First and foremost I want to thank you. I want to thank you for pouring yourself into this work, selflessly. You have dedicated you self and life's work to others and that is not a small feat. Your efforts have not gone unseen. Everytime you show up, you are making the change we need to see.
I believe we forget that being a birthwork is service work. Midwife means to be "with woman", and doula is defined as "to serve women". Just like a sommelier or a caretaker, your work is done to benefit others. Though it is fulfilling to engulf yourself into your dream work as a birthworker, it can be both physically and emotionally taxing. We know this.
We know that you can not pour from an empty cup. But who is there for you when it is time to refill? Do you have a bag of tools to restore yourself after a birth, long or short. Because we have spent, sometimes months with clients behind closed doors, it is not always recognized that the work we do started long before the long hours of birth. As a birthworker, you find yourself tied to people for a period of time, and then sometimes no more. What do you do for closure? How do you refill your cup?
Self-Care for Birthworkers
Long bath
Budgeted vacation
Staycation
Spa day
Retreat at home
Celebrate birth with friends
Yoga
Date night
Night-in
Turn phone ringer off
I personally love a restorative yoga session after a birth or closing a client out. Restorative yoga is a modality that teaches the body how to rest. This is beneficial for the birthworker body who has been alert for a long period of time.
Restorative yoga is holding the body in relaxing postures for 3,5,7 or 10 min at a time to allow the body to heal what needs to be healed. This stills the mind and the body. After massaging, counter-pressure, and standing on your feet for the new parents, the body needs to find its homeostasis.
Here's a session from us to you. We have provided sample poses below for free!
Thank you for caring for yourself this way! Namaste birthworker!