The journey towards parenthood begins the moment a couple desires a child. This sometimes starts with a single thought or feeling from one of the parents. Conscious Conception is about preparing physically, mentally and spiritually with the intention of inviting a soul into the world.
Ancient Wisdom
Conscious Conception is a renewed idea with ancient roots. A tribe in Africa counts a child’s birth date as the day it became a thought in its mother’s mind. It is said that the woman, wanting a child, will spend time in nature meditating, and waiting, until she hears the song of the child that wants to come. She goes to her partner and teaches him this song so when they make love they can spend time singing the child’s song. At the time of the child’s birth the midwives and elderly women of the village will sing the child’s song to welcome him. The whole village is taught the song and will sing it to comfort the child if he is hurt or when he goes through puberty and becomes an adult.¹
The origins of “bellydancing” was a form of abdominal exercise to prepare a woman for childbirth later on.² Lessons learned from childhood prepared the woman’s body for the great marathon of birth – a practice that makes modern childbirth preparation look like an afterthought.
Mind Body Spirit
Complementary and Alternative Medicine, also known as CAM, is increasingly popular for couples looking to conceive. The modalities are used for known fertility problems as well as general preparation for pregnancy. Men may use specific diets to improve sperm motility or to detoxify the body from chemical exposures, poor dietary habits, and recreational drug and alcohol use. Women are encouraged to introduce Folic Acid into their diets when trying to conceive.
In addition to improving diets through organic and natural foods, couples also incorporate bodywork and Asian medicine modalities into their individualized plans. These might include yoga for improved flexibility and stress relief, acupuncture or reflexology to balance hormones and massage therapy for circulation and relaxation.
Common herbal and dietary supplements include Evening Primrose oil for improved cervical secretions, Red Raspberry Leaf to tone the uterus, or Dong Quai to balance female hormones.
Tying the Mind/Body/Spirit philosophy together couples are likely to spend time in meditation together. Thinking and visualizing the child that has chosen them to be parents is a way to open communication with a spirit baby before conception. This is termed preconception communication; an example model is Walter Makichen’s book Spirit Babies.
Fertility Awareness
Couples using Conscious Conception are keen to track menstrual cycles using simple tools such as a pencil and notepad or more sophisticated systems available online or on the computer. Women track their temperature, upon rising, every day as well as observing mood swings. Cervical secretions, height and texture is also observed in the symptom-thermal method of fertility awareness. Toni Weschler’s book Taking Charge of Your Fertility has guided women through an awareness and understanding of anatomy and menstrual cycles since the mid 1990’s.
Citations
¹Story attributed to Jack Kornfield in Wayne Muller’s, "How, Then, Shall We Live?"
² “Bellydancing and Childbirth,” Sexology 1964 by Morocco Conscious Conception
Amy Kreydin - Amy Kreydin, NBCRT, CCAP, BD is a Board Certified Reflexologist and Clinical Aromatherapist.
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