Birthing Better

After deciding to have a home birth the skills gained from The Pink Kit Package were invaluable. We continued to attend the hospital classes to meet other families and to compare what we were being taught and learning. The hospital classes were excellent and very informative but The Pink Kit is where we got our skills. In the early stages of labour breathing into the pain really eased it and kept me calm. Learning about the 5 phases of contractions was very appropriate also so that this enabled me to cope without 'freaking out'. Later during the first state, the hip lift and kate's cat (working with my sacrum) eased the pain in my hips. Without these moves I don't know how I would have coped. Deep touch relaxation from Derek not only eased dmy back pain but also calmed me. If Derek hadn't been aware of what to do and not been prepared to partake the whole occasion would have been totally different. We both felt empowered and in control of the situation. As Isaac is our first child we also discovered a few things that we would do differently the next time but in all I feel that the experience was enormously enhanced by the skills we learned from The Pink Kit Package. Also the internal work was vital to enabling an easy second stage. The birth of Isaac was an amazing experience due to the skills. The information we learned in the hospital class had absolutely no relevance to the actually activity of giving birth. Sending love to Common Knowledge Trust.

The most important thing for me was being able to be part of the birth and have alot of skills to know how to handle the different stages of what Chris was going through. Without the pink kit I would have been totally lost and probably would have sat outside drinking beer or the like. But I learned enough skills and knowledge to be a real part and sometimes take control of the process which is an amazing thing for a man. I also caught our baby as she was born which is one of the best things I have done. It was more than worthwhile to purchase this product. I enjoyed being able to be so useful, it made the birth of our daughter even more special.

NATASHA: Four months ago our little daughter, Grace, was born. And I can honestly say that this experience change our lives forever. The birth itself has been an amazing experience ... gentle, soft and yet so strong and powerful. By working through the pink kit package we were able to use several tools that we have learned. While certain tools did not work for me while learning, I found myself using many of these tools during the birth. As the contractions peaked toward the end of labour the Pelvic Clock helped me to focus on 'something' and to relax into the pain (yes it is possible!). As partners are so involved and integrated Steve and me were able to really work as a team. The knowledge that we gained gave us a huge sense of ownership and empowerment. With the support of our midwife we really felt that we could be proactive and take responsibility for what was happening. And I do believe that this is the most valuable thing that we have taken from the resource ... the feeling that you do not have to 'let it all happen' but that you are actually in charge and can contribute so much to make the birth a truly positive experience. It certainly made all the difference to our experience ... 14 (long!) hours. When Grace was born we were left with the feeling of achievement, fulfillment and indescribable joy. Thank you Common Knowledge Trust for the amazing resource you have created. STEVE: I've just read Nashi's account of how The Pink Kit Package helped us with the birth of our first child, Grace, and I really agreed with everything she's written. The resource did give us a sense of ownership and empowerment. For me, as a father and birthing partner, it gave me the confidence I needed and 'real skills' I could use ... our hospital classes never prepared us so well. I was able to use a lot of the techniques suggested (and as Nashi said, they had felt awkward and unlikely to be used when we were going through the resource but that's only because we hadn't been at any other birth and didn't have a clue. Once labour started everything made sense immediately. Grace's birth couldn't have gone better ... though the labour was 14 hours, it was a beautiful experience we were able to share. Grace was born with Nashi sitting on my lap. Nashi did it all without drugs and with no perineal tearing ... the internal work really paid off! (though feeling awkward and even painful when we first started). And we both came through smiling, working as a team (which we learned in the resource) and with a beautiful content baby. Thank you so much.