MM Mindfulness
Both mindfulness and colouring books have become very popular recently. Now, one Irish midwife has combined the two to produce an innovative colouring book that’s specifically targeted at pregnant women.
Colouring
your pregnancy journey
As a community midwife with over three decades’ experience, as the founder of the Community Midwives Association (Ireland), and as a mother of four children, Bridget Sheeran is only too aware how important it is for pregnant women to relax. One form of relaxation that’s currently
very popular is ‘mindfulness’ - an established tool that can help women to cope with the unique demands of the perinatal period – and Bridget has created her book, ‘Preparing for Birth: Colouring your pregnancy journey’ as an invaluable aid for pregnant women who wish to incorporate more active forms of mindfulness into their lives. Created in association with illustrator
Olwyn Jennings, ‘Preparing for Birth’ is full of detailed drawings that are designed to help pregnant women relax, and to find out what their intimate needs and feelings truly are at a time that’s often fraught with conflicting emotions, even fear. The book features 28 detailed, double-
page line drawings for colouring in; all of which are related to the theme of childbirth. A very original and useful take on colouring books for adults, ‘Preparing for Birth’ features symbolism and popular stories that Bridget has selected to help expectant mothers think ahead about their personal needs so as to make informed choices and take charge of their baby’s birth rather than delegating things to the ‘medical establishment’. ‘By thinking about the birth and its
immediate aftermath,’ says Bridget, ‘mums to be are more confident and will be able
18 Modernmum
to cope much better at a delicate, vulnerable time. ‘The imagery is all very clearly
explained in the ‘key to the choice of images. The ‘dancing mamas’, for example, stresses that being active with other mothers to be is positive. It also conveys that pregnancy need not be a period of fear. On the contrary, it’s a time when women must celebrate and be celebrated since they’re making a vital contribution to humanity. After all, without them the world would stop! ‘The ‘aquarium’, which shows all types of
fish squeezing through two rocks, reminds us that, in the same way that fish of all
sizes manage to pass through this narrow gap, babies of all sizes are being born. Again, however, there’s no need to be apprehensive, as zillions of mothers have performed this task from time immemorial. ‘Moreover, the calm of the seabed,
perhaps reflecting the calm of the womb, invites mothers to calm and stillness in a world where constant stimuli aren’t necessarily conducive to listening to their inner needs. ‘Preparing for Birth won’t just be of great
use to mothers,’ she continues, ‘but also to their partners and children. A newborn is often a challenging time for siblings who wonder about what is happening, and might be worried that the baby will steal their parents’ love. By involving them in the colouring, they will be able to better grasp what is befalling them and to overcome their apprehension. ‘Inside this book, women will find the
positive message that they are well designed by Nature to become a mother, with inherent knowledge, instincts and abilities that have persisted from ancient times; that birth is sacred; that Nature is powerful; and that they are connected and powerful too…’ ‘Expectant mothers often focus on the
pain the birth will cause,’ adds Tara Killen, founder of MindfulBirth Therapies, ‘and the ‘unknown’ dimension of this happening, which feels them with anxiety and even dread. But this book and its many drawings stress the positive message at the very heart of birth: its wonderful nature and the immense joy coming with it (alongside the hard work!)’
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