Craving, motherhood, and rebirth (sutra)

Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, Crystal Quintero, Wisdom Quarterly, Mata Sutta (SN 15.14-19)

There are better ways to be pregnant, to deliver, and to mother (Nirrimi Firebrace/NM)

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Craving is our first mother (Rudi'Peni)

Thus have I heard. At one time the Blessed One was staying in Savatthi when he proclaimed:

"Rebirth (again becoming, this continued wandering on through samsara -- a process which is impermanent, impersonal, and unsatisfactory) runs far back into an incomprehensible past. Yet no beginning point is discerned when beings -- hindered by ignorance, ensnared by craving, [and inflamed by aversion manifesting as anger and fear] -- set off on this wandering.

 

"So long has this wandering been going on that it is difficult to come across any being who has not already been one's mother, father, sister, brother, son, and daughter at some time in the past.

 

"And why is that?

"Rebirth (or the "continued wandering on" that is samsara) runs far back into an incomprehensible past. Yet no beginning point is to be discerned when beings -- hindered by ignorance, ensnared by craving -- set off on this wandering [this journey through time and place, this continued wandering on in search of pleasure now here, now there, in search of final satisfaction, fulfillment, security].

These three things are true.

"Long have we all experienced suffering (disappointment, dissatisfaction, distress), experienced pain, experienced loss (separation from the loved), swelling up cemeteries -- long enough to become disenchanted with all formations (conditional phenomena, composite things, i.e., Five Aggregates of Clinging), enough to become dispassionate, enough to be liberated."

Motherhood
But motherhood is the most beautiful thing

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Becoming a Mother (Natureal Mom)

Ashley Wells, Pfc. Sandoval (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly; Lacey (NaturealMom.com)

Mother-making needs nurturing support (Nirrimi Firebrace/naturealmom.com)

TCM and "Qi" (naturealmom.com)

For women to feel good about our births, we need to own our births by being prepared, well-informed, and making sure we have the right kind of support.

Although there is much about the labor and birthing process that we cannot predict or control, we can empower ourselves.

Better Breastfeeding (Nirrimi Firebrace)

We can choose baby and mother-friendly care providers and hospitals/birth centers, knowing our options, being an active part of the decision-making process, and trusting in our ability to birth -- all of which will enable us to become more confident and nurturing mothers.

 

“Birth is not only about making babies.  Birth is about making mothers -- strong, competent, capable mothers who trust themselves and know their inner strength.”

- Barbara Katz Rothman 

Care Providers

Shaman woman (Elende/deviantart.com)

Whether it is an obstetrician or midwife that practices in a hospital, birth center, or home, it is imperative that the mama-to-be feels safe and trusts her care provider.

This is one of the most important decisions we will make. Our care provider will be the one to ultimately make all of the final decisions about us and our baby’s health and safety.

Routine visits should be slow and unrushed with plenty of time to ask questions, discuss options, and communicate preferences. Mothers-to-be should be treated with care, kindness, and respect and encouraged in their ability to birth and mother.

Check out this great post written by the creator of BellyBelly: 11 Questions to Ask Before Choosing an Obstetrician. For home births, there are specific questions that are important when interviewing midwives, such as how many clients they take a month, if they work with an assistant midwife, what their transfer rate is, and how they would handle it if two people were in labor at the same time.

Birth Doulas 

Lacey

Birth doulas are trained professionals who understand the physiology of birth and the emotional and physical needs of women in labor. They provide continuous physical, emotional, and informational support before, during, and just after birth. They perceive their role as nurturing and recognizing birth as a key experience the mother will remember throughout life.

 

A doula’s role changes depending on the needs of the woman and her partner. Doulas can encourage the partner to become involved in the birth to the extent he or she feels comfortable by demonstrating effective techniques that can be used by the partner during each stage of labor, offering reassurance about the normal progress of labor, and/or allowing the partner the freedom to simply be present with the mother and love her. More

 

Acupuncture for Fertility, Conception, Pregnancy & Childbirth

NM uses experts

Susan Minich (CNM, MSN, MSOM, LAc, Diplomate, Oriental Medicine has been a Certified Nurse-Midwife working in Women’s Health for 31 years) now integrates Eastern Medicine into her healing methods and is a noted author, lecturer, and teacher formerly on Clinical Faculty in the Graduate Nurse-Midwifery Program at UCLA and the Univ. of Pennsylvania, and currently on the Clinical Faculty at Cal State University Graduate Nurse-Midwifery Program as well as mentoring Nurse-Midwife, Nurse-Practitioner, and Nursing Students. She is involved in education and training for the OB/GYN and family practice residents at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Los Angeles and is on Clinical Faculty at USC Keck School of Medicine.

Her interest and passion for Eastern Medicine has led her to pursue acupuncture humanitarian service work for women and children in Bali and providing care to Tibetan Buddhist monks, nuns, women, and children refugees living in Dharmshala, India. She traveled to Burma in January 2013 to teach Burmese doctors and has been invited back to India in November 2014.

Nepal: pregnant, working the fields (video)

Seven, Wisdom Quarterly; Sonia Narang, The Ninth Month,  PRI's The World,  Feb. 23, 2014

Machermo Range reflected in Dudh Pokhari, Gokyo, Himalayas, Nepal (peterwestcarey/flickr)

VIDEO: She's seven months pregnant -- and still working in the fields in Nepal

 

Second most sacred peak (Amazing Nepal)

Januka Rasaeli lives in a rural village in officially Hindu (ethnically Buddhist) Nepal, where women do strenuous chores all day long (as in neighboring India and throughout much of Asia). Heavily pregnant, she worries her work will put her baby at risk. In recent years, Nepal has made a big push to improve the health of pregnant women, and the country has seen a drop in the number of women dying during childbirth. Yet, expectant mothers often do backbreaking work that can harm their health and that of their unborn children. As she toils all day, Januka Rasaeli, 28, shares her hopes and fears. VIDEO

Farming and tending animals in unspoiled, rural Nepal, which has five climactic zones.