Maternity Leave: it's Time for a Re-Brand and a Re-Frame

Bear with me—this is going to get pretty niche. And pretty personal, which isn't how I normally like to write my blog posts, but here we go. Before I became a birth worker, I was a teacher—primarily working within the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (PYP). After I had my first child, I enjoyed a long maternity service and year later, I experienced the tragic loss of my second son at six months of pregnancy. Amidst the traumatic circumstances and grief, my second birth experience was one of love, humanity, and an unexpected sense of beauty and gratitude. My first birth, on the other hand, was far more painful, impersonal and traumatic. I don’t use the word trauma lightly in either case, but the contrast between the two experiences stirred something in me. So, I did what any PYP teacher would do. I noticed the tension between these experiences, I began investigating and eventually, I had a question. "Why are some births traumatic?". I followed this question into a years long self-directed inquiry. Inquiry, we are taught as PYP teachers, is a cycle provoked when we are engaged and want to discover more. It is a truly motivating and remarkable stance on learning, when we approach learning as inquiry. Different authors and thinkers have created their own cycles, which make great posters for classroom walls, but even they will not teach it in rigid terms. In all models of inquiry, some core components remain pretty much the same: there’s a provocation, a period of time spent investigating, there’s reflection, and finally, action. My own inquiry into birth experiences led me through a rich and messy journey—just like learning often is. It didn't follow the tidy stations of an inquiry cycle poster on a classroom wall (gosh the hours spent agonising over rigid frameworks is something I don’t miss). Instead, it kind of spiralled. I found that I was re-visiting elements of this cycle again and again and again. It is fun, it is exhilarating, it is frustrating and it is reflective. The action elements have been profound and unexpected, like: Giving birth to my third son in 2022 (in case you're wondering: it was wonderful, not a lick of trauma anywhere in sight) Beginning my training as a birth worker, first with KG Hypnopbirthing, then with Birthing from Within and many more amazing institutions and mentors Launching my own website and leading in-person courses (especially that first one back in 2023, first day of school jitters are REAL in all contexts!) Creating the Swiss Birth Stories Podcast This work—rooted in research, connection, experience, reflection, and inquiry—has become one of the most meaningful chapters of my professional and personal life, and I am really loving this journey.