As a mother of two, Abbie Ing understands first-hand the significance of birth experiences. Her own two very different journeys into motherhood made her realise that women weren’t being told the whole truth about birth. It lit a fire within her to rewrite the narrative and to provide the honest, compassionate, and empowering education that she wishes she had received during her own pregnancies. With her guidance, you will find your inner power to reclaim your birth in a meaningful and transformative way, that embraces your autonomy and agency. At every step of your journey, you’ll be equipped with knowledge, tools and unwavering support. Here Abbie talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the inspiration behind Empowered Birthing, the challenges she has overcome along the way, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
I had two very different birth experiences – my first was long, medicated and traumatic, and left me with PTSD and postpartum depression. My second was at home and incredibly positive and empowering. But I found that what they both had in common was that I wasn’t told the truth about what birth is, and that it felt like I wasn’t ‘trusted’ with the knowledge of what was going to happen to my body. There was a lot of “Well, you don’t need to know that”, and setting women up to feel like they’d failed somehow. We’re either told that our bodies are dangerous and unsafe, and that the baby needs to get out as soon as possible, or that birth should be orgasmic and pain-free. Both of which are unhelpful and simply not true! Life, and birth, exists in the grey areas. I wanted to create a space where women and birthing people weren’t condescended to and taught authentically and honestly about birth. As a former teacher, I see knowledge as power, and felt that existing models of antenatal education still treated women as birthing vessels rather than unique individuals with autonomy and agency.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
In typical nerd fashion, I hit the books! I signed up for a diploma to train as an antenatal and hypnobirthing educator. It was through my course that I discovered the work of the wonderful Dr Rachel Reed and Catherine Bell, which transformed the direction I wanted to take my course in. The more I learned, the more I discovered how western, patriarchal culture has interfered with birth. This helped shape the vibe of my messaging and brand – I’m passionate about helping women and birthing people see that they hold all the power they need, within themselves. I also had the incredible opportunity to work with and learn from other female entrepreneurs to help build my brand, website and messaging, so I felt confident that every choice I made was purposeful and meaningful, rather than aimlessly trying to make logos on Canva that inevitably looked very ‘home-made’!
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
Reading Dr Rachel Reed’s book, ‘Reclaiming Childbirth as a Rite of Passage’ was an absolute game changer for me. She begins by exploring the history of childbirth, and how we as a society have lost the natural connection to our bodies, our cycles and the world around us. She presents a holistic way of understanding physiological birth, which isn’t rooted in the unethical patriarchal practices of the past like traditional models. When I combined this knowledge with my Birth Cartographer training from Catherine Bell, I realised I had something special. Birth cartography is a revolutionary way of preparing and planning for birth. By combining the work of these two experts, I was able to develop an antenatal course that truly puts women and birthing people in the driver’s seat of their own births.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
I always say that everything is a season, both good and bad. There are some seasons when everything is go, go, go, and you have to make adjustments and rebalance things, which you can then pick up again when life is a bit calmer! I have two young children and a husband who travels a lot, so it’s an ever-changing experience, but I’ve found setting clear boundaries for myself helps. Once I’ve closed my laptop, I’m out of work mode and I’m in Mum mode – I purposely don’t have work emails on my phone because I don’t want to get distracted and miss out on the fun times I can have with my children. Similarly, I dedicate time to looking after my mind – I’m very new to running a business, and a lot of it doesn’t come naturally to me! I have a little space on my desk which I call my affirmation station – I have a candle, plants and a list of affirmations which I read aloud daily, to help focus on the day ahead and hope that some of the positive messages will sink in!
