Book Review: Ancient Map for Modern Birth by Pam England

 

Ancient Map for Modern Birth

By Pam England

“When your childbearing year becomes a heart journey, you will not just be birthing your child; all along the way you will be birthing a new self.”

While you may not be handed a physical map, the journey through preconception, conception, pregnancy, birth and postpartum is a journey in itself, that without a “map” can be very tedious to journey through. Instead of wading through murky waters and trudging through the thick, uncharted forests of your own personal journey, equip yourself with a map of knowledge that will clear your paths and give you guidance. As a maiden, you will be beginning the separation of maiden into mother. An old version of you must die away to birth the new version of you. And, you will do this again and again for each and every baby that you so choose to bring forth. 

“You can study another’s map or show someone yours, but remember: no two landscapes of labor are the same.”

As I read through chapter two and read Pam’s description of labor, I couldn’t help but feel a rush of adrenaline soar through me as I thought, “YES! That’s exactly how it has felt every time I’ve been through a birth; both my own birth and the births of those I’ve attended.” 

A labyrinth is a continuous pathway of twists, turns and winding paths that eventually lead to the center. Unlike a maze that has dead-ends or choices that you must make. As you go through a labyrinth, you can make turns that disrupt your sense of direction and with that can bring confusion and even doubt. Every labor will have unpredictability and surprises, no matter how seasoned of a mother you are. Even from the moment of the first wave of labor, you can’t predict how far you’ve come or even how much farther you have to go. 

“She knew that answering it would disrupt her life’s rhythms and relationships and bring uncertainty. Like hearing a drum beating in the distance, it’s possible to ignore such a Call for a while, but they persist until answered. When Inanna’s heart was ready, she accepted her Call.”

Since I have been through pregnancy, birth and postpartum four times now, I couldn’t help but picture myself as the character of the story and pinpoint various moments through my birth journeys to relate to the story. Being stripped away and pruned of the old to be rebirthed as a new version of myself. A version of myself that my baby would need, that I would need and a new version of myself that our new family dynamic would need. The question asked in the chapter of, “Who are you?” echoes through my head and begs attention. Who am I? As a woman, as a mother, as a wife. Who am I as a daughter of the King? Why does my calling drive me to bring back the way of our ancestors? Why does my calling beg me to live, birth and raise children as holistically as possible in such a technocratic culture? Why does my calling take me down unkempt paths that are not well journeyed? Why is my calling so deep that I’m willing to take ridicule and misunderstanding in order to stay the path God has called me down? 

“Your inner voice of doubt may be asking: “Is this a good idea? Are you strong enough, smart enough, or brave enough to do this? What will people think of you if you do this? What will people think of you if you fail? Is there another way?”

Reading through this chapter brought back swirls of reflections over times that God has called me to something new and I didn’t always answer. Maybe I ignored His call for a while. Maybe I refused to answer the call. Maybe I doubted the call. Whether it be for motherhood, a family decision, a new business venture. There have been many times I’ve questioned the call God has for my life. 

I especially loved the guidance in living out the questions God has placed on our hearts. Such questions like, “How can I show my husband and kids more intentionality?” “How can I slow down and quiet down to listen to God’s guidance in this moment?” Waking up everyday and living with intentionality is one of the hardest habits to change, but one of so much reward. 

“Be mindful of the company you keep and the birth stories you listen to since what you trust or distrust about birth will be reinforced or not by the attitudes and beliefs of people around you and the resources, such as books and documentaries, to which you are exposed.”

Pam England’s book, Ancient Map for Modern Birth, was really interesting and intriguing to me in different ways. I found the birth art ideas to be a fresh and creative way to nest and prepare mentally, emotionally and spiritually for birth and postpartum. Envisioning myself walking through a labyrinth as I reflected on my own birth stories from over the years was a fresh, new idea that I had never been presented with. The practical information, research and thought-provoking questions were appreciated and the idea that birth is the center of the labyrinth and navigating out of the labyrinth is the postpartum season, it helped me to see just how much my own postpartum season resembled, very much, this labyrinth idea. The twists, the turns, the unexpected, the expected. Navigating out of the labyrinth takes time, grace and forgiveness.