Q&A with Sarah and Teresa about their book; The Zen Mama Guide To Finding Your Rhythm In Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond
As we edge closer to the release of the US edition of The Zen Mama Guide To Finding Your Rhythm In Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond, Sarah and Teresa sat down to chat all things book related; their writing process, their non-negotiables, favorite pregnancy resources, what we can expect to find between the covers and so much more!
HAVE YOU PRE-ORDERED YOUR COPY YET?
WHAT WAS THE CATALYST BEHIND WRITING THE BOOK?
SWO: After years of working on yourzenmama.com and having a few babies between us we were approached by a publisher to write this book. And first we thought it was a joke sending multiple emojis back and forth to each other being like .... Um is this for real? Once we figured out it was real we were over the moon. We took time to research and pull together our amazing friends and mentors to bring this book to life. I think the true catalyst behind writing the book was our combined passion for pregnancy, birth and the mothering journey.
TP: To piggyback off what Sarah said, it was a complete shock to be asked to write this book! We were humbled, honoured, and terrified all at once! I think after sitting down and speaking about it for a long while we realised that we had this amazing opportunity to create the kind of book that we had always wanted to read ourselves. So we took a deep breath and dove in, taking wisdom from all the many corners of the parenting community that felt aligned with our own philosophy. We also have gained so much knowledge from our community that we felt that by writing a book and including all of this information in the one place, it was a way to give back to all those mamas, papas, carers, and mentors who have given us so much throughout the years.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE BOOK WRITING PROCESS?
SWO: Doing it with Teresa. Having her beautiful positive attitude as my partner meant the world to me and gave me the confidence to keep writing and pushing and working towards bringing this book to life. I also loved working on something sending it to her and then switching and being able to add our own touches to each chapter.
TP: I loved the whole experience of collaborating with one of my best friends. I loved going back to each other and sharing what each of us had written and all the learning and growth experiences along the way. We allocated chapters to each other and then cross-read and added our own voice to what each other had written. It was therapeutