Being Seen, Being Held
Sometimes we hold the space, and sometimes the space holds us.
This week has been a big one.
There have been moments of sadness, reflection, connection, celebration and some incredibly powerful reminders of why creating Birth From Within has meant so much to me. At the beginning of the week, I was navigating something deeply personal, I said goodbye to my uncle while also supporting my brother, who is living with terminal illness. It was heavy and lots of emotions to process.
And then came the Red Tent.
The Red Tent
I don't think I could ever have anticipated quite what our first Red Tent gathering would become. I created the Red Tent because I wanted women to have somewhere they could simply come as they are. Somewhere without expectation. Somewhere we could gather, share, listen, laugh, cry and remember something that women have been doing for generations — sitting in circle with other women. But what happened that evening was more powerful than I had imagined.
There was such tenderness in the room. Stories were shared. Women were witnessed. There was laughter, emotion, ritual and connection. After such a personally difficult week, I realised that while I had created a space intended to hold other women, that evening the space held me too.
And perhaps that is what community really is. Sometimes we are the ones doing the holding. Sometimes we need to allow ourselves to be held. The Red Tent will now continue as a monthly gathering, and I genuinely cannot wait to see how this beautiful little community grows.
Taking Birth From Within out into the community
Then came the Bay Baby Event. What a day! It was wonderful to see so many pregnant women, new mothers, babies, families and local businesses coming together.
Birth From Within had a stand at the event, and I was incredibly grateful to have Joanna from Holistic Health and Mimi from Kismattu Yoga there supporting me. I also had the opportunity to speak at the event.
To those wonderful people who stayed right until the end to listen to my talk , thank you. I hope you left with something useful, something that made you think, and perhaps a little more confidence in yourself and your ability to navigate pregnancy and birth.
Birth From Within has always been about helping women understand their choices, ask questions and feel able to make decisions that are right for them. And every opportunity I get to have those conversations feels important.
Birth, safety and preparing ourselves
This week has also brought some difficult conversations within maternity care following the publication of the Embrace report.. There are themes within reports like these that I have heard repeatedly throughout my career. They deserve to be acknowledged. Most importantly, the experiences of the women and families behind those findings deserve to be heard and honoured. But I also don't want conversations about maternity safety to leave pregnant women frightened of birth. Birth can never be made completely risk-free. Life can't either. What we can do is prepare ourselves. We can nourish our bodies well, move them, hydrate them and care for our emotional wellbeing. We can understand the physiology of birth. We can learn about our choices. We can ask questions. We can surround ourselves with people who support us rather than frighten us. And we can remember that preparing for birth isn't simply about preparing for everything that might go wrong. It is also about creating the best possible conditions for things to go right. That is a conversation I want Birth From Within to keep having.
And Birth From Within keeps growing...
Back at the studio, there is plenty happening. The podcast, The Good, The Bad and The Vagina, continues to bring some incredible women and conversations through my door, and I'm loving watching it develop. I'm continuing my hypnosis work, alongside birth-keeping and virtual birth support, and I'm developing more of my work around birth preparation, biomechanics and calm. There are Antenatal Classes workshops, support groups, yoga, women's gatherings, AromaTouch and holistic women's health all finding their place within the studio.
And there are some exciting collaborations and events ahead too, including the Clever Hands & Calm Presence event with Shellie Poulter and Kemi Johnson. There is a real sense now that Birth From Within is becoming more than something I created. It's becoming a community.
Sometimes we need to notice how far we've come
Amongst everything happening professionally, there are personal milestones and family moments ahead too. And I think this week has reminded me of something important. We can become so focused on where we're going that we forget to notice where we are. There have been difficult moments this week. There have also been extraordinary ones.
I've cried. I've laughed. I've held people. I've been held. I've spoken about things I believe passionately in. I've watched women connect with one another. And I've stood back occasionally and looked at this studio and thought:
Look what has grown here. Perhaps that's enough sometimes. Not another target. Not another thing crossed off the list. Just a moment to recognise what already exists.
So, as another week begins at Birth From Within, that's what I'm carrying with me:
Sometimes we hold the space, and sometimes the space holds us.
And I'm incredibly grateful for both. 💜
