We enter this week into the Quietude stage, in the holistic stages of birth. Quietude is the resting stage of birth.This is a period of amazing stillness and peace and this happens after transition. All becomes calm and quiet and Mother knows that IT has happened. She know she has found what she is looking for… a still place in the storm and access to the soul of her baby. Both mother and baby are tranquil and serene, drifting towards the shores of home. Mother may chose to just peacefully lie in the arms of her partner, or just create a still place to gather up some energy, she is not finished with her travels, she must manage what is coming up, but for now she is at peace. THIS is one of the most important parts of labour.
For many years and in many instances still, there is no acknowledgment of this stage of labour in our culture.Once a Mother achieves complete dilation, she is encouraged to push out her baby. In the holistic paradigm, this stage, which usually lasts between 20 and 30 minutes ( can be 5 minutes too or can last hours ) is Mother’s time to regroup and collect her energies for birth. Labour seems to stop, contractions literally stop or slow down and Mother may fall asleep, or fall into a trance. Everyone quietly waits for the surges to return and resume.
What happens in Quietude or during the quiescence, is resting. Just like when you have climbed the highest mountain and finally reached the Summit, what do you do?Catch your breath take a break, look around,envisioning how much you done so far, before going back down the mountain. This quietude stage is the pinnacle of the altered state, brainwaves may shift to Delta, the slowest and deepest of our known patterns,which allows us to access the realms of the unconscious,the realms of profound knowing, meditative understanding. This is the realm of transformation.Mother receives understanding and knowing pertinent to this new human being that she is birthing. She receives wisdom that is easily accessible at this great altitude and in this altered state.Mother can access the blueprint with which to raise this child during this state, it is the key part of the journey and MOTHERS wish to be respected and afforded solitude to experience this phase of labour.
This stage is different for each woman and for each labour, but in a labour where the Mother is not required to perform to any expectations or has any strong programming about how exactly labour should unfold, I have noticed that this interval lasts about 20 to 30 minutes. At the end of this period, contractions or surges begin and the Mother is often startled into wakefulness. She is now ready to head down the mountain, carrying precious information. She is heading to shore on the incoming tide…
