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Shining Light

Building empowerment, self-confidence and connection through candid education and compassionate advocacy for all families before, during and after pregnancy.

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If I know I’m getting the epidural, do I really need a childbirth class?

April 9, 2012 By Deena 1 Comment

In short – YES! Ok and now for the longer answer: Your anesthesiologist won’t come to your house and you won’t be admitted to the hospital if you are too early in labor.  So, what do you do while you labor at home?  How do you know when to go into the hospital? What if […]

Filed Under: Into the Light, Main Blog Page Tagged With: C-section, Childbirth Education Classes, Communication, Decision making, Epidural, Expectations, Fathers, Fear, Natural Birth, Pain, Placenta, Valid Medical Reason

Integrating Yoga and Lamaze: How the Ethical Practice of the Yamas and Niyamas Relate to Pregnancy and Childbirth. Part 8 – Tapas

December 27, 2011 By Deena 1 Comment

Tapas – (literally – heat) Austerity, Discipline, Dedication to Practice “A better way to understand tapas is to think of it as consistency in striving toward your goals: getting on the yoga mat every day, sitting on the meditation cushion every day—or forgiving your mate or your child for the 10,000th time. If you think […]

Filed Under: Into the Light, Main Blog Page Tagged With: C-section, Communication, Decision making, Emotional State, Expectations, Fear, Interventions, Labor, Lamaze, OB, Pain, Valid Medical Reason, Yamas and Niyamas, yoga

Perfection vs. Purpose OR the Birth Experience vs. Giving Birth

August 26, 2011 By Deena 3 Comments

To interrupt the series on “Integrating Yoga and Lamaze” for a moment…  I’ve had something nagging at me for a while…  I keep hearing the same theme from mothers who didn’t have the natural birth they wanted; the birth they were told they were *supposed* to have.  They feel like failures because their “birth experience” […]

Filed Under: Into the Light, Main Blog Page Tagged With: Birth Plan, C-section, Childbirth Education Classes, Communication, Decision making, Expectations, Fear, Labor, Non-Attachment, Orgasmic Birth, Pain, Traumatic Birth, VBAC

The 4 “P’s” of Birth – The Need to Sync your Body, your Baby and Your Mind

June 18, 2011 By Deena 4 Comments

When most of us hear about birth it’s in the singular, “When I was in labor…” or “The baby just didn’t budge.” or “They told me my pelvis was just too small.” or “I felt really strong and proud of giving birth naturally.” All of these things describe just one component of labor and birth. […]

Filed Under: Into the Light, Main Blog Page Tagged With: C-section, Coping Skills, Emotional State, Fear, Ina May Gaskin, Interventions, Labor, Pain, Position

The Myth of the Painless Childbirth

April 15, 2011 By Deena 18 Comments

Out there in the cloud of birth information is this idea that birth can or should be painless.  Somebody heard a story about a friend of a friend who had just the most blissful, fabulous, painless, even orgasmic birth experience.  There are a number of videos on YouTube which show women in all their birthing […]

Filed Under: Into the Light, Main Blog Page Tagged With: Coping Skills, Dr. Grantly Dick-Read, Expectations, Interventions, Orgasmic Birth, Pain, Suffering

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About Shining Light

Building empowerment, self-confidence and connection through candid education and compassionate advocacy for all families before, during and after pregnancy since 2012.

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