When the full moon influence birth!

Snow moon baby!

"The moon guides home ships.  The moon guides people out of the forest, but the truth is the moon has no light of her own.  She is a lightless piece of rock. 

What the moon is able to do is reflect the light of the sun on to the earth.  Why?  Because of her alignment.

The moon is never full, never half, never new. 

What happens is she goes in and out of better alignment.  When she is in perfect alignment, we call it the full moon.  The fullness of the reflection of the sun.

When she is out of alignment, we call it a moon-less night.  The moon Is still there, but she is no longer able to be in alignment with what enables her to be a reflector, and that is how it is in our lives. 

When we are in alignment, we can reflect the light of the Divine within us. 

So be a full moon and reflect that light of the divine on to the world."

I was born under the full moon, and when it is full, I feel the connection. On February 2nd, I was blessed to see the birth of a little girl who will share that connection, as she was born under the Snow moon. How does the full moon affect you?

The full moon is believed to affect our energy due to its strong gravitational pull and the way it illuminates the night sky. The moon affects the waters of the earth and the tides of the oceans.  A large part of our bodies consists of water, therefore for many of us, the moon controls our waters. An expecting momma has 5 to 7 pounds increase in blood and water to support the new human growing inside of her.  

I would like to share a birth story of sweet Willow who waited to come earthside until the moon was full!

Many traditions suggest that the heightened lunar energy can amplify our emotions and intuition, making us feel more connected to our inner selves and the rhythms of nature. The full phase of the moon often brings a sense of culmination or heightened awareness, which is why people may experience increased sensitivity, vivid dreams, or a surge in creative inspiration during this time. Or it can make us chaotic and disorganized. Birth is nature's re-birth! And when allowed to be "natural", baby's arrive in God's perfect timing.

It is important to find a care provider that honors God's perfect timing. I am not going to use this post to lament on the overwhelming number of inductions that I encounter as a birth worker. I try to be objective when this is suggested to the mother, but more often than not, it is on the providers time, and provides more revenue for the hospital as many birthing centers are closing because "birth is not profitable". But I digress.

Back to sweet Willow! Willow was to make her appearance at the Berry Woman's Center in Dayton in the natural birth room, in the birth tub! Yay for a water birth! The midwives there are very patient. Momma was 41 weeks + a few days! All was well . . . so we waited.

This birth story is for all mom's that are subjected to every negative or traumatic birth story that everyone wants to share with you when they see you are pregnant. EVERY birth is unique.  It is typical for 1st time mom's to go past 40 weeks . . . . when providers are patient.  Due dates are calculated from the 1st day of your last period. Typically women ovulate around day 14 of a 28 day cycle. This actually makes your "due date" at 38 weeks. This is why in HypnoBirthing, we call it a "due month." So going past the 40-week mark is actually normal. But many conventional doctors or midwives are impatient. Willow's mom knew she conceived around day 19, so we were not concerned when she passed her "due date".

This birth taught me not to take averages for granted and to always be prepared. Momma's water started leaking at around 9:30 pm while she was laying in bed. Before this mom had what she felt like period cramps for a few days. Things started moving quickly so mom and dad headed to the Women's center around 10:30. However, when things just "didn't feel right" to mom (so LOVE that birth intuition), they quickly diverted to Saint Marys Joint Township. I arrived at 11:25 and Willow arrived at 3 past midnight! Whew! What a whirlwind! I did not even get to open my doula bag and barely got my phone to get pictures of Willow's arrival! Thank you to Dr. Harl who is a locum doctor (so not a staff doctor.) Her response was amazing and we so appreciate her! When a care provider recommends different birthing positions rather than on your back (the WORST position to birth your baby), she's got my vote all the way. Mom gave birth on her knees using the squat bar!

So how did a first time mom have a 2 1/2 hour labor? Maybe her HypnoBirthing education and breathing preparation allowed her to feel her contractions as "cramping". Maybe she truly did have a 2 1/2 hour labor. Maybe the 5 to 6 dates mom consumed everyday in the last month of pregnancy toned her uterus.

Maybe the full moon affected her "waters" so much that it triggered her labor. Maybe we will never know. And that's OK. If you are expecting, tell people that you are only accepting positive birth stories. Because yours will be unique and yours alone!

My hope and prayer is that all babies are "allowed" to arrive on God's time!

Kimberly Oen is a Certified Birth and Postpartum Doula through the State of Ohio Nursing Board. She is also a Naturopathic Doctor and President of Motherhood Reclaimed Ministries, a non-profit dedicated to supporting mothers and babies in the surrounding counties of Auglaize, Mercer and Shelby. She is a Medicaid Approved Provider. You can reach her at 419-500-4935 at her studio in Saint Marys.