The "Birthed In Betrayal (BIB)" Project:
I invite you to become part of “Project BIB,” a sacred venture in truth telling. Since the passing of my beloved infant Sun in August 2016 I've been feeling a distinct call to initiate a project inviting the world to speak up about the depths of betrayal running rampant and unchecked within birth work and all its associated communities. I am particularly interested in exploring how patriarchy, both cunning and insidious, has crept in and infected even the sanctity of "natural" birth communities and the sacred relationships therein between mother and the entrusted members of her birth team-- For clarity on this concept, please CLICK HERE to read a piece I wrote about this very topic. Patriarchy doesn't always articulate in the flesh of "male" anatomy. My birth trauma and the subsequent loss of my infant son both stemmed from betrayal that arose within my "natural" birth team, comprised of all women who had pledged and promised to honor me during the sacred birth experience.
August 2016: Sitting at my Sun's bedside as he lay on life support in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
It's glaringly apparent that the trauma and loss I endured as a result of being silenced and dishonored by my "natural" birth team is not an isolated incident. I have been both amazed and horrified to learn how many people share similar experiences of being silenced, pressured, coerced and/or violated by those who pledged and promised to honor and hold space during such a sacred time.
The patriarchy and imbalance rooted deep within birth work communities can only be tempered by fierce love and truth telling. The putrid contents of our deepest wounds are shifting now and finding new pathways to the surface. I invite and welcome you to let your soul speak and allow the truth of your traumas to release with volcanic urgency. Each word a sledgehammer, breaking through hardened, stagnant ground to make room for fertile, fresh buds to burst forth.
Understanding that birth trauma has far-reaching, intergenerational effects, I welcome contributions from mothers and fathers, sistars and brothers, sons, daughters and elders. Birth professionals and support attendants are also encouraged to get involved.
MISSION:
My vision for this project is firmly rooted in the belief that truth telling is the fiercest and most potent medicine-- A medicine that the sacred Mother urges us to release to the world at this time. I aspire to gather our sacred stories of trauma and transformation and assemble them as a collection, with intent to eventually offer the medicine within as a paperback bolus injection of fierce truth, administered to a world crying out for the nourishment of authenticity.
Launching this project is a crucial and long overdue step in my own personal healing journey. Yet, there is no claim that this will be comfortable work. The debilitating discomfort I have felt by holding my truth inside has so many similarities to the resistance we work through in the labor process itself, before finally letting go and surrendering to the unknown. Birthing this project, and offering it as medicine to the collective, is bound to be an intense and liberating experience for all involved. Any challenges presented by this undertaking are significantly mitigated when we join together, offering to hold space for one another and share the weight of these deep-rooted woundings.
Our traumas often unveil our greatest gifts to the world. By holding space for one another we allow these gifts of wisdom and lived experience to be delivered. If you feel moved by this invitation please know that, as you step forward to share your medicine, your truth will be honored and received here with compassion and unconditional love.
With Love, Light and a Healthy Dose of Darkness,
Morgan Jamie Dunbar
"Project BIB" Contact Form
By filling out the contact form below you express your interest in this project and establish an initial point of contact from which our relationship can grow. If you are ready to let that truth flow today, please feel free to include as much detail as you like in the contact form and your words will be submitted to Project BIB for immediate review. Once your form has been submitted, I will respond as soon as possible (usually with 24 hours) and we can discuss the project more. Unless otherwise discussed with you personally, I am the only person who will be reading your submission. If you are unclear on this or have any other questions please feel free to Contact Me.
THE HOLDING SPACE:
If you do not feel ready or are simply not interested in having your story published in the “Birthed In Betrayal” collection, but you still want to connect with others to share on a more personal basis, please consider joining us over at “The Holding Space,” a confidential, online birth trauma healing community.
