A Positive Birth Revolution in the Making
A Modern Woman’s Guide to a Natural Empowering Birth: An Inside Interview with Author Katrina Zaslavsky
- Tell us, what is your new book A Modern Woman's Guide to a Natural Empowering Birth all about?
My new inspirational book, A Modern Woman's Guide to a Natural Empowering Birth (AUD $34.95 via http://shop.inspiringbirthstories.com.au/) is a collection of inspiring birth stories, expert tips and practical insights to overcome our fears and reclaim our birth power in a modern world, with Afterword by Dr Sarah Buckley MD, internationally renowned author of “Gentle Birth Gentle Mothering.”
- What inspired you to write this book?
When I was pregnant for the first time, I remember being insatiably hungry for knowledge. I wanted to know everything there was to know on pregnancy and birth and was ready to devour every book on the subject I could get my hands on. This was an important step on the road to self empowerment, yet I found most books were either too clinical, boring or uninspiring and was left rather dissatisfied.
Like many first time mothers, I was also very fearful of the birth process even though I believed (and still do) that natural is best. That was my approach to life in general so it just made sense. That meant a big bridge to cross from intense fear and anxiety at even the mere thought of labour to feeling completely at peace. Having faced and worked through this fear, resulting in two natural drug free births with my beautiful girls and then coaching others in bloom, I felt compelled to help empower other women to walk the same path. Read my story “Mum on A Mission” here: http://shop.inspiringbirthstories.com.au/meet-the-author/
- How is your book different from the others on pregnancy and birth?
I wanted to bring back the magic, the miracle and beauty of birth – this is what I felt was missing from many books I had read and what is was really about. I also felt there was a strong need to un-medicalise or normalise birth in our society. So in essence, my book is the opposite of the ones I had read as a first time mother. Many women have shared how easy it is to read, how they “couldn’t put it down,” that it was “refreshingly real,” “a must read” and one reader even called it “the most inspiring book” she had ever read on the subject!” WOW! To me that is the best compliment and the most heart warming “thank you” an author could ever receive! More rave reviews here: http://inspiringbirthstories.com.au/blog/category/rave-reviews/
- Why are modern women so fearful of giving birth?
In the book, A Modern Woman’s Guide to a Natural Empowering Birth, I discuss the lack of sisterhood when it comes to birth. Women tend to share horror stories when they spot the bump, instead of anything remotely helpful or inspiring for a new impressionable expectant mother. How often do you hear, “Oh I had the most AMAZING BLISSFUL birth experience, let me tell you all about it...” Didn’t think so! Lol J
Those that have a negative or traumatic experience tend to spread it far and wide and unload on poor unsuspecting pregnant ladies. (a form of therapy at others’ expense) Those that have a positive experience tend to keep it to themselves since they feel content and complete in themselves or don’t want to appear as if they are bragging. If all we ever hear is the negatives, then we may get the impression that birth is something to fear, endure and that it must involve drugs or medical procedures. As you will discover in the book, A Modern Woman’s Guide to a Natural Empowering Birth, this does not need to be the case!! In fact, birth can even be a joyous experience.
f you follow the media as your only frame of reference, then you have every reason to be afraid! Birth is currently a hot topic in the media, yet again all we ever hear are the horror stories or what goes 'wrong.' (it seems negative stories are the only ones that make newsworthy headlines so that’s all we hear about) This only feeds the fear and keeps us trapped in the birth fear epidemic that is so prevalent in our modern society.
Meanwhile, Hollywood movies paint the picture of birth as a frantic emergency rather than something that can happen calmly. Such movies only depict birth as a routinely medical event instead of the greatest natural miracle we can participate in and something we are perfectly designed to do as women without outside ‘help’ or minimal if any interference.
I really feel that women now, more than ever, need to hear positive stories to remedy this, to normalise and un-medicalise birth in their own minds (our thoughts create our reality!) and bring back the beauty, magic and miracle of this natural process that it truly is at it's essence.... and restore our faith in mother nature and our own bodies to do what we are designed to do!
Remember this is nothing new, this is what women have been doing since the beginning of time. The truth is, women are gloriously capable of giving birth and just need to take good care of their wellbeing, to stay in their power, trust themselves and own their magnificence!
- You refer to yourself as a “mum on a mission.” What drives you to share the message of empowering birth so actively?
