopping at my office on the way to pick up some supplies, I made it to the birthing center brimming with excitement. I had never been to such a place before and it was beautiful. The center is in a business complex that looks like a bunch of cabins tucked away behind some trees. You would really have to know that it is there to find it. The complex was empty with only a few shaded windows lit up; it really just looked like someone's home. There was a wrap around porch encircling the entire building and the energy was calm and comforting; what a great place to be born. The inside matched the energy exactly.
When I walked in it was like I was walking into a well-loved apartment. There was a lovely living area, kitchen, two bathrooms, one with a shower the other with a huge bathtub, and two bedrooms. Lynn was still in the bed, nursing her very hungry newborn. Apparently, her daughter had been feeding for the last 40 minutes with no sign of stopping. I told her to take her time; I had no place to go and was just reveling in the amazing energy of a birthing space.
Though I had never seen a baby so fresh before and was excited to meet their daughter, I was very conscious of my energy. I was there for a very specific reason and I wanted to make sure that I maintained the sacredness of the experience for Lynn and her family without getting in the way.
While Lynn was resting and feeding her daughter, her husband filled me in with the events of the past few days. She had been in labor for four days, going back and forth between her home and birthing center, and it had become pretty tiring. It seemed like it was hard for the husband to see his love go through so much pain for so long. But as he told me all of this, you could see he had been deeply affected by the experience. He was amazed at her incredible strength to make it through all of it, and now they had their beautiful daughter here with them. In a way, it made him stronger.
The energy of the birthing center was in stark contrast to what had previously occurred. The struggle, pain, and frustration had faded away and all that was left was this calm and patient love. The lights were low, the place was relatively quiet. The midwives where mostly in an attached office, though they would come in from often to check on things or perform the tasks they needed to. They would answer Lynn and her husband's questions, affirm that it great she was still feeding, and made sure that Lynn had everything she needed. I was waiting for a while until the baby was done feeding, soaking in this calm and healing place and thinking, "This is where I would want to come into the world." I had come with the intention of bringing more experiences like this in my life. I had no idea at the time how profoundly life changing this intention would be.
Once Lynn handed off the baby for daddy-bonding time and had taken a shower, I had her lay down on the bed so I could do what I came there to do. The midwives decided that this would be a good time to do the examination, which actually took place on the same bed that Lynn was on. While they took measurements and checked range-of-motion, I held onto Lynn's cranium and began the subtle release.
Very quickly Lynn relaxed and took a quick nap. Her cranium released so easily, my pressure and intention just barely guiding the movements, it was like they knew already where to go. It was amazing to feel her head relax into my hands and again I felt so grateful to be there with her and have this experience. Lynn is someone who is always on the go, so I was happy to give her a little bit of time that was just for her. And after all of that hard work, she needed it.
Shortly after, Lynn came back to life refreshed. Her daughter was already hungry again and so they set to feeding again, a routine they've come to know very well by now. With my job done, I said my goodbyes and left the birthing center. I remember hoping that I would be back there someday to share in the amazing experience of life. Little did I know, the universe's message was to get a lot louder in the next few days.
Read Part 3
Read Part 3
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