Reclaiming Your Birth Story Guide Episode 2: Module 2, Cultivating Self-Compassion

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As birth advocates and doulas in training, we've encountered the profound impact self-compassion can have on healing post-birth. In the emotional landscape that follows childbirth, many find themselves grappling with guilt and self-judgment, a narrative all too familiar to ourselves. It's a journey that we're excited to guide you through in the latest module of our course, sharing not just stories but actionable steps toward self-kindness and emotional resilience. We delve into the importance of self-compassion's role in recovery and the transformative power it holds in reclaiming your birth story.

This episode unravels the complex threads of self-blame and guilt that often entangle new parents, and we offer a beacon of hope for anyone feeling lost in the aftermath of birth. Our personal struggles with postpartum challenges imbues our conversation with authenticity and understanding, as we provide insights into overcoming intense self-judgment. We share how our course will guide you through mindfulness techniques and exercises designed to foster a nurturing inner dialogue. Our shared mission is not only to create a safe space for processing and growth but also to arm you with the tools for a journey of empowerment and healing.

And for those eager to continue the path of personal growth, we reveal how to access our anxiety breakthrough journal, 'Reclaim your Calm,' at no cost. Download your copy here!

Introducing the "Reclaiming Your Birth Story: Your Path to Healing and Empowerment" course, led by us, Liz and Natalie – passionate birth advocates and postpartum doulas. As professionals in the field, we bring not only our expertise but also the invaluable gift of firsthand understanding. Join us on a path to healing, recovery, and empowerment as you reclaim your birth story and emerge stronger than ever.

Thank you for being a part of the Golden Hour Birth Podcast community. Your support means the world to us. Stay golden!

To sign up for our newsletter visit our website and blog: www.goldenhourbirthpodcast.com
Follow Liz on Instagram here and Natalie here
Follow us on Facebook here.

xoxo-Liz & Natalie

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the GoldmauerBIRTH podcast, where we
navigate the transformativejourney of birth stories, aiming
to empower and heal.
I am your co-host, liz.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
And I'm your co-host, natalie.
We are passionate birthadvocates and we're doulos in
training.
We're exploring the depths ofbirth experiences.
We're offering insights andguidance and a pathway to
reclaiming your narrative.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
In today's episode we're going to be talking about
module two of our course andgiving you a little sneak peek,
which is about self-compassionas a foundation for healing, and
we'll explore self-blame, guiltand we'll talk about the
techniques we use in our coursefor developing self-compassion.
And stick around to the end ofthe episode to hear about our

(00:47):
new free journal called Reclaimyour Calm.
It's an anxiety breakthroughjournal, a four-week journal, so
stick around and you'll learnhow to get that for free.
The GoldmauerBIRTH podcast apodcast about real birth stories

(01:08):
and creating connectionsthrough our shared experiences.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
Childbirth isn't just about the child.
It's about the person who gavebirth, their lives, their wisdom
and their empowerment.
We're Liz and.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
Natalie, the GoldmauerBIRTH podcast, and
we're here to laugh with you,cry with you and hold space for
you.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
Hello, hello, welcome back.
Today we're giving you a sneakpeek into module two of our
upcoming course Re-Limiting yourBirth Story.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
Finding Peace and Healing In module one we talked
about acknowledging theemotional impact of your birth
experience and exploring itsdeeper significance.
Module two builds on thatfoundation by focusing on a
powerful catalyst for healingself-compassion.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
After my second birth , I struggled with postpartum
rage.
It was great, Intense anger andmidswing that left me feeling
ashamed and out of control.
It took me a long time toreally understand that this
wasn't my fault.
My hormones and my birthexperience had thrown me into a
temporary mental healthchallenge.
Learning self-compassion waskey to overcoming the anger,
guilt and self-judgment Icarried With our training.

(02:17):
As dualism, I'm journey andpassionate about guiding others
to embrace self-compassion asthe gateway to true healing.

Speaker 1 (02:25):
So we have topic one, which is self-compassion's role
.
So what exactly isself-compassion and why is it so
vital for healing?
Self-compassion means treatingyourself with kindness, care,
acceptance, especially whenyou're suffering or struggling

(02:45):
with painful emotions.
It's about being a supportivefriend to yourself instead of
your own worst critic, whichthat happens to be a lot.
When you practiceself-compassion, you create
inner environment that fostersresilience, emotional awareness
and growth.