I was the same as many other women, I have been there myself so I can relate. The birth process has always been mysterious and one of my greatest fears, yet I could never have imagined that one day it would become my greatest achievement and source of new courage and confidence not only as a mother but as a woman. Now that I have walked the path from being absolutely terrified to feeling completely at peace and on the other side, been positively transformed through birth, I would love every woman to experience the same thing. So now it’s become my new purpose in life to empower women around the globe to reclaim their birth power and discover their inner birth goddess. To remember what we are made for. Underneath all the fear, negativity and misconceptions there is a beautiful birth goddess just waiting to emerge!
- How would you describe the process of writing this book?
An amazing adventure! I became so obsessed and immersed in the process of writing that it was all I could think about day and night for many months. Now I understand why writers remove themselves from their daily lives and go off into a forest somewhere! I didn’t have that luxury with two young kids at home. However, I did become more intuitive and spiritually aware throughout this process and really stepped into the role to get back in touch with my own experiences and how I was feeling at the time. I even remember having a vivid dream that I was pregnant myself!
Also I have always been a very private person and I surprised myself that I was able to abandon myself to the project and bared my soul to my readers. Not only did empowered mothers and birth professionals share their stories, insights and tips throughout but there is a personally commentary from my own experiences and the birth lessons I gained along the way.
It is an intimate topic that we don’t normally speak about so openly and in such detail (a bit like sharing your love life!), yet I felt that this topic was so much bigger than me and if it would change lives of women around the world then it would be worth it. One reader confirmed this when she described the book as “raw and real.” That is exactly what I had envisaged.
- What kind of benefits can a new mother to be, expect from reading the book?
It is designed to be a complete mind body preparation guide for every woman in bloom - for some this will be everything they need to know in the one book. And will save their precious time looking around for helpful, positive books on the subject or researching like mad, like I had to do the first time to find answers! For others it may send them off on a whole new journey of discovery. For instance, they may like to explore water births or finding a doula which is something perhaps they didn’t know about or hadn’t considered before. It has been so exciting to read all the amazingly positive reviews that have been coming in steadily. You can read what others say about the book here: http://inspiringbirthstories.com.au/blog/category/rave-reviews/
And meet one of our empowered Mums here in this live video interview: http://inspiringbirthstories.com.au/blog/2012/resources/interview-with-rebecca-dettman-on-empowered-birth/
- Why do we need to read inspiring birth stories?
In many cultures we have traditionally learnt important life lessons through sharing stories eg fables. So I thought it would be a great way to not only inspire women but also share valuable birth lessons. The things that we wish someone had told us before we had given birth!
Dr Sarah Buckley (meet her here: http://shop.inspiringbirthstories.com.au/meet-the-contributors/) says “one of the best ways to prepare for birth is to saturate ourselves in positive birth stories” and that is exactly what we have here. A great antidote to the negativity that we are surrounded by in the ‘real world.’ Hopefully this will help many women to overcome their fears and reclaim their birth power. To choose what’s right for them and to become an active and conscious participant in the process rather than having things done to them or without their knowledge or consent. There is no right and wrong when it comes to birth, only choices. Informed choices are the only real choices and this will give mothers what they need to know to make informed choices for themselves and their babies. This is why the book is both inspiring and empowering.
- I understand you a currently on a national launch tour. Will you be visiting the Sunshine Coast?
Looks like I am coming for good reason too- I was just reading that Queensland has the highest rate of caesarians in Australia (currently 34 per cent of all births and even higher in Queensland's private hospitals, at 48 per cent! Too many women are uninformed in this area...so we need to make major changes in this department!
- How do you believe this book will help create a positive birth revolution?In life there are some things we plan and others life plans for us! This book was a result of the latter, a labour of love, very inspired and something I felt needed to be done, even with two beautiful kids at my feet. Writing this book was not something that I had planned in my head as a ‘good idea’. It is something that simply struck me one day and felt right. The project has completely taken over from that day onward and has grown a life all of its own. My new “baby” so to speak!
This is so much more than a book to me, it is my calling in life right now to bring more awareness, empowerment and consciousness to women and I am very inspired to share this message of empowering birth with the world.
I really feel that if we can put this book into the hands of first time mothers to be, then we could prevent many cases of unnecessary birth trauma and the resulting postnatal depression that follows from such an experience. This is why I am so possessed to spread the word and be part of the change in creating a positive birth revolution across Australia and beyond!
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