Birth as Trust

Note from Debra: My dear friend, Jaqueline Eddaoudi has been on an amazing journey giving birth to five children at home with her 6th is on the way. Jaqueline and I met when she was my translator for a big conference in Graz, Austria over 12 years ago! At the time I was speaking about Orgasmic Birth and we had only met briefly beforehand. I wondered how a translator would feel about my topic, and if would she be too shy to speak out with me.  What happened next was magical –  I told stories, moved and acted out a pleasurable birth and Jaqueline- spoke in German, moved and acted out the birth with pleasure too!   

I later learned about her own gentle, often pleasurable births. Magic does happen when we hold the space for it! She is truly a translator extraordinaire, bringing the emotions of words to life.  Since then, we’ve taught together 1-2 times per year in Austria, Germany, Italy, and we hope one day to bring a doula workshop and retreat to Morocco as Jaqueline is fluent in over 5 languages (amazing, right?).

Along the way she has had more pregnancies and gave birth to 2 more daughters. Her pregnancies and babies have been a part of many of our workshops, and she is so special to me. As Jaqueline, her husband and 5 daughters are now preparing to welcome baby number 6  – she has shared a short blog about her journey with birth, and the differences she found between air and water birth.  Enjoy her blog, and join me in sending her gentle birth energy for a safe, satisfying, pleasurable, Orgasmic Birth with LOVE!


Birth has Taught me to Trust

by Jaqueline Eddaoudi

21 years ago I was pregnant with our first daughter. Since I was born at a midwife’s home in Austria and my husband was born with a midwife at home in Morocco, I knew that I too wanted a homebirth. At the time, we had very curious neighbors so I chose to give birth at my midwife’s home, and I had a beautiful waterbirth. Around the birth I felt so full of energy that I didn’t consider resting or sleeping enough. So, when labor started, I was so tired that I slept between the waves in the tub.

Two years later our second daughter was born in water at the same midwife’s home. The birth of my first daughter was quite easy and very satisfying, but this birth was also really pleasurable. I spent my labor on the deck listening to the frogs’ concert and only went in when it got more intense and I had my baby in the tub.

We then moved, so our third daughter was born at home two more years later. She was the first one to be born in air on a birth stool because she came so quickly that the midwife didn’t make it to set up the tub. There was a big difference of intensity between the water births and this one. I was really surprised of how much more pressure there was during this birth.

Amazingly, I met Debra the day I found out I was pregnant with our fourth daughter. Since then I have been her translator whenever she speaks in Austria, Germany, Switzerland or Italy. She and her work changed my way to look at birth and it also changed the way I work as a translator. Even though I already had three beautiful births I became more aware of what birth really means and more mindful during my pregnancies. I’ve realized ever more so, how precious this experience is.

The day our fourth daughter was born I went for a walk with my best friend and my three girls. Soon it became clear that labor was starting and we spent the beginning of it sitting under the trees near a stream listening to the birds’ singing. When we got home I went into the tub, but I had the water too hot and it made my baby’s heartrate go up, so I had to give birth in the air. There again there was this intensity of pressure that I had experienced with the birth of my third daughter and I was really impressed by it.

Nine years ago, our fifth daughter was born in water at home exactly one year after we had called a star/soul from the beautiful night sky in the Moroccan desert. I have to admit that with this birth I found the way I personally like best for birth: in a big tub on all fours catching my baby by myself! Since the intensity in water is really significantly less, I was able to concentrate more, for example on how soft her ears were when only her head was born, than on managing the pressure.

Now, I’m am pregnant with my 6th baby, this is what I want for this upcoming birth, too.

My births have taught me how to trust and this is what has been guiding me through my life of being a mum.

Read Jaqueline’s 2nd blog in her pregnancy series here. 

Jaqueline Eddaoudi, is born of an Italian father, Austrian mother, and her husband is Moroccan – together they have 5 daughters. Jaqueline lives in Austria and is a freelance interpreter for German, English, Italian, Arabic, French, Spanish and soon Turkish. Due to her experiences with different languages and cultures she is now working as counselor and speaker for schools, hospitals, and companies and has published her first book about the Muslim World in schools last year. She is now writing her second birth about the Muslim World in hospitals   – learn more: www.dieorientalischewelt.com

 

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