Interview with Sonja Edenharder and Kristina Marita Rumpel: “Trust is the be-all and end-all: My baby and I, we can do it!”

"In the natural female phase of life of pregnancy and birth, women can become aware of their unique creative power. The path from conception to delivery is not a purely medical process - the processes, which take place not only on a physical but also on a mental and spiritual level, are full of miracles and can only be fully understood by the pregnant woman herself. We women are not 'at the mercy', but should deal with our own ideas about pregnancy and birth in order to be able to shape them according to our wishes and ultimately experience them." The doula Sonja Edenharder and the FlowBirthing co-initiator Kristina Marita Rumpel , authors of the card set "Happiness is on the way" , explain in an interview how the power of positive affirmations can support expectant mothers and parents to find the right path for themselves, to free themselves from outdated, discouraging beliefs and to joyfully prepare for birth and parenthood.

You are continuing the successful FlowBirthing series with a new set of cards for pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding. What motivated you to create this project?

Sonja Edenharder: We were motivated to start this project by the desire to help women find their strength. I have been working with women and girls for many years and I see again and again how much value lies within them, but how often they are not even aware of it. In the natural female phases such as pregnancy and birth, we can connect particularly easily and intuitively with our primal knowledge, which every woman carries within herself. Our card set is intended to help us (re)remember.

Kristina M. Rumpel: The power of affirmation, the power of the I am, is a wonderful way to align yourself with the adventure of pregnancy and birth. The better you manage to get involved in everything that comes, the more joyful the experience will be. The FlowBirthing affirmations help you to open up and flow freely, strengthened internally by the adventure of pregnancy, birth and motherhood.

The card set contains a total of 128 affirmation cards that are intended to help you have a positive birth experience in this wonderful but also challenging phase of life. How does this work and what are the prerequisites for it?

Sonja Edenharder: The enclosed booklet presents various methods for working with the card set. The most important thing, however, is to engage with the cards intuitively. For example, you can draw a card and simply let the affirmation affect you, see if it moves something in you at the moment. Or you can choose your topics specifically and work with the new beliefs in a way that feels best for you. There are no restrictions and no requirements. An open mind and the desire to think positively and to resolve existing blockages are completely sufficient!

During pregnancy – especially if it is the first – there are many things to “consider”. But how many of our 60,000 daily thoughts are really helpful and productive? How can we ensure that the experience is not overshadowed by fears and worries?

Kristina M. Rumpel: Fears are completely normal. They are part of life when changes are imminent. And pregnancy and becoming a mother is one of the biggest changes we can experience in life. The only question is: how can we use the power behind the fear and transform it into anticipation? This can be achieved when the pregnant woman focuses on what she wants. In this way we direct our minds towards the miracle of birth and the unique life experience that only women can have. Our thoughts lead a life of their own and we are only aware of a fraction of them. With the new card set, we can set beneficial impulses and increase the number of thoughts that are "of good hope".

Sonja Edenharder: I think the pregnant woman should first find out what she really wants. In my work as a doula, I have often experienced that an intensive examination of one's own wishes, not those imposed by others, has led to a positive, self-determined birth experience. Do I want to take advantage of every examination, even those that cost money, or do I limit myself to what is really necessary? Do I immediately accept the recommendation for a Caesarean section, or do I get a second or perhaps even a third opinion from another doctor? Every course of action is justified if I really stand behind it. It is also important to find a supportive environment that wants to support and accompany you; pessimists, on the other hand, should be avoided during this sensitive time. Fears and worries are part of pregnancy in moderation; they can come to the surface from time to time and should under no circumstances be suppressed. But old, discouraging beliefs can be critically questioned and replaced with positive affirmations. We women are not at the mercy of others, but are called upon to look at ourselves lovingly and stand up for our goals and ideas.

In your opinion, a female perspective on pregnancy and birth is necessary so that mothers emerge from the birth experience feeling stronger. What does this mean, and what has shaped the prevailing view to date?

