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mother nature

I don't believe in God, not in the conventional sense anyway. I believe in something, I've yet to really define it though. We all spend our lives searching for that one 'something' that rings true to us on a deep level. There are a few words that come to mind that are apt for my basic beliefs. Energy. Universe. Mother Nature. They would all suffice I suppose. There would be some of you thinking that is God. That this is how God speaks to me. I would disagree, but that is a discussion for another day! I do believe in the amazing power of Mother Nature. I didn't realise how true this was until I was pregnant.

To this day I am totally amazed that I created life without instructions, or a manual. I don't mean the mechanics of actually falling pregnant, I mean the rest of it. I didn't consciously sit down and think "Oh it's time to grow a kidney for my baby today." So I look at Zoe on a daily basis and think "I can't believe I did that." What is it about pregnancy and motherhood that convinces each and every single one of us that we are the only person to ever have done so? I believe it's Mother Nature's way of ensuring we take pride in what we've done. When you are proud of something, you try to do a good job of it. I think this is kind of like the large eyes and heads of babies that make them look more appealing so that we want to look after them. It's very sad for me to think that the most powerful emotions I've ever experienced are a result of a species way of ensuring it's continuance, but I guess that is what I'm saying in a way isn't it? Oh well, for whatever reason, I embrace and relish my personal responses to what Mother Nature has given me.

Mother nature instills into us from the day we are born the instincts to survive. We are born knowing to suckle, from which we receive our nourishment. Smiling, crying, laughing. These are all universal signs. Children who speak different languages can still communicate with these tools. Without communication, there is no community. Without community, this animal would struggle to survive. The flight or fight response to danger. It's another of mother nature's ways of ensuring we survive as individuals and therefore as a species. These are only a few examples.

When I was pregnant, I should have taken more notes. All those foods that I suddenly had an aversion to or couldn't eat, Zoe eats very little of now. Those that I craved, she eats like they are going out of fashion. This was true for foods that I could or couldn't eat while she was breastfeeding. Her sleeping habits whilst I was carrying her were indicative of routines she would set for herself once she had arrived. When she was giving me grief from the inside, a bath would calm both her and myself down. From the day she was born, a bath would settle her like nothing else. She never liked being swaddled, despite nurses attempts to keep her arms close to her body because apparently that makes them feel secure. I reckon this is why she was so small at birth. Didn't grow too big because she needed all that room to move! To this day if she has a doona or blanket over her whole body I wonder what is wrong with her. She needs room to move. All those little signs that were there to give me some clues. It's a pity I was so sleep deprived during the first 12 months that I couldn't remember my own name let alone interpret what Mother Nature was trying to tell me...maybe she has a sick sense of humor hey?!

What brought this post on was me thinking last night about a theory I once heard that I think is of Eastern origin that suggests the direction, ie. North, South, East and West, in which you were facing when you are born is the best way for you to sleep to achieve true rest. I will admit that I've moved my bed to another wall of a bedroom and found that sleep is better. Laugh if you will, but I think there is something in it! But it also made me think that perhaps the TIME we are born could indicate what part of the day we are at our peaks. I was born at 10.04pm and am indeed a night person. One of my other sisters was also born at night and couldn't be described as a morning person. The other one was born in the middle of the afternoon and is neither a night nor morning person. Zoe was born at 8.26am and is most definitely a morning person. However as mum pointed out this morning as we were both sitting there wishing she wasn't so damn bubbly at that ungodly hour of the day, most children are! How about you? Four examples could hardly be described as the ideal sample for me to base a theory on, so have a think about yourself, or people you know, your own children etc. Is the time of birth a clue from Mother Nature informing us of the optimum time of day for individuals? Or am I making something out of nothing simply because I look for reasons to justify my belief in the power of Mother Nature?