The Magic of Birth

Everyone who knows me at least a little knows that I love Christmas. I like the magic, that feeling in the air. I believed in Santa Claus much longer than most children and I get my christmas music out before the malls. I am always as excited as a little kid when the holiday season comes around.

Christmas, for me, is much more than the birth of a child 2000 years ago. It the birth of every child. Everytime a new baby is about to be born, the same magic happens...

Those who have already witnessed a birth may have felt it. This sweet anticipation when the pregnancy is coming to an end is similar to the excitement of a child when they realise it's already december. The excitement at the first signs of labor, the last frenetic preparations, this magical energy surrounding a mother about to give birth to her child, turning her into a goddess.

When I enter a birthing mother's room or house, I always feel this beautiful, strong energy, loaded with emotion filling the atmosphere. Like the way we feel, as children, in the last days before Christmas, looking at the beautiful lights, the decorated Christmas tree or the snow falling. Our little hearts fill with emotion, magic, and anticipation for what is to come.

During the pushing stage the energy changes, it becomes strong, electric, powerful. Like on december 24th, we know it's almost over, the grand finale is coming. Like children, who know they have to endure the neverending christmas eve dinner and the adult's jokes they don't understand, before they can resume playing with the cousins and open their presents.

And then, the grand finale, the great surprise; birth. The amazement and emotion of the new parents at the birth of their child. The energy goes from electric to sacred; a child is born. We welcome him/her, admire him/her, it is his/her big moment, love fills the atmosphere, and some tears of joy are shed. For me, as an observer, a support, the amazement and magic of the big reveal is comparable to what we feel, as children, waking up with wonder on Christmas morning to find our stockings magically filled with surprises. Of course, from the perspective of the mother and father, this moment is 10000X more precious and exciting than this. The arrival of a child is much more than a couple of wrapped objects left by an imaginary character.

Like Christmas, a birth can't always be perfect. Sometimes, it doesn't go as we would've wished, we weren't prepared enough, we end up celebrating alone, didn't surround ourselves with the right people, or last-minute issues arised, throwing the whole party off-balance. However, once it is all over, we can heal everything, make peace, and rediscover our excitement the next year, at the next birth; it's always a new beginning.

For me, birth is all of this. It's the magic, the electric and exciting energy, the wonder, the love. Isn't it funny that the most magical holiday (and probably the most celebrated) of the year is the one celebrating birth? The fact that this holiday happens on the winter solstice, when the northern hemisphere is announcing it's return to the light is also intriguing, don't you think? This holiday, for me, isn't a religious holiday. It is a celebration of life, love, peace, and of all the births, past, present and future.

On this note, I wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. I hope you will spend some wonderful time with your loved ones!

image: www.enceinte.com

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