Kristina M. Rumpel: Pregnancy and birth are extraordinary experiences in life that only women can have. After fertilization, in which both sexes are involved, only the female body is able to give the new life space and time so that it can develop in peace and protection in the womb. These processes take place inside the female body and are therefore hidden, the female mystery of being. This mystery can be measured and assessed from the outside, but the miracle that takes place inside, the processes that take place not only on a physical but also on a mental and spiritual level, are not perceptible from the outside. But they can be perceived by the pregnant women themselves, whose intuition and sensitivity become more and more pronounced as the pregnancy progresses. And that is exactly what the female perspective is for me: understanding events and connections from the inside out. This leads to a strengthening of the women's self-perception and self-confidence and promotes trust and the realization: My baby and I, we can do this. Trust is the be-all and end-all.

Sonja Edenharder: Pregnancy and birth have always been women's affairs. Fathers and partners should of course be included, but it is in the nature of things that the expectant mother is the focus. She can exert influence confidently; it is important that she sees herself as a creator in this incomparable phase of life. The primal power inherent in her does not have to be laboriously developed, but is a natural and intuitive part of every expectant mother. The unfortunately still prevailing view sees pregnancy and birth as a medically influenced process that should be as low-risk and standardized as possible. This approach offers a certain level of security, but the mother can still deal with her own ideas about pregnancy and birth in order to prepare, design and ultimately experience them according to her own wishes. I hope for the wonderful women out there that our card set will help them become aware of their unique creative power.

What alternative options does FlowBirthing offer for expectant parents? How can women and their partners best find out about the service?

Kristina M. Rumpel: FlowBirthing consistently puts the woman at the center. It is about informing and empowering women who want to have children, expectant mothers and women giving birth so that they have the freedom to choose which path they want to take. Because there is no one universal method, there is always only the path that is right for mother and child. FlowBirthing therefore focuses specifically on women's self-responsibility. Unfortunately, the female wisdom about pregnancy and birth has often been lost. FlowBirthing closes this gap and offers a variety of ways with books, CDs, mentors, courses and a broad network of holistic offers for the period of wanting to have children, pregnancy and birth that enable women to prepare themselves ideally for their desired birth. Women can find all information about this and more on the Internet portal www.flowbirthing.de , which incidentally was awarded the Health Media Award for outstanding and sustainable communication in the field of women's health a few years ago.

The FlowBirthing network for a new birth culture was founded five years ago. What successes have you had since then, and what activities and initiatives are planned for the future?

Kristina M. Rumpel: Five years - wow! So much has happened in that time. The network of supportive offers on the FlowBirthing internet portal has grown to around 500 supporters who support the philosophy of FlowBirthing. First and foremost, I would like to mention the FlowBirthing mentors, whom I have been training for a good two years. These now around 50 women, all of whom have given birth themselves, were so enthusiastic about this completely different way of experiencing pregnancy, birth and the start of motherhood that they want to make this experience accessible to as many women as possible and have made it their calling to pass on the ancient female wisdom from woman to woman. I am always touched when women thank me because they were able to experience a wonderful birth thanks to FlowBirthing. Unfortunately, little has happened on the outside so far: obstetric care in Germany is still in a pitiful state; although so many mothers are campaigning for a new birth culture, the appeal is not getting through to politicians. This is why I am all the more committed to empowering women with FlowBirthing. Because only when I know what is being taken from me can I make a strong effort to find a way that leads to dignified births. With all those who stand up for this, there will be a FlowBirthing festival in May 2020 to mark the fifth anniversary.

Tip:
Sonja Edenharder and Kristina Marita Rumpel: Happiness is on the way. Card set for pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding. 128 FlowBirthing affirmations. Mankau Verlag, 1st edition February 2020, 128 cards (79 x 120 mm), 16-page booklet, 24.95 euros (D) / 25.70 euros (A), ISBN 978-3-86374-534-9

Link recommendations:
More information about the card set “Happiness is on the way”
More about Sonja Edenharder
More about Kristina Marita Rumpel
To the FlowBirthing internet portal
To the Internet forum with our authors and readers