It has been a while since I have written a thought of the month, in fact, it has been a while since I have touched base with many of our wonderful clients, so I figured what better a time than in the 39th week of my fourth pregnancy (maybe the last chance I will get for the next 21 years).
It is a special and exciting time in our family life, with our new little one set to arrive very soon, so I thought I would share some of my reflections. If you have been to one of our advanced ‘Innate Intelligence’ workshops you have heard us talk about the incredible power of the human body and the magic inside that science will never be able to fully explain. Reproduction is a magnificent example of this, as there is nothing more incredible than the magic of life beginning from two tiny cells.
Fourth time round and I am still constantly in awe of this entire process. The way the baby knows just how to grow perfectly, and my body, in turn, nurtures and adapts to this ever growing presence, a beautiful synchronicity that doesn’t require a single conscious thought. You can’t help but be in awe of this process.
The thing that really strikes me about being pregnant is how as adults in our society we seek to understand and control every aspect of it, and yet I see my 6, 4 and 2 year old look at the whole experience in such a wise and knowing way. The kids accepted right from the beginning that there was a baby coming (in fact it was our two year old that tipped us off, by kissing and cuddling my belly before I even thought to do a pregnancy test). They never expressed any fears or doubts, they just seemed to understand that this is how our bodies work. Now don’t get me wrong they have plenty of wonderful and colourful questions that have left us both entertained and perplexed, but their questions are always cloaked in wonder in and awe. What a contrast from the brain of many adults that tend to jump straight to the scary thoughts and hard hitting questions.
Why is it that we think so differently as kids?
In chiropractic philosophy we refer to two parts of our brain, the innate brain and the educated brain. The IN8 Life is there from the moment of conception, it is all of the knowledge and wisdom of the universe that we will ever need. It is our instinct, the driver of all of our sub-conscious bodily functions, our drive to survive and our concept of understanding the universe around us. The educated brain on the other hand is everything we learn from the world around us. Learned behaviours, philosophies and information. The educated brain is easily corrupted and influenced and can take over and drown out the infinite wisdom of the innate brain. For example innate brain knows we need fresh water, fresh plants and air to survive, but show the educated brain enough advertising for fast food and soft drink and it will easily convince itself that this is also a good choice too. We all have the same version of innate brain but a very very different version of educated brain, based on our lifetime of experiences and influences. You all probably already know this, but at The IN8 Life it is our goal to help connect people back to their innate brain and listen to and be guided by the wisdom that it holds.
Pregnancy and Birth
So why is this relevant to pregnancy and birth? it is interesting to see how the kids trust their innate brain and just ‘get it’ and yet thanks to our educated brains, as adults we all enter into this magical process with different degrees of trust, fear, anxiety or other emotions. It is somewhat normal and accepted to be prepared for a degree of sufferance in pregnancy and a painful and arduous birth. But interestingly this is only true for humans, our animal friends don’t suffer and complain, they just accept and continue on with the joys of life as per usual. The question then becomes why do we, as humans, think like this? What has influenced our educated brains? And more importantly how can we reconnect with our innate brain? Perhaps our educated brain has formed from dramatic TV renditions of loud births and complicated pregnancies. Perhaps we have seen loved ones suffer through something, or seen TV ads suggesting different products and remedies that will ease our ‘suffering’. Not to mention the the way the modern birth system is set up to ‘test’ and report back, subtly suggesting that many things can and will go wrong. We as a society have lost touch with THE most natural instinctive process we can engage in, which means that many women miss the opportunity to make this experience the most incredible and transformative experience of their life time – uncovering powers they never knew they held and paving the way for an equally empowered parenthood.
I probably have a novel left to write, but I don’t think it will fit here, so let me finish with this – for our family we have always used this time in pregnancy and through our planned conscious home-births to connect as much as we possibly can with our own innate brain, with each other as partners and with our babes as they each have entered the world. It has always (despite some morning sickness and tired eyes) been a truly beautiful and rewarding time for us as a family. As a chiropractor and birth educator, I am passionate about sharing this, not for bragging rites, but because I believe every human has a lot to gain from reconnecting with their innate potential, but at no time is this more impactful then when we are bringing new life in to the world. The positive impacts are infinite in every aspect of our life, and the flow on effects for our babies are immeasurable. I cannot highly recommend enough the power of examining our educated brain and how and why we perceive things in one way or another, and then to take the time to consciously compare this to what our innate is truly telling us, and to explore the opportunities this may present for you that you perhaps didn’t even know you had. True in pregnancy, true in birth and true in every aspect of life.
I feel like that got heavier than I intended – but hey I’m 39 weeks pregnant, so if my educated brain isn’t as clear as normal, it’s most likely my innate brain staring to take over as it prepares for something magnificent in the days and weeks to come!