Why Me?
My Ritual Journey Story
There was a swirling in my chest, feeling off kilter, dizzy. My brain filled with so many fast thoughts, I couldn’t even grasp a complete thoughts. As I look at my new baby laying in her pink flower onesie. She’s so tiny, so precious, and all I feel is anxious. My entire body taken over by exhaustion and anxiety. I wonder if there’s anything else…
I “do” all the “right” things. I track her naps, eating, diaper changes. I do my best to flow with the nap, eat, play routine. Most of the time it feels hard. Hard to keep doing everything but there’s no way I’d ever consider not doing exactly what I was doing. It was imperative to the part of me feeling so anxious to track everything. Essential to track because of exhaustion and not being able to grip onto the last time she ate, or what time she woke up. I had to keep track.
I did not feel connected to her. I knew I loved her but that felt more like a thought than a feeling. I knew I had always wanted her. I knew I had always wanted to be a mom. And I did not feel like a mom. I felt lost, unsure, exhausted.
I tried to do it all myself with a little help from my mom and dad. Then the panic attack hit…I was not okay. A gracious mom from the postpartum group I had been attended offered to help me get a postpartum doula. Their support changed everything. I was acknowledged, validated for exactly how I felt. There was real tangible support, in my home. More sleep started to happen. And slowly over time I felt more and more connected to the baby I had given birth to, my child.
One day I was sitting in a circle of new moms, a postpartum support group, a therapist in training and doula started to share about a closing of the bones ritual. All she said was it’s a ritual for new moms to call back their energy. Tingles ran up my whole body. I wanted THAT. I NEEDED that. I asked questions about the ritual, got answers and said yes immediately.
Before the ritual the doula and I talked about what I’d want out of it. All I wanted was reflections from my community, my friends, about how they see me as a mother. I still did not see myself as a “mom.” The word “mom” felt foreign to me. Even though I’ve always wanted to be one finally becoming one it was not like I imagined.
We gathered with intention, myself and a room full of doulas, step more into my role as a mom – feel myself as mom. I was fully supported by wonderful women who had been in my home, witness to my mothering. I don’t remember the exact reflections anymore but what I do remember is feeling a sense of awe of how much people saw me as a mom. It struck me that I didn’t have to become something different to be a mom. No, I got to do something even better. I got to continue to be Heidi, authentically me, and in that being I already was a mom. All that was left was to continue to allow myself to adjust and more closely identify as “mom” to my child.
I was wrapped in seven colorful cloths, from my head all the way down to my feet. Each time the cloth was wrapped around me it was pulled tight. Pressure. Holding. Comfort. Closing. Safe. As a mom I was fully swaddled. Tightly wrapped. Red, pink, yellow rose petals were scattered on and around me. A sight of beauty. Doula’s gazing upon me as they tenderly cared for my baby. I being held, transformed, honored, all scattered energy from giving birth and providing so much for my baby called back to me. My body allowed to come fully back together after being spread wide.
As I lay wrapped the women begin singing…
“I hear the voice of my grandmothers callin′ me
I hear the voice of my grandmother’s song
She says, “Stand in your power
Women stand in your power
Listen, listen, listen, listen”
I hear the voice of my grandmothers callin′ me
I hear the voice of my grandmother’s song
She say, “Give birth, give life
Mothers give birth, give life
Listen, listen, listen, listen”” (Song by Sheffy Oren Bach)
Energy swirls around us all. I’m unwrapped. More whole. More me. More authentic. There’s much left to be processed. More time needed for it all to settle in. But I know this entire ritual was exactly what I needed.
This is only a portion of one of the rituals that has been deeply impactful and transformational in my life. I want more moms, more women, to have the space they need to slow down, listen, recieve, ask for what you need and feel yourself come to life in a new way. That is why I offer these rituals. That is why each and every ritual is personally designed for you. I support in cultivating the precise energy you need for your highest good – based on your desired intention.
If you are even slightly intrigued, slightly curious, or slightly nervous I’d invite you to schedule a free call with me. Lean into the unknown, ask your questions, feel out if deep down you are craving intentional connection.