Standing up for the rights of birthing women

Birthing with a midwife who has been with you throughout your pregnancy and continues to care for you post-natal is considered the gold standard of care. All women should have this right if they choose it, yet in Australia attempts are being made to make it legally impossible for a private midwife to care for a woman unless they are under the jurisdiction of a doctor - yet it is the midwives who have the ultimate training in childbirth!

This particularly affects women who choose to birth at home with a private midwife, yet ultimately it affects all women because essentially it is about a system trying to say: we have a greater right over your body than you do. It is based on an old patriarchal system where the system plays the role of the authoritative father, while women and midwives are treated like children who just don't know what's good for them. 

It is wrapped in the guise of 'safety' and 'protection' but there is nothing safe about taking away women's rights, be that the birthing woman or the attending midwife. The media will tell you that it is not about women's rights, it is about having the end result of a healthy baby, (as if this is some sort of big news that we were oblivious to, you know in our hunt for the perfect candle!). The two go hand in hand...a healthy baby emerges out of a healthy, well cared-for mama.

 Standing up for women's birthing rights is not about selfishly putting our 'birthing experience' ahead of our baby's life and health as the media would have everyone believe - it is about ensuring the most optimum birth possible in whatever circumstances that may unfold during that birth, ensuring the best of pre-natal, labour/birth and post-natal health for both baby and mother. If you want to read more, or support women by signing this petition, please go here.

Asteroids, Meteors, Birth and Death

Asteroids, Meteors, Birth and Death

What an exciting week in the skies we’ve had. First a meteor hurled into Russia creating a magnificent light-show – and unfortunately thousands of broken windows and related injuries. However that’s incredibly fortunate compared to the greater damage and even fatalities that could have occurred had it hit elsewhere.  I feel it did the least amount of damage possible, given that it was a fireball travelling at 66, 000 miles an hour!

            Then less than 24 hours later an asteroid whizzed by within a whisker of Earth. We all had a heads up that our little blue planet was in no danger which was obviously fantastic news, so we could enjoy the event for the awesome occurrence it was rather than go into any fear and panic.  

            These two events have given us the opportunity to remind us that we are a planet, one planet, whereas usually we are so pre-occupied with dividing ourselves into warring countries and conflicting political parties. Our human dramas and power plays seem even crazier than ever when pinned against the backdrop of a vast cosmos, of which we are really only a very, very, tiny part. Truly we have been given a paradise on which to live, but how often do we really acknowledge that and take a moment to say, hey, thanks Earth!

            As mentioned in my chat with Lee Harris this week for his One Golden World radio show, I’ve always wanted to see the Earth from space. I’ve often wondered how humanity would change if we all had the chance to go up on a rocket ride and see our home from that perspective. Lee mentioned the movie In the Shadow of the Moon where the Apollo astronauts talk about how the experience changed them. It’s worth watching.

            I have a feeling that we’ll have a few reasons to start looking ‘up’ into the skies more, and I think that’s a good thing. It is good to be reminded that there is a great universe out there with all kinds of potentials for life. It is good to be reminded that it is a miracle, and a gift, that we have this beautiful planet as our home with a bright, warm sun giving us life. It is good to be reminded every now and again that life could end anytime for any one of us – not reminded in a morbid, fearful way, but in a way that expands us into a state of appreciation for the life we have and shifts our priorities in an instant.

            Lee and I spoke about birth and death in our chat, how sacred these entry and exit points in our lives are, and what a profound privilege it is to witness a birthing or a passing if you have the opportunity to do so. These are two of the things that we have the most fear around in our Western society, very different to how they are viewed in other cultures, yet they are the two things we are all guaranteed to personally experience.

            Too often people don’t want to think about what’s ‘out there’ be it in terms of life on other planets or life after this life. Perhaps it’s overwhelming, perhaps it’s scary, or perhaps it’s not on their personal radar as important compared to the day to day reality of going to work, paying bills and raising a family. In my experience however taking the time to think about these things invites a richer, deeper life experience. You realise that x number of years on the planet are not guaranteed and you do your best to use the years you have in the best way you know how. Acknowledging death makes you feel more alive and makes you want to live more passionately and authentically. Realising that there is a bigger picture puts things in perspective and helps you deal with your daily challenges in a calmer way.

            So be open to looking up more often and looking deeper more regularly. There are so many worlds, inner and outer, beyond the one we visibly see and these worlds have so much to share with us.

(c) Dana Mrkich 2013

Dana Mrkich is an Energy Intuitive, Author of A New Chapter, Creator of E-course Create a Life you Love and an inspirational teacher, writer and speaker. For more info, please visit her website, join her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.