Reminiscing about Birth and The Last 8 years!

8 years ago, I gave birth to my second daughter. Yesterday we celebrated her birthday, a small family affair, with just me and her sisters. Her friends are coming tomorrow for a bigger celebration, something she is very excited about. Last night as everyone was sleeping, I found myself reminiscing about her birth and our journey since then.

My old home and the sea that helped to birth my daughter

It feels like I have lived many lives in the last 8 years. Travelling for a few years before settling for now in Spain. When my daughter was 6 weeks old, we moved our housebus to France. We had been living in the bus for 3 years in Ireland, but it was tough going, the climate did not make it easy and we were not always well received.

There is a lot of prejudice against travelers in Ireland, with most people believing they are not trust worthy. There were times where we were hassled when we found a spot to park up, always being told we had to move on quickly. It was also getting harder and harder to find places to park up in nature as there were more and more barriers being erected.

I wanted me and my family to be nomadic and spend our time exploring the wild, exploring nature. So, We made a plan to save some money and then leave, but It was hard to save and in the end we just went for it. First for a couple of months to France to see how it was to be nomadic on the main land.

It was everything I hoped it would be, there were so many wild places that we could park up at and explore. The landscape was amazing and so diverse, this was where I wanted to travel and live with my girls.

I have never been one to park in camping grounds, the wild has always called to me. I prefer to wash in the rivers and drink from the springs and for girls to grow up knowing the benefit of both.

Our set up, all prepared for the birth, with the bathtub covered and firewood stocked to light the fire underneath.

My daughter was born close to the sea, she was actually quite close to being born on the beach, had it not been for my eldest daughter insisting we walk back to where we were parked up. I was so surprised at her request as usually she never liked to leave the beach, but she insisted and just as we were walking back, I felt my baby drop and a lot of pressure on my pelvis.

I remember staggering back and sitting outside next to a bench that was close to our bus and bell tent. The outdoor bath was already being heated up with water for the pool, which was in the bell tent. But my baby came before it could be filled. I feel so blessed to have been able to be out doors for most of her birth, eventually crawling on all fours into the bell tent to birth her.

Walking next to the sea, whilst experiencing my contractions was so beneficial, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, really helped me ride the waves of her birth. I was exactly where I needed to be.

And here we are now, 8 years later, experiencing a different type of contraction, as the old world dies and we get ready to birth a new one. We still have a while to go, but we can find support and comfort in nature. Where natural cycles of change, of death and rebirth happened continuously. These are waves and we have to find a way to ride them. So hold fast to who you are and know that you will get through this, we all will!