Episode 7: It Takes a Village

New here? FIND OUT MORE

* Apologies for the sound quality in the first 5 minutes of the interview - please bear with it as it does improve.

 

In times gone by we used to have a community that supported us through our mothering journey.  But somehow over time we’ve lost this connection to people who could support, advise and nourish us.

Though the proverb “It takes a village to raise a child” has become cliché, the impact of our village-less living is having a devastating impact on us as mothers.

I’m very excited to be speaking with an incredible women who supports women in celebrating and restoring motherhood.   She’s one of life’s wise and wonderful women who in ancient times would have been a central figure in our communities. 

In this episode I interview Su Barber from Restoring Motherhood.  Su offers pre and post natal support to couples, exploring strategies to cope with birth, dealing with unexpected or desired consequences of the journey and offering support at the birth itself.  During our conversation Su shares the importance of building a village and the impact it can have when we have a strong support system around us. 

In this episode:

  • How Su helps mothers restore themselves after giving birth and prepare them for the journey of motherhood [3:50]
  • Su shares how her path into this work came from her own experience of being terrified of being pregnant and having babies [6:00]
  • How giving birth is an initiation, particularly for first time mothers, that cracks us open in so many ways to rebirth ourselves [10:25]
  • That whilst giving birth is a natural and normal process, our everyday lives are no longer normal or natural after giving birth [10.45]
  • How we beat ourselves up for failing when we really aren’t supposed to do doing this on our own [12.20]
  • The process Su takes a mother-to-be through to build her support systems and to honour her journey into motherhood [15:40]
  • That the body needs to heal no matter how we give birth.  That we will have an often unseen wound that needs to heal and we ignore it at our peril [16:55]
  • Birth is where a woman steps right up to the line of life and death.  That you put yourself on that line to bring new life into the world.  And in our society that great sacrifice is not honoured as it used to be [22.20]
  • Why the services that women like Su offer are vital for new mothers [28:00]
  • The ancient wisdom that used to support new mothers [29:30]
  • The one thing we could do for ourselves that would help us have an easier time as mothers [30:30}
  • How to access your village, or how to build it if it’s not as strong as you want it to be [32.19]
  • Anticipating that you might need more help than you think and getting comfortable asking for it and receiving it [35:20]
  • Explains what a ‘doula’ is [35:20]
  • Why asking for help makes you a better mother [38:48]
  • Her tip for hard working mums [41:50]

Links in this episode:

 

RELATED PODCASTS

Some more Podcasts…

Comments (26)

Don’t miss out!

You’ll get advice, offers and other subscriber-only resources you can’t get anywhere else. We will never pass on your details. Unsubscribe with one-click.