🌀Ever wonder how a birth worker with over 12 years of births experiences her first journey into motherhood? Sharing this episode with Jerusha Sutton Birth Photographer and birth worker has been an absolute oracle of wisdom! This is a first time mammas birth journey including a pregnancy of co-creating a documentary, Vipassana meditation at 30 weeks, pelvic mapping, homebirth preparation and a complete mammoth blessingway that had her labour started not long after! Jerusha interprets the whole experience so beautifully and I guarantee you will be floating after this story! 💫 If you are looking to enrich yourself with a positive birth story then this is it. This podcast understands the layers of pregnancy, birth and seeing how Jerusha’s journey in 2006 started her on a pathway to her heart centred birthwork. We begin the episode by setting the scene into the beauty of birth work. Jerusha began as a Doula after travelling the world and fulfilling her acting profession, however while having those moments contemplating on the hills of Europe she realised this was not fulfilling her. Jerusha attended a birth before she went overseas and this had resonated in her mind so much that she had to pursue this. She come back home and found the word ‘Doula’ 10 minutes later this changed the course of her life and a birthworker was born! Supporting women in birth Jerusha found to be just right for her, something about that connection to our linage perhaps! (Images to follow Tania Boyd) Jerusha talks about the first birth experience as a Doula, this experience she describes as big learning experience for a young Doula (we talk about he importance of a mentor). It was a big experience and this certainly gave her insight into her gifts. We talk about Jerusha’s next adventures when they all moved to London. Jerusha engaged very much in postnatal work whilst living in the UK, we talked about how much the demand is not available in Australia for postnatal work and how important this time period is. Jerusha’s describes that Australia may have the ‘get on with it’ attitude! (Images to follow Anna Todd Photography) So we get into the story of Jerusha’s transition from maiden to mother, she describes the pregnancy as just beautiful. Jerusha sourced her birth team and this also included the woman that initially invited Jerusha to her first ever birth! During her pregnancy Jerusha engaged in Vipassana at 30 weeks! This experience we talk in depth about especially how this can prepare you well and truly for labour. This birth prep is definitely no retreat as its hard work, yet as Jerusha describes it was for her a beautiful way to connect with baby, just think 10 days in silence with baby. Jerusha knew this would be incredibly uncomfortable and painful yet one of the most rewarding experiences to go though. Next we talk about Pelvic work in pregnancy and Jerusha talks about having a pregnancy session in Melbourne with vaginal exploration and mapping out the area. This is very interesting work and this work is factored of the great expertise of Jenny Blyth (see podcast episode 39). The birth experience started to happen in the thick of organising the yet to be releasedBirth Time documentary. Jerusha (as many first time mums) was convinced when the baby was going to come, after 42 weeks! So she organised her blessing way, engaged in the labour and birth conference and looked forward to knowing that there was at least a month to go. We discuss her blessing way and how this was a beautiful way to honour the linage of women in Jerusha’s life. Labour began at 38 weeks and they had to ship out her mum and dad who was visiting in the house and begin the process! We have a great insight into the process and how Jerusha was supported during this labour. There was a moment when it was time to get labour ...