It only seems appropriate to dedicate my first blog post to the woman who inspired me to bring forth this work, my great-grandmother. I’m so blessed to have shared 18 years of my life with her. I always knew we shared a special bond, but during my pregnancy I felt our connection grow stronger and deeper. I thought about her almost daily. I wondered what she experienced during her 2nd, 4th, 8th month of pregnancy.  Without having access to medical care, how did she cope with morning sickness? how did she take care of herself? how did she maintain such intense physical labor (farming) during her pregnancy? As I wondered about her experiences, I gained strength from knowing that if she could get through it, so could I.

Back in the true “village” days one had to rely strongly on their intuition to remain ‘tuned in’ to their needs and the needs of their children. Additionally they relied on their village, the community of support from other women, men, children, elders who all played an essential role in supporting one another. Nowadays we’re lucky if we have a  few close friends or family members around to support us. Mainstream society bombards us with information to the point that we are told we don’t have to rely on our intuition…we can simply read a book or followed a prescribed approach. This inevitably leads us to feel inadequate, ashamed and lonely. We have have lost our connection to ourselves and our village. It is my hope to create a supportive community where women empower one another and encourage the belief that we are capable of knowing, trusting and understanding our needs and that of our babies. That together we can build each other up instead of blaming, shaming and comparing ourselves to one another. Motherhood is some tough shit. We need to be honest and loving and supportive to one another.

We shouldn’t have to day dream about what it would be like to have our village of support. It should be all around us, but all too often it’s not. It is my intention to inspire a sense of community and support in every woman and family that I have the honor of serving.

It’s time to Bring Back the Village.