Aquamarina
By: System Administrator on: May 25, 2007
Gymnastic babies can Dance on the Water! Yes! Thanks to family
friend/photographer Christoph Halbe.
AquaMarina
Igor Charkovsky, the "creator" of modern waterbirth, and Marina in Russia. He isa pioneer not only in waterbirth but also notably in developing water therapiesand exercises for babies who are in danger of dying. He works extensively with
brain damaged and otherwise handicapped newborns and babies. Many of thebabies brought to him have been given little or no chance of recovery orimprovement. His work is extreme and unique. It is a gift to humanity's evolution.He continues to be active in Russia and around the world. As with most pioneers,his life is not without controversy. Thousands and we owe him gratitude.
Aquamarina is the name Marina gave to her work in Russia. It's still appropriate. InThailand where we now reside we have the business name Macochild.We teach couples how to be even more in love. We use Tantra, Tao and othertechniques. We teach people how to use Chi Kung and Healing Love sexualpractices so as to live their love with more depth. We do this in "couples only"retreats and private sessions.
We also teach women and couples how to have a healthy, loving pregnancy and ahealthy, joyful home water birth. We use Yoga and breathing techniques. We teachparents how to do baby yoga from the first moments of life outside the womb. Dittowith dynamic gymnastics and swimming the baby from day one.
A new father swims his daughter about an hour after birth. This is the best:father's active, loving involvement in his daughter's growth and development.Among other benefits they are strengthening the spine and related tendons.Notice the placenta. It stays with baby until the energy stops flowing into the cordand to baby. Maybe for some hours, maybe for a day or two. Depends on thehealth of the placenta, energy flow, climate, and Marina and the parents'observations.
Please don't confuse our work with water birth as it is popularly known inEurope and the USA. In the world, water birth popularly means: out of thehospital/birth clinic bed and into the hospital/birth clinic tub or pool, and thenback into the hospital/clinic bed. It's seen as comfortable for the mother andsoft for the baby. That's not our work. Our home water birth involves a giantstep in taking responsibility for one's results. It implies informed, educated,and experienced woman and man involvement and commitment.
We must look deeply and honestly into ourselves:
What am I doing for this planet? What am I doing to heal this planet?
What am I doing to change my family's negative patterns/behavior?
What am I doing with my life energy? What am I doing with my very life?
We do our work because we live the results and have witnessed the results inthousands of women and their babies. We do it because if we expect thehuman race to grow spiritually we must begin before conception and followthrough during pregnancy, birth and childrearing; and these techniques servethat goal.
Marina has trained many Spiritual Midwives. Very few of them continue with hercomplete system. It?s simply too demanding of the Midwife; the responsibility is toomuch. Thanks for reading and we trust you?ll find the following commentaries mindand heart opening.
What's the big Deal about Home Birth?
Here's the idea: Conception and pregnancy are natural processes. You probably didn't use a book of meditations and exercises to conceive and stay pregnant. Birth isa natural process also, although you wouldn't know it if you study carefully the birth industry that's in place in our hospitals and clinics.
Your body and baby know what to do when it's delivery time. Do you trust your body?Does your midwife or doctor trust your body? The role of these practices is to bringyour mind more into the harmony that is inherent in a conscious pregnancy anddelivery.
Yes, big brother helped also.
Marina says that some of her most satisfying midwife experiences have come fromcouples that learned from her and had healthy home water births without herpresence. You got pregnant without me! You can give birth without me! That's thebest! This is not declared lightly; these are couples that dedicated themselves to thepractices and informed themselves about birth. This does not necessarily mean thatthey concentrated on what could go wrong during delivery. They simply worked onthe body with Iron Skirt Chi Kung to encourage what the woman's body alreadyknows about pregnancy and birth. They used the meditations to focus the mind intrust of the healthy body and natural process. Some couples chose to deliver theirbaby alone without Marina and some simply found themselves in the deliverysituation and no midwife or doctor in sight!
