Saturday, December 31, 2011

Support Us


Hello Dear Community-

We are reaching out for your support in our recent commitment to have a home birth.

On a deep level I have always had faith in the naturalness of birth, and more importantly in my power to birth how and where I feel most comfortable.  But for most of this pregnancy despite this inner desire to bring our baby into the world in a safe, supportive and intimate setting with my partner, I've only been able to see financial and social barriers.  So, instead of finding ways to move towards that which I most want, I've been trying to make the best of, or come to terms with what seemed like my only option. 

As my pregnancy has advanced, something has recently shifted in me.  As this little girl gets closer to entering the outside world, I'm now able to own what my real hopes and desires are for this birth.  I see that how we honor and participate in this Right of Passage impacts who we will be as parents.  We don't want to make choices for fear that we won't get what we want or that people won't understand our choices or might be uncomfortable.  Instead we want to move towards that which feels right in our hearts and that we think is most important and then have the grace to accept whatever actually happens.

So now that we trust in my body, trust in our intuition and trust in our resourcefulness, it is time to ask for what we need!  We've already received some financial support, my friend and step-sister Tara Brooke is gifting us her knowledge and support by offering to be our Doula and we have found a wonderful midwife, Sheila Vanderveer, that we really connect with, that feels very supportive and that we trust has the ability to safely guide us through this birth process- even if that means the hospital becomes the appropriate place to be.  She has graciously discounted her fees and given us a little extra time to come up with our funds, but we're gonna have to really pool all of our resources to make it happen!  We need to come up with $3,000 by my due date (Nov 24)!

We are asking for donations of any size or small no-interest loans with a promise that we'll pay you back within a year.  We will also have a jewelry and craft fundraiser on November 13th (details to come), just in time for your holiday shopping!  If you know any artists, jewelers or crafters in the San Francisco area that might be interested in selling their wares and donating a small portion of their sales to our cause, please have them email me at magichomebirth-at-gmail-dot-com.



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This entire pregnancy has been a great big challenging process of love, personal growth and discovery.  Since we've come to the decision of home birth, we have learned to trust in ourselves, we've deepened our faith in one another and we're becoming the parents we want to be.

Getting clear about this and then finding the motivation to take action has been so empowering.  It is already changing how we are in the world.  So boldly we are sharing our beliefs and desires with our community and asking that we be supported as thoughtful, caring and capable parents.

Love,
Lenaya & Brian