For those of you who are trying to decide whether to attend one of our courses, let me take you inside a two-day pre/post natal course. Written by Carolyne Anthony.
Day one
I am always aware as I walk into the beginning of a course of everyone’s energy. It makes me smile because I know that even if we all start out as strangers and are a little bit wary at first, chances are we will finish the course the best of friends. There is a lot of sharing of some intimate knowledge that brings us together as a community of women, mothers and fathers.
We start off with introductions and life stories and what brought us all to this point. I love it when there are people who have flown in from Tokyo, Sydney, Colombia! Such dedication to their continuing education. By the time we have finished talking about ourselves, the energy in the room has softened and become more mingled. At this point it is safe to say a good learning environment has been established.
Pelvic Floor lecture
We begin the course with our pelvic floor lecture. The rest of the course is built around the anatomy and changes of the pelvis and pelvic floor during pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. We have really tried to simplify this area and apply the information to safe and beneficial exercises for releasing during pregnancy and realigning after the birth.Instructors usually like the visuals we use in this lecture. We have a model of the pelvis and pelvic floor plus some lovely diagrams in our manual.
Day Two
We begin to learn about the pregnant woman and what happens to her physiologically, physically,mentally and emotionally.We talk about preparing her body for successful natural birthing and what that requires in both body,mind and spirit. We discuss exercises that are safe and create a release for the pregnant body, training her to open in time for the birth.
We usually get to hear some pretty amazing birth stories on this day.
We begin to discuss the issues that the postnatal client may present with after the birth. We talk at length about a diastasis recti, c sections and any other injury to the pelvis and pelvic floor from episiotomies, forceps or vacuum deliveries. We also discuss postpartum depression and what it REALLY is like to be a new mother.
At this point in the course, there is a shift, an opening up, a telling of the birth stories, some tragic, some happy but always a story. At this point there is a release of memories, a healing as the story that has been bottled up inside is allowed to be told.There is a sense of oneness, of understanding, a community has been built, a bridge has been crossed between being just an instructor, to becoming a teacher in the true sense of the word. Having an understanding of the human condition, the feeling and thinking being, the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual that is all of us.
mbodies 