Why home water birth?
What's at home? The familiar and the secure. The family is present. Home is wherethe heart is.
Our daughter helped Marina, this happy mother and father deliver their baby.
At home the mother-to-be can relax in her own surroundings; home is her nest thatshe's prepared to receive baby. The other children can be nearby. She controls thesetting. Birth at home is on babys and mothers home schedule.
Father is present and an active participant. The couple is pregnant! It's a flowing oftheir sexuality that conceived baby! Let the unfolding be complete with father activelyparticipating in birth. Some couples have a very hard time after birth because of sex;father's participation in the birth helps avoid this common obstacle to a happy family.Birth is an intimate, sexual process. Mother needs to feel that she?s in a space whereher sexual intimacy is safe and protected.
Some women say, I want my baby born close to nature near the sea! Great! Underthe trees, on the beach this is wonderful if mother truly wants this way. Be careful!Maybe baby has different ideas. Some women like the forest at a lake or a mountainstream. It?s a personal choice. The best birth for baby is when mother swims. Thewater cleans emotions and refreshes; it's not for every woman although we wish itwere so.
Labor in the Gulf of Thailand Sea accompanied by father.
The computer screen saver on which I?m composing says Love Heals. For thiscommentary it could say, "Love Gives Birth"...no matter where the birth is.Regardless of your choice of how and where to birth you can enjoy your pregnancyeven more with the tools we teach. Many of these practices survive from ancientTaoist and Tantric sources because they are so effective at improving health andreducing stress. When a pregnant woman does this she passes the improved healthand vitality in to her developing baby.
The three of us have so much fun with this! Rock-a-by baby! Kids just keep asking forthis energetic movement even when they've grown too big for us.
We know many women who've had healthy home water births without a lot of trainingof the type we normally present. These women had some things in common: A goodattitude, generally good health, strength and trust in Marina and her work; and theywalked a lot. Walking is so good. Vigorous walking and just strolling along are bothgood but don't be lazy; do daily long walks throughout the pregnancy. When youpause during your walk learn how to stand correctly. This involves developing someinner structure that will show in your posture. This is where the Iron Skirt Chi Kungcan help you tremendously in daily life and at delivery time.
Two expectant mothers exchange baby heartbeats.
A brief aside: You may be familiar with term Iron Shirt Chi Kung. Originally, thisdiscipline was for protecting the vital organs from blows received in fighting. We useit for healing the body and generating Chi (life energy) so as to have energy forspiritual growth. Over the years we've come to use the term Iron Skirt for pregnantwomen who dedicate time to rooting, centering, and developing the breath and innerstructure for a healthy pregnancy and delivery.
Here's an Iron Skirt, walking pregnant woman story. It took place in a deep north,winter city. Marina and Colin were teaching a weeklong basic Universal Tao course.Every afternoon a group of about 30 students would meet and practice the InnerSmile, Six Healing Sounds, the Microcosmic Orbit, and Chi Kung; then they'd learnabout Healing Love, the sexual practices. There were several pregnant womenpresent and two of them were very pregnant. They were both new to meditation andesoteric exercises but they had heard of Marina's spiritual midwifery work and trustedher. Near the end of the week they asked, "When are you leaving town?" What timedoes your train leave??
This is Yekaterina?s story. Her husband was in prison and she lived with her parents.Her parents barely tolerated her situation and were not at all happy that she wasspending money on a week of who-knows-what lessons with these weird foreigners.It was her first pregnancy and she was determined to have the birth with us. We werestaying with a couple and their child in their sixth floor apartment. During a previousvisit they'd had their first child at home in the family tub with us assisting. They arevery nice people and seeing them again was a delight. We'd sit and he'd play guitarand the two of them would sing so sweetly.
Marina and Colin, our loving couple.
