I first met Gowri when I was pregnant with my second son. My first labour had been quite long and although I knew this one was likely to be shorter, I wanted, if not a guarantee to a pain-free, 20-minute birth, at least the inside track to a shortcut. Who wouldn’t? We all want to hurry up and meet our babies, after all.
Gowri explained to me quite early on in my pregnancy that, with guided preparations, I could have as natural – and short – a birth as nature intended for me, so I was more than happy to put in the groundwork. Daily exercise and a healthy diet are a part of my lifestyle anyway, but with international travel as a regular feature in my schedule, it was really important for me to feel rooted during my pregnancy. I particularly found the visualisations and hypnotic birth rehearsals allowed me to ‘nest’ and concentrate on the baby, regardless of whether I was 35,000 feet in the air, or two days’ travel away from home.
And it worked for me! I had an incredibly positive, emotional, and nurturing waterbirth. I delivered my son on my due date after a relatively short four-hour labour. It was the most amazing experience I’ve ever had, and thanks to Gowri’s preparation I was able to cope with the pain and be 100 per cent present without drugs for the incredible moment of his birth. To add to my joy I did not tear or need to have an episiotomy.
Now I send all my girlfriends to Gowri’s clinic as soon as they tell me they’re expecting. She’s been one of my best-kept secrets – until now.
It is a great pleasure to write the foreword for Gowri Motha’s book on Gentle Birth. As a fellow obstetrician with a similar passion for natural, active and water births, I believe that Gowri’s philosophy, approach and incredible enthusiasm are an inspiration and great help for women. I can vouch through experience that women who have met and worked with Gowri and her team are far more likely to have a gentle, natural birth.
Gowri is a fully trained obstetrician and gynaecologist. Gowri was born in Sri Lanka and completed her training in India, so the principles and practices of Ayurveda are second nature to her. In her birth preparation work she teams up with a group of like-minded women. Gowri is, above all, a team player, with each pregnant woman and her baby taking centre stage.
Gowri calls her birth preparation ‘Jeyarani’. On a foundation of Ayurveda she combines aspects from a number of disciplines, including nutrition and complementary therapies, such as reflexology, massage, healing, Bowen, Reiki and Cranio-sacral therapy. The accent is on helping women feel profoundly in touch with their bodies and their babies and building their confidence in their natural ability to give birth.
The term ‘midwife’ means, literally, ‘with woman’ and conveys a role of shared wisdom and loving support. Gowri’s team of therapists helps a pregnant mother feel loved, valued, secure and held at a number of levels. Physically, each woman is encouraged to release strain and tension throughout her body, with particular focus on the birthing areas and on the breath. Emotionally, she is welcomed, her feelings are acknowledged and valued, and her confidence is boosted: the Jeyarani technique creates a space that allows each woman to be who she is and access her own very special power to nurture herself and her baby, and prepare for birth. Midwives work from the outside, but the Jeyarani preparation programme encourages the woman’s internal midwife and mothering to blossom.
Visualization plays an important role. Each woman is guided to visualize her power as a woman, the power of her contractions and most importantly the ability of her body to open and give birth. This builds self-confidence and harmonizes body, mind and spirit. The experience of preparation is a source of joy: apprehension and fear diminish and women tend to feel wholly in touch with themselves. Women are also encouraged to eat well, exercise and stretch with Yoga. Gowri also teaches gentle self-massage of the vagina and perineum, which brings women in touch with this important birth area and prepares it for opening and stretching at birth, acting as a type of biofeedback to release tension.
