Preparing for conception, pregnancy, and birth, is both a time of joy for many and also can be filled with challenges and, for some, losses. Many women and birthing people suffer in silence rather than having loving compassionate care. My guest today is here to share her joyful births and how caring and companioning can help people heal and find resilience and, in time, their joy again.

Naima (Niema) Beckles is an educator, consultant, doula, and founding director of For Your Birth. She trains birth workers, creates programming for maternal health organizations, and serves as a board member for Lamaze International. A published author and media contributor, Naima has also developed a specialty expertise in healing related to pregnancy loss. She is here to talk with us today about Joy, Power, and Companioning Challenges.

Join our guest Naima Beckles sharing her journey to becoming a doula, her experience with joyful birth, and the importance of sharing positive birth experiences along with the challenges of learning from them. The conversation also revolves around the importance of support during pregnancy and birth, especially in cases of emergency interventions or losses.

Tune in to this informative episode for an insightful conversation about childbirth and parenting!

In this episode:

The importance of feeling good and confident in their healthcare provider. Safety concerns around home birth and importance of qualified midwives The speaker downplayed her positive birth experience to avoid making others feel bad. Home birth experience with posterior facing baby, long pushing, and no stitches needed. Naima shares her personal experiences with pregnancy loss and abortion They emphasize the importance of having supportive midwives and companions during these experiences The importance of compassionate presence when supporting people experiencing pregnancy loss.

Key Takeaways:

Compassionate presence is key to holding space for grief and creating a container for expression. Preparing for conception, pregnancy, and birth is both a time of joy and, for many, also filled with challenges. It is important to share challenges but also joys in birth stories. Taking care of oneself and having support networks is necessary to avoid depletion when supporting others.

Tweetable Quotes:

"If all that we think and all that we've been told is that birth will be traumatic, will be terrible, will be over medicalized, then we don't have anything else to aspire to." - Naima Beckles "My tip is just about presence and like getting just like recognizing the moment that you're in, and savoring it, and following your breath, and taking that into your labor and into your early parenting and beyond."- Naima Beckles