Speaker 2 (03:04):
I love that We'll share examples of how to
cultivate self-compassionthrough exercises like speaking
kind words to yourself orphysically placing your hand
over your heart and taking deepbreaths, small gestures of
tenderness that create safety tofeel and process.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
And then topic two, we'll go into self-blame and
guilt.
One major obstacle many face onthe path to healing is the
heavy burden of self-blame andguilt surrounding their birth.
Perhaps you've berated yourselffor decisions you've made or
beaten yourself up over thingsthat felt out of control.

Speaker 2 (03:42):
So in this module we'll explore how these critical
inner voices develop and theirroles.
Intensifying distress afterbirth trauma.
You'll gain awareness aroundunhealthy self-blaming thoughts
as you begin to release themAfter.

Speaker 1 (03:57):
I had my first baby.
I desperately wanted tobreastfeed but struggled with
low supply.
No matter what I tried, Ibecame consumed by guilt,
anxiety and self-blame oversomething that was ultimately
not even in my control.
So, you know, birth experiences, you know, can go awry and they

(04:22):
can leave us feeling likefailures in so many ways, which
manifests in overwhelmingself-judgment.
And our course unveils secretsto overcoming that, offering a
path to self-compassion,recovery and empowerment.
And these were things that we,from our own experiences, we've

(04:45):
really honed in on what thesecertain things are.

Speaker 2 (04:49):
So topic three goes into building self-compassion.
So how do we developself-compassion, especially when
negative self-talk is so deeplyingrained in us, especially as
women?
We'll be introducing powerfulmindfulness techniques to build
an attitude of loving-kindnesstoward yourself.

Speaker 1 (05:07):
From self-compassion meditations to journaling
exercises, you'll learn ways tobecome aware of self-judging
thoughts and replace them withcompassionate self-talk.
Our course also emphasizesseeking support from others,
which we do a lot, andprioritizing self-care to create

(05:27):
a nurturing environment forprocessing.
By practicing theseself-compassion tools regularly,
you'll forge an unshakablefoundation of resilience for
your healing work ahead.

Speaker 2 (05:40):
So, friends, there you have a taste of your.
Module two equips yourself withself-compassion, the profound
antidote to the shame, blame andinner criticism that can keep
us stuck after birth trauma.
When you treat yourself withkindness and understanding, you
open the door to a powerfultransformation.
You'll be able to explore yourbirth story without harsh
judgment and find theself-forgiveness needed to keep

(06:02):
moving forward and finding yourinner healing.

Speaker 1 (06:07):
So this work isn't easy and we know that, and we'll
be here for every step of theway, and our compassionate
community will also be there tosupport you.
So stay tuned for details onenrolling in the full course,
which we originally said March,but it's definitely going to be
May and it's life.

Speaker 2 (06:34):
So, if this resonated with you at all, we'd love to
hear your reflections andfeedback, sending you so much
compassion on your healingjourneys.

Speaker 1 (06:42):
Hey guys, real quick I want to tell you about a new
journal that we just put out forfree.
I'm going to try and recordthis really quick While my kids
are playing outside on thisbeautiful day it is Daylight,
savings Day and we'll see how itgoes at bedtime.
So far everything's a littlecrazy, so we'll see.

(07:04):
We just put out this newresource that we created called
Reclaim your Calm.
It's a four-week anxietyjournal.
So this journal is designed foranybody, mostly moms and
parents in mind, but anyone'sstruggling with anxiety, and
especially those impacted by adifficult birth experience or

(07:28):
postpartum period, like my own.
My birth stories were prettychallenging, just filled with
different types of complications, like my retained placenta and
then postpartum feeding issuesand things like that.
You know, natalie, we've talkedabout our different
breastfeeding issues andpostpartum anxiety and just

(07:50):
different things.
So we just know that a lot ofmoms really feel alone in
processing all of this.
So we really truly want to helpas many people as we can.
So we kind of put our headstogether and crafted this
four-week journal program.
So it's kind of a roadmap tounderstanding your unique

(08:13):
relationship with anxiety,because it obviously doesn't
manifest in the same way foreverybody.
Some people it's intrusivethoughts, some people it's
worrying If your kid is noteating enough, sleeping enough.
For some it's safe sleep, forothers it's let's.
I can only sleep when I'mco-sleeping and it's just you

