Heal the Birthing Experience Somatically
After the birthing experience, the body doesn’t just need to heal physically — it needs to feel safe, heard, and nurtured.
And that takes a grounded, somatic approach to healing.
This article was written by a human, experiencing human things. Not AI. (Hi! 👋🏻) Because I believe that words are far more meaningful and powerful when there's open-hearted energy and lived experience behind them.
Healing the Birthing Experience is More than Physical
“But I’ve done this before. Why am I afraid?” was the thought on repeat at about the seventh-month mark into my second pregnancy — that sobering time when many women realize that their baby is going to eventually have to come out.
I was surprised by the anxiety rising to the surface.
After my daughter’s birth, I felt like I’d earned the title of warrior goddess. Nothing had ever felt so thrilling, magical, and empowering.
And I was so comfortable going into it. There were butterflies, of course, but excitement was the overpowering feeling.
But for some reason, this time, all I felt was unprepared and frightened.
I went inwards, to the place inside that holds deep wisdom. Wisdom passed down from generations of women who came before.
The answer given was: I’d never healed from my first birthing experience.
Women Don’t Often Revisit the Shadow of Giving Birth
We instead enjoy the relief that we’ve made it through. We conquered Everest. We feel the rush of achievement, and then immediately get to work fulfilling the needs of our new little one by being the best mamas we can.
As exhilarating and magical as the birthing process is, it can also be intense and shocking — especially for someone going through it for the first time — and it warrants a look back. A nod to the woman who withstood so much in those moments, who courageously powered through and brought a brilliant new light into the world.
Let’s squeeze her on the shoulder and ask her, “You okay?”
Here are ways to work through the emotions your mind and/or body may have stored during the birthing experience.
Somatically Move the Energy
The Birth Story
Note: This process is for you to release tension and resistance, not re-experience trauma. If anything feels overwhelming, speak to a female therapist trained to help you work through it.
Write down the birth story in as much detail as you can. Be one hundred percent honest — this is just for you. No one else will see it.
Now read it back to yourself.
Which parts of the story light you up? Give you a warm and expansive feeling?
Which parts bring a tightening sensation? As if your body is resisting the memory. And where is that resistance located? Is it in your stomach (your solar plexus chakra)? Is it in your chest (your heart chakra)? Is it in your womb (your sacral chakra)?
If you did experience some discomfort, put your hand on that part of your body and take a few minutes to sit with the resistance. It’s an emotion that wants to be known and needs to be felt.
Just breathe through it. Feel your belly and chest rise and fall. Rise and fall. Rise and fall.
Say to the feeling, “I feel you, and I’m here.”
EFT
The emotional freedom technique is my go-to for clearing deep emotional residue. It’s both fast and effective. If you don’t already know how to do it, here’s a post with info.
Intuitive Movement
Crank up the tunes to your favourite song and MOVE. Let your arms flow. Your torso sway. Allow your body to take you where it needs to go.
Breathwork
Place your hands on your womb. One on top of the other as if holding it.
Envision an incredible star shining above your head.
Breathe in through your nose for a count of five, imagining yourself breathing the star’s light into your body.
Now envision the fearful, disruptive energy inside you. See it as darkness.
Breathe that darkness out of your mouth for a count of ten. Put some force behind it. Let it be a deep belly breath out and hear the breath leaving your body.
Repeat this technique, breathing the starlight in and the dark emotion out until you feel the tension inside ease. I suggest at least a few minutes.
Take one final breath of light in and imagine that light glowing and expanding through your whole body and all around you as you release and breathe out.
Additional Support
When you heal, you’re allowing fragmented parts of you back into wholeness, and this creates space for other aspects of you that need to be nurtured to present themselves. It’s an ongoing cycle. We’re human. We feel, and we release. It’s what keeps our energetic field strong and clear.
If you feel you need additional support, you may want to explore healing modalities like acupuncture or clinical hypnotherapy.
Remember, if ever an emotion feels overwhelming, speak to a female therapist trained to help you work through it.
Thank your body
After the thrill and overwhelm of integrating a new baby into your life, it’s totally understandable if there wasn’t a moment to stop and thank your body for all that it accomplished.
But this is a crucial step in the healing process.
Acknowledging and thanking your body for the magic it created will help bring closure to the birthing experience.
Put your arms around your chest as if giving yourself a warm hug. Then, internally or out loud, thank your body.
“Thank you body for your grace and transformative abilities. You are loved.”
“Thank you body for being the portal in which this beautiful new soul emerged. I love you.”
“Thank you body for your strength, wisdom, and beauty. I am grateful.”
You can also do this by gifting your body something like a warm bath, a massage, some new blissfully scented body lotion, etc.
You Are Incredible
What you and your body did was miraculous.
As women, we sometimes forget that we’re each a living, breathing portal — allowing souls to enter into the physical realm.
We are the mystery of life.
We are the key to being.
And we are magnificent.
Follow on Instagram @her_uprise
If this resonated, here’s a pin for later.
Through Integrative Human Design, subconscious repatterning, and somatic parts work, Keri-Lee Larmand guides visionary women to expand into who they came here to be. Her work supports the quiet unraveling of conditioning so women can return to their natural rhythm, intuitive wisdom, and magnetism.