Dear First name / friend,

It had mostly been a sunny month and I started to feel the tingling of summer inside me. I spent quite a busy month and I am excited to share these with you. Aside from birth education sessions, seminars and trainings and others, I supported a family during birth and we welcomed a little baby girl. Welcome to the world Lil Marin.🙏🏻 It feels so much special to be able to use the power of touch and support when we are all apart in social distance. 

In today's newsletter:

🎈A book review

🎈Right brain excercise recommendation

🎈New training: The infant microbiome

🎈Movement, pregnancy and birth

One of the books I read this month is called “The Giver of Stars” by Jojo Moyes. It was fascinating and easy to read. It was about the Horseback Librarian programme ran from 1935 to 1943 in Eastern Kentucky, United States. I liked how the book referred to the social issues like racism, women's rights and women's place in the society in those years.

In one of the chapters, there is a birth scene. We use to see birth as a scary event and far apart from reality in books and media. However in this book, many aspects are described so truly despite the worst conditions. 

The main character is giving birth unfortunately in a cell but she is lucky to be able to get her two friends' support and one of them is a midwife.  It is like she is giving birth with a midwife and a doula in real life. There are lots of support, holding hands, encouragement and empowerment. At some point the mother says “I am afraid” and the midwife says “ No, you ain't, not really. That's just the labouring talking”. That is the exact description of the transition phase of labor, which takes place right before birth. I guess if you already gave birth, you can relate to this.😊

The other thing I liked about that scene is the midwife’s saying “So we're just gonna make it as easy as we can for the two of you. Okay? Now you turn over onto all fours” (p.352) and they help her to get in position. She is supported, she is free to choose a position and get to have skin to skin with her baby. Very important things that affects the baby's and the mother's experience. 

Right brain exercise recommendation

In my education programme, there are many excercise to trigger the right brain because it helps to conncect with the baby and the innerself as it is very significant during preganancy. I also encourage my couple's to use these illustrations as well. (@spiritysol)  They are very beautiful, help you with your creativity and to let go. They have a healing effect too. 

What I recommend you to do is to be intentional and being mindful while doing this coloring work. Watch your feelings! It will help you to realise so much about yourself. See if you are patient while coloring or trying to finish it quickly. Maybe you feel excited for the outcome. Can you use your spontanity with the colors? Are you going with the flow or are you planning the use of colors? Are you trying to do it perfectly, judging your work as good or bad, or can you be without any judgements and accept it as it is like in life and in birth? Can you feel the smell of the color pencils? 

When you do this exercise with intention, you will see that time passes very different than in real life. It becomes more relative, just as in birth. You will see it will be a type of meditation for you. You can listen to a relaxing music during the exercise. I listen to my “calm birth&relaxation” playlist.

You can reach these beautiful illustrations from StudioSpiritYSol etsy shop. 

Let's get your color pencils and enjoy! I would be very happy if you share your work with me First name / friend.

New training: The infant microbiome

I enrolled to a new training by Toni Harman about the infant microbime. I completed the mini course and got my certification. In my childbirth programme, I talk about the advantages of vaginal birth and skin to skin contact and the ways to recover in case they are not possible. There are many of the advantages and also the process and order about the infant microbiome is one of the very impressive one. I took this course to be able to explain this process and the importance of it in more detail to my couples, to serve better. There is always a lot to learn! I started the longer version of the course: The Infant Microbiome and Epigenetics and I will write you again when I am done. 

You can join yourself as an expectant or new parent from the link. The short version is free. 

Movement, pregnancy and birth

I joined one of APPPAH's monday live seminars this month: Prenatal, and Birth Imprints and How they Impact a Baby from a Dance Movement Therapy Perspective with Ellynne Skove. Ellynne briefly explained how babies are affected from the movements they experience in the womb and how important it is to continue this movement afterbirth. The movement that babies feel in the early stage give them the sense of womb and it is important for their development, for soothing, for their nervous system.

Here are the ways you can use to create some movement for your baby:

✨Dance with babies

✨Babywearing

✨Tummy time

✨Bouncing on a pilates ball

www.birtheducationistanbul.com

aysegul@birtheducationistanbul.com