The Five Senses
There is no book, website, or social media influencer who knows you and can tell you what to do in labor to experience efficient labor. Each birth, with each different child, will be its own unique experience, as unique as the family you are creating.
After the universal desire for the pregnant person and baby to be safe, the intention for everyone, no matter where they choose to birth: Home, Hospital, or Birthing Center is the same – to have a settled nervous system. The idea of settling your nervous system might be new to you, but it is something you have been striving for, as we can call it peace, integration, support, spaciousness, a sigh, breath… there are so many words for it. It can come in the form of spiritual, mental, physical, or emotional. No matter how you call it, it is about the brain being “online” and the nervous system moving forward at a relaxed pace. I call this a “Grace-Filled” birth.
To have a Grace-Filled birth, it is important to not only know how to ask for support but to know yourself as well. This survey will help you get to know who you are in relation to the 5 senses or somatic body. This space is the invisible or unconscious realm that we want to make conscious so we can be as in control as we can within the unknown that is childbirth and parenting.
Everyone responds differently to the somatic body (or the 5 senses) of See, Hear, Smell, Touch, and Taste. Our somatic body can either support us to feel safe in labor so we can open up efficiently or trigger us, and we will find ourselves closed off, shut down, and our labor will stop. This questionnaire finds out who you are and what senses should be emphasized and recommendations for what to make sure you pack for the hospital or birth center or have nearby in your home for your best birth experience.
Taking this quiz will help you customize your birth plan and assist you in knowing what self-care modalities can support your nervous system in being settled, bring you back to your midline (or connection to yourself) not only in labor but as you parent your child in the future.
The Five Senses Quiz