Quantum Paradigm for Birth: Pt I

When I sit with the quantum birth model, which I feel I have been sitting in since 2018— the birth of my first child— deep revelations stir about the depth of transformation I have embodied and therefore know is possible for others. At it’s core, the Quantum Birthing Paradigm is rooted in soul transformation. It invites the potential for trust in self, the chosen other, and a higher intelligence to determine outcomes and align action (or inaction) for the most soul nourishing experience.

In the Technocratic* birth paradigm- technology and hierarchy reign supreme. Machines and hospital rank are the determinants to birth. Here, the illusion that we can control outcomes with interventions is pervasive. This model, initiated by the advent of modern obstetrics. Technocracy views pregnancy and birth as an ‘objective’ process, and inadvertently converts the mother and baby to objects. Currently, most women seek either a Humanistic* or Holistic* setting for birth. The humanistic mamas may well want to surrender to technology and be managed by medical tools, and she has a right to. Still, she desires to be treated as a human and recognized and seen with respect. (so for example, not be put under twilight medications to give birth out of consciousness, as foremothers of the early 20th century were). She will likely choose pain medications, feels most secure when monitored, and looks toward authority to make decisions.

*Technocratic, Humanistic & Holistic birth models defined by Anne Fry, Holistic Midwifery, (2013)

The Holistic mother, whom I believe comprises the majority of women right now, desires a heart-centered care model. A midwife, perhaps, rather than a doctor. She desires choice, although the choices she makes are often an illusion. The co-optation of midwifery by the medical system is largely to thank for this, but coercive decision making and non-consensual practices are still very common in the depths of holistic care. Whapio the Matrona gives the example of this: when the midwife comes in and says “ok, mama, do you want your vaginal exam now, or in five minutes?” The illusion of choice is here, yet trust in the mother is often cast aside for standard care practice by the midwife. The midwife answers first to the system and policy, rather than the best care of the mother. In this case, a new and more discrete power dynamic evolves, but perhaps even more insidious, because it moves secretly.

In the Holistic birth paradigm, we also see a great deal of dogmatic blame and in-fighting, the assertion of ‘rightness’ and a different kind of purity culture that blames mothers or doctors for using interventions. This holistic dogma encourages an endless spiral of toxic power dynamics, as the more we go to an extreme and suggest ‘all women must do : anything’ we are again boxing in and seeking to control that which we seek to liberate.

These power dynamics are the responsibility of everyone involved. We cannot simply point the finger and blame midwives, or OB’s or the doula, we also must look at the psychodynamics of the mother— what wounding is she bringing into this scenario? What I see here is the generations-old codependent patterns. These patterns have evolved our systems not just into discomfort, but into our fight or flight trauma response. So many women have shoved our deep fear and anger responses so deep into the body that the only behavior we have to show for it is pleasing.

Relational fear is at the root of our pleasing, our desire to keep the peace with our sweet midwife who we, deep down, seek approval. We desire her to nurture us and hold our pregnancy, birth and postpartum in the yummiest, jucy-est, most sacred space possible, so if we question her protocol, will she be mad at me? Worse, will me and my baby be safe?

The issue here is disembodiment: being cast out of our body. Searching for external solutions or truths, unknowingly forsaking our own intuitive potential. When we are capable of meeting our bodies, and the divinity that rises from within, we are now capable of discerning if we can birth this baby on our own, if we need a particular test, if we require an intervention, or if we know that something is not quite right. The Mother. Always. Knows.

Now, I sense our collective evolution is shifting the possibilities for Quantum Birth, a new paradigm to emerge. In Quantum Birth, a deeper trust is required, not just from the mother, not just from the midwife, but all who enter and support the birth space. Why is this trust so essential? Because a hallmark of the Quantum Birth Paradigm is honoring that pregnancy, birth & postpartum bring the mother into altered states of consciousness— she is not in a ‘normal’ state of mind or being. For this type of trust, we must build capacity. We must face our judgements, fears and biases. We must go to the depths of our surrender. We must greet the veil between birth and death with courage and faith in life AND in death. We must meet our discomfort at resisting the emotional waves that desire to transform us into the intuitive, trusting divine beings we came to Earth to be.

Quantum energy flow is when the form of particle shifts in to wave, which transcends time and space as we see it visually. Quantum represents possibility, and an altered consciousness supports this. Altered states of consciousness are not so unique as they seem— think, dreaming, sleeping, mediating, sex, prayer— all represent a shift in our awareness that opens deeper portals within. In a quantum healing experience, the intuitive and sensory potential is captured, and profound trust, communication, wisdom, knowing, can flow. I see fascia (the organ of communication and intuition) as being integral to deeper psychic communication and intuitive awareness. I witness this profoundly in the somatic and energetic body work that I do, where what is invoked is body, breath & energy alone (no mind altering substances here). When the quantum field is involved, it is not only between the two people involved-- a higher intelligence can intervene. When this state is blocked, that is when we interrupt the flow and trust inherent to both birth and healing.

When the nervous system is regulated & flexible, trust can flow, and intuitive psychic knowing occurs between mother-baby, between mother & caregivers, and also with dad & partners. I often see in the postpartum, parents get flooded with this wisdom and yet their body system hasn't yet caught up, which can lead to anxiety. Mothers & parents deeply need reassurance from their postpartum caregivers of their new gifts of the body and psyche. The quantum model of birth care offers ongoing witnessing and trust in the magical unfolding of the postpartum bonding and illumination of parental intuition. Could it be that mothers & their families (rather than systems) are at the heart of achieving desired birth & postpartum outcomes? I believe so, and I believe there is no more powerful force than a woman who knows what she wants.

It is also essential that men get on board with a more psychic and intuitive connection in the Quantum Birth field. It requires a de-conditioning and practice to strip down their walls and trust their deeper communication that only needs to be listened to be known. A birthing woman can only go so deep into her trust as her partner trusts her knowing. He takes stake also, in the wellness of their child, and so his trust in the unfolding is essential. The magic that is possible when a man trusts himself, and his partner is unparalleled in birth and postpartum— he also steps into his power as both nurturer and protector.

Quantum paradigm is not dogmatic, it can encapsulate every type of birth— whether intervention or freebirth— under the sun. In birth, we are given the distinct opportunity to interact with the mystery of life, to create a sacred and trusting environment, and to therefore transform our, and our children’s, realities merely by bringing our profound trust and presence into the space. When heavy power dynamics or toxic interactions unfold, we are invited, through the quantum paradigm, to embrace what is presented to us through healing. Rather than avoid difficulty, we gaze directly toward the truth of our experience. We meet ourselves through the lens of possibility to witness the most profound parts of ourselves impacted and changed by birth.

So for those of us seeking something more sacred, know that there is sacredness to it all. Our experience in our bodies with the magical tools we have invented, life being born through our bodies is miraculous, and our call is only to honor the magic.