off the mat; into the world

If you've been reading this over the last few months you know that I've been doing prenatal yoga at Blooma. I really love it: it's challenging, and rewarding... there's nothing better than the 10 minutes of relaxation at the end of class that you just SINK into.... ahhhhh....

A few months back, Blooma was doing a fundraiser for a new birth center in Uganda--a place where survival for mother and baby are tragically rare; where they lack basic medical supplies, and where many women are left to fend for themselves. Sarah, the founder of Blooma, together with the Blooma community, raised over $20,000 to help build this birth center as a part of Off the Mat, Into the World (and along with a coalition of Yoga practitioners from North America who raised an additional $450,000). And now, Sarah is spending this month over in Uganda.

I wasn't sure what she was doing over there, actually, besides perhaps seeing this birth center come to partial fruition. But, then today I read this blog post and I realized that she's going over there to help women birth, if she can. Sarah's a doula, and an amazing-amazing yoga teacher... and this story just stopped my heart a bit. I thought it was worth sharing, because as I head off into my birth journey I know - am so thankful for the knowledge that- it will be so different... and yet, we are both birthing. Both mothers. Our bodies are doing the incredible work of it.

Here's a snippet, but if you want you can read the whole thing here.

Sarah handed me her scarf for wetting to wipe Margaret’s face as there were no towels. Margaret, still on all fours in the grass, writhed and cried.

Sarah and I, insisting that Margaret was near delivery, coaxed the attendants to re-examine her. They now agreed that it was time. I held Margaret closely as Sarah continued her coaching work.

Struggling to position her on the garbage bags, Sally held one leg, as I held the other, and together, we scooted Margaret in position. For an instant, I wonder how in the world I got here – in a hot room overwhelmed with the stank of body oder, defecation, urine and blood, assisting a woman who is most likely HIV-positive in childbirth. I silently thank God, we open her legs a little wider on the stirrup-less table, and see the emergence of the baby’s head. After two more big pushes, we joyfully witness Margaret’s baby boy enter the world, exercising great lungs, weighing in at 3 kilometers. Margaret sees her baby boy and smiles big.