Birth Journey

Aaron and I took a birth class last week called The Birth Journey, led by my doula, Dianne Hamre. It was an incredible experience. It began with us reminiscing about how our love started when we were younger, and then how it has grown over the years and our experiences together. It ended with an activity called "labor simulation." When I read that on the agenda, I thought, "How on earth is she going to simulate that?" We both soon learned that Dianne uses a blind walk and then a technique called an "ice contraction" (ouch!) to feel pain. Above you see me leading Aaron on a blind walk, which increased his personal vulnerability and his trust in my support. Then we moved on to the ice contraction activity, and applied simple tools or practices to alleviate the pain. The activity allowed us to take turns trusting and helping one another through our own physically challenging tasks.

By the end of the simulation, Aaron and I were brought closer together emotionally and our marriage was strengthened in a way we've never experienced. At the end of the simulation I felt a little foolish that I was overwhelmed by my emotions, but as I removed my blindfold at the end, I saw that there wasn't a dry eye in the room. The simulation had been as powerful for the other couples in the class.

Dianne's Birth Journey class was very powerful and effective at bringing us closer together as a couple and in illustrating how comfort tools will truly be able to alleviate pain in the birth process. I recommend the class to all expectant couples! A huge thank you to Dianne for sharing her knowledge and wisdom with us!