(08:35):
know.
It's a lot for us to deal withand there's not many people we
can talk to about it that areit's just you know kind of
judgment-free.
Oh, I can hear my kids coming.
So first, the journal starts byhelping you identify common
triggers, anxiety triggers, andthen pair them with coping

(08:57):
mechanisms like mindfulnessexercises, cbt techniques and
I'm going to pause for a secondwhile my kids are running.
I'm back, my kids are down forquiet time now goes through some
different CBT techniques andthen guides you through kind of

(09:17):
navigating the emotionallandscape, reframing negative
thought patterns which is a bigone for me and kind of
reconnecting with your body'swisdom and tuition.
So each week focuses on adifferent transformative theme
through different prompts,affirmations and evident-based

(09:41):
exercises.
For example, in the ThoughtPatterns Week, you'll explore
cognitive distortions and learnCBT strategies like cognitive
restructuring to challengeunhelpful thinking.
So the journal, it's more thanjust practices.
It also helps get through ourjourneys of our birth

(10:04):
experiences and postpartumanxiety.
So we really just want you toknow that you're not alone in
this experience, and that'sreally what's at the core of why
we've created this journal.
We know through the podcastthat mothers and kind of all
parents feel isolated and theiranxiety and difficulty

(10:26):
processing our birth experiences, and our mission is to provide
you with compassionate space toexplore your emotions, rewrite
narratives and ultimatelyreclaim your birth story.
So that's the bigger picture.
This journal kind of definitelyfeeds into our upcoming course.

(10:48):
So that's what this journal isreally about just being one step
towards reclaiming the entirekind of existence of your birth
story and motherhood, on yourown terms.
So this journal it's not reallyit is a standalone tool, but it
also will be a free bonus thatwill be included in our course,

(11:13):
because we believe thatjournaling and self-work is kind
of foundational for processingbirth.
You'll find that when ourcourse comes out, there's a lot
of journaling within that aswell.
So you can grab the journal nowthe link will be in the show
notes or you can wait to receiveit as part of the bigger course

(11:36):
later.
But we can't wait for you toexperience your breakthroughs
that are waiting for you in thisjournal because the truth is,
you can embrace your birth storywhile still acknowledging the
difficulties.
You can feel empowered whilestill being anxious at times.
These two forces can coexistand that's what we hope this

(11:59):
journal will help unveil for youA deeper understanding and
compassionate reframing ofyourself as a parent, and a
chance to shed your limitingbeliefs and to reclaim the calm
and confidence you deserve.
So, yeah, if you're strugglingwith anxiety, from wherever it

(12:23):
stems from from birth,post-bardom, before that just
know that you don't have to bealone, and this journal and us
in this podcast, we are here tohelp you take that first step
towards greater healing andself-acceptance.
So you can download it now forfree the link will be in the

(12:49):
show notes and then stay tunedfor details on enrolling and the
full Reclaim your Birth Storycourse coming soon.
Thank you, see you next episodeand we'll be back next week with
another birth story.
See you then.
Thank you for joining us onthis episode of the Golden Hour

(13:12):
Birth Podcast.
We hope you've enjoyed ourdiscussion and found it
insightful and beneficial.
Remember, the Golden Hour BirthPodcast is made possible by the
support of listeners like you.
If you appreciate the content webring you each week, consider
leaving us a review on yourfavorite podcast platform or
sharing the show with yourfriends and family.

(13:32):
Your support helps us reachmore people and continue
creating valuable episodes.
If you have any questions,suggestions or topics you'd like
us to cover in future episodes,we'd love to hear from you.
You can reach us on our website, wwwgoldhourbirthpodcast, or
connect with us on social media.

(13:52):
We value your feedback and wantto make sure that we're
delivering the content you wantto hear.
Before we sign off, we'd liketo express our gratitude to our
incredible guests who joined ustoday.
We are honored that they trustus enough to be so open and
vulnerable.
We're grateful for their timeand willingness to share their
stories with us.
If you're interested in takingthe conversation further with us

(14:14):
, join us on our Facebook group,the Golden Hour Birth Circle.
We'll be back next week withanother exciting episode, so be
sure to tune in.
Until then, stay golden andremember to take care of
yourself.
We'll catch you on the nextepisode of the Golden Hour Birth
Podcast.
Bye.