It was the last day of a good week's work and we had finished the evening meal andour host excused himself to go down to the shop for a bottle of wine. However, in justa few moments he was back with Yekaterina. He'd found her pacing up and down infront of the building in the snowstorm. The intercom and doorbell were out of orderand she simply walked until someone would use the building's entrance. Wemassaged her to warm her up and she sipped strong, hot tea. She'd left homeagainst her parents' wishes; they wanted her in the hospital because her water hadbroke. So she walked two kilometers through the snow to be with us! I walkeverywhere! The taxi drivers are thieves and the walking is good for me. I think thingsout and try to forget my troubles. She was just over six feet tall and strong from herwalking habit. In fact we'd noticed during the course that she was a natural at ChiKung; she could easily root and could not be pushed out of her root.
Our hosts were instantly welcoming her and reassuring her that she could have herbaby in their tub where their son was born. And that's just what she did! The laborwas several hours and she was so centered and present and willing to do whateverwas asked of her. She spent a lot of time in the Horse Stance that you're going tolearn, and she squatted a good bit. Marina had her diving in the tub so as to be ableto control the strong sensations that come before birth; it becomes a sort ofmeditation in the water.
"Diving" to "surf" the intense contractions. Father massages. Good mother! Goodfather! Baby was born in the dark of night in a seaside bungalow tub.
At dawn she was stretched out comfortably on the divan in the kitchen with her newson after baby yoga and swimming the baby session. We had toasted the birth withchampagne and now Yekaterina was sipping a hot wine and honey brew to build theblood and renew her strength. The windows were full of frost but the sunrise shonethrough and to make a happy conclusion her mother and father arrived and after amoment of awkwardness they held her hands and stroked their grandson. Our hostfamily had insisted on notifying them and getting them to their daughter andgrandchild. Otherwise they will all feel terrible and anyone can see that they loveone another in spite of their differences and troubles!
Baby Yoga becomes a deep, tranquil time for this baby. We see the babies"meditating" during some parts of their sessions. They are awake and seem to beprofoundly in the sensations of the movements.
Oh yes, that other very pregnant woman phoned later in the morning and her laborwas beginning. This was also her first pregnancy and there was no man in her life.Her sister was present and it was an easy delivery because she was strong and herattitude was quite good. A man! Who needs that problem! My child will be veryhappy with me, my sister and my mother. And then we caught our train.We tell you the stories of these beautiful women to encourage you to be even morepositive and to walk even more and to spend some time squatting everyday.
Zoom in on mother and son?s expressions: What joy! What confidence!
Here are two births quite different one from the other. The interesting thing is that thewomen were similar in age and they and their husbands had participated in our"couples only" retreat. They'd informed themselves about the birth alternatives andwere convinced of having home water births with Marina. By now you understandthat this is no small enterprise. The couple must learn and practice! They take on atremendous responsibility for the pregnancy and delivery. For both women theirpregnancies were joyful and celebratory in nature. Their husbands arranged theirwork so as to be an active presence especially in the last months. Both couples werewell acquainted with the Healing Love practices and were healthily sexual right up todelivery. These sensitive, educated people had chosen this way of living becausethey believe that it's best for their families? health, happiness and spiritual growth.This was to be Rachel's second child; her first was a normal hospital delivery. ForClara instead, this was her first child after a series of miscarriages. They gave birth afew days apart. Both husbands were essential participants and so supportive that wewish all couples could be so blessed.
Rachel's daughter came first. Their home is in a forest with no nearby neighbors andthey had set up a small, aboveground pool for the birth under the trees. Labor beganat about four in the morning and the baby came a short time later with the sunriseand daybreak's songbirds. Throughout, Rachel was pretty much in ecstasy having awonderfully joyful, sexual birth. She was very strong and because of her meditationexperience and Iron Skirt she was able to focus on the intense sensations ofchildbirth as intense pleasure. Gary, her husband, was right there, deep in theexperience with her. The surprise was that the baby was in difficulty: she wasn'tbreathing and was "blue", her little body was "floppy" with no sign of life. Marina wentto work with her techniques and soon enough the little one demonstrated her voiceand her coloring was much more vital. She looked around and after delivery of theplacenta was ready for baby yoga and some gymnastics and swimming. It took sometime for her sucking reflex to get strong. This couple followed the suggestion to nothave guests in to see the baby so that the family could keep the intimacy intact forsome days. They were so happy with that arrangement and of course, the grandparents were given brief audiences with the little one. This gave Mom and Dad andbaby time to get to know one another plus become comfortable with baby yoga,dynamic gymnastics and swimming the baby.
