By Janet Callahan Not every pregnancy goes according to plan. After 5 years of on-again, off-again fertility treatments, my son came crashing into the world by emergency c-section at 27 weeks and a day, weighing only a pound and seven ounces, thanks to pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome. With that kind of delivery, there isn’t time for setting the mood – no candles, no soft music, no labyrinth or birthing tub….just panic. The spiritual side of that sort of birth defaults... Read more
Fortunately, I dove into my spirituality during pregnancy and instinctively established some practices before the baby was born. I was thus able to adapt to a spiritual life with a newborn in tow. You may benefit from doing the same. Read more
I looked forward to the joys, even as I knew (as best as I could) that there would be challenges, too. We thought emotionally, practically, but not ethically about our choice. We are now in the process of deciding whether or not to have a third child, and I've been thinking a great deal about all the factors that go into this. Read more
Birth on the Labyrinth Path has gotten some really nice attention around the web in the past few days: * The Pagan news blog The Wild Hunt mentioned the book in a link roundup; * Pagan Families contributor Niki Whiting gave the book and this website a shout-out on her blog My Own Ashram; * At Talk Birth Molly Remer quoted some of my favorite passages from the book (in the same company as a quote from Ani DiFranco!); *... Read more
Last week I told you I was on the verge of announcing a project for which I got to do the writing and let other people be the editors. I’m so excited to announce that my new ebook Birth on the Labyrinth Path: Sacred Embodiment in the Childbearing Year is now available for download! It’s priced at an accessible $2.99. If you’re new to ebooks you can download a free Kindle app for your computer or phone and be reading... Read more
I totally missed that Pagan Families turned one year old last weekend. I have a really good excuse, though. I was celebrating my daughter turning one week old. While she sleeps on my lap I’m taking the opportunity to celebrate the first year of this website, and to fill you in on some other exciting news. On May 26, 2011 I announced that Pagan Families: Resources for Pagan Pregnancy and Birth was born. In the past year I’ve been blessed... Read more
It is important to think of pregnancy as a process, not a condition… pregnancy changes you and your life on a deep level. – Arin Murphy-Hiscock I am aware of exactly one book available for purchase right now specifically on the topic of Paganism and pregnancy. Arin Murphy-Hiscock wrote Pagan Pregnancy: A Spiritual Journey from Maiden to Mother years ago, and the book was finally released as an ebook just a few months ago. As soon as I saw the... Read more
Did you know the Pagan Families page on FaceBook has well over 900 followers? I often post links and short quotes there. Here’s a round-up of some of the best from the last few months: * Doulas draw from Jewish tradition as birth helpers. “Doulas support women informationally, physically and emotionally — we can also add ‘spiritually’ to that list.” * An Intimate Pagan Mother Blessing. “At 36 weeks pregnant with my husband and my first baby I really wanted to... Read more
You may have noticed there’s a new Store link at the top of this site which takes you to our new Amazon page. Up until now no money has exchanged hands over the creation of Pagan Families. The closest thing has been that two of us have received free copies of books to review. Everything from the web design to the posts you read to the banner image to the social media promotion has all been donated as a labor... Read more
Today we continue the series profiling people who work with pregnancy, birth, or the postpartum period (prenatal massage therapists, childbirth educators, OB/GYNs, doulas, midwives, lactation consultants, labor & delivery nurses, pediatricians, etc.) and are Pagan or work with a Pagan community. Our first profile featured Jane Hardwicke Collings. If you would like to be a part of the series please send an email to paganfamilieseditor@gmail.com. What is your name? Ben Hoshour What kind of work do you do with pregnancy,... Read more
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