A few days later Clara felt her birth process beginning. Her husband Roberto had setup an inflatable wading pool in their large living room. This was on the 9th floor of anapartment building in the city. This couple had gone through a lot of emotional turmoilover the years with miscarriages. They were so grateful to be pregnant and to havecarried the baby to term. Clara had not practiced the Chi Kung so much and althoughshe frequently swam she was not very strong. She had suffered a stroke yearsbefore and this had left her with a certain weakness. Roberto was a great support forher. The labor was several hours starting in the evening and ending with the foura.m. birth of a daughter. Clara spent long periods in the bathtub "diving": Holding herbreath underwater and lifting her head for the inhalation and exhalation. In thismanner she was able to focus and create a meditation type state so as to bear theintense physical feelings of labor.
It was a long, tiring process and almost empty of pleasure for her. The surprise wasthat the baby was in great condition! Full, strong breath and voice; robust coloring; astrong sucking reflex; she was ready for action! After the birth of the placenta and thetraditional champagne toast, Clara gained back a lot of energy with a hot wine andhoney drink, and ample, loving consideration from her husband. And so she was ableto give a lot of joyful attention to the little one who was being introduced to babyyoga, dynamic gymnastics and swimming by Spiritual Midwife Marina. Of coursethere were frequent breaks for a visit to the ?milk bar? for the all-important colostrum.
Mother Marina after delivering her ninth child.
Every pregnancy and delivery has its surprises. It's good to be prepared with a strongbody and meditation skills as well as information. Learn some Iron Skirt Chi Kung,walk and squat a lot daily, and do the Inner Smile meditation so much that itbecomes second nature to you. Swim, swim and swim some more. Water is the greatcleanser and holder. Make proper, pregnant sexual love a lot. Don't forget the SixHealing Sounds at day?s end. Live happily ever after.
Dynamic Gymnastic movements are good for parent and child. Mother and fatherneed Chi Kung rooting and centering, a properly aligned internal structure, and lots ofInner Smile to do this safely and well.
How many babies, children and parents can this Russian Jacuzzi hold? Marina began a Russian "banya" - sauna - tradition with pregnant couples years ago. It continues without her presence. Her return visits are always joyous occasions. In this way, mothers and fathers learn from one another the important health practices so necessary for responsible living and raising a baby.
Marina Campbell was born (1951) and grew up in and around Baku in the thenSoviet Union. Those initial twenty years merit several chapters but that's anotherstory for another time. She's a licensed military nurse. Her university degrees includeLiterature, Philology and Journalism. Her working experience includes universitylecturer, journalist, university counselor, educational innovator, dance instructor, yogapractitioner and teacher; she's also a Universal Tao Instructor. Marina states that herabsolutely favorite working experience, before becoming a Spiritual Midwife, wasillustrating/decorating nursery and kindergarten walls for and with her children in theirschools. She still finds great joy in painting.
Colin Campbell was born (1944) and grew up in Vermont, USA. He has anAssociate's degree in the Sciences. His work experience includes alcoholicrehabilitation; group living specialist with Job Corps; a successful, self-ownedjanitorial business; experimental pre-school teacher; retreat and seminar leader; discjockey and more.
Our contact information is: email marinamidwife@hotmail.com Postal address:Colin and Marina Campbell DrownC/o Tao Garden274 Moo 7Luang NuaDoi SaketChiang Mai, 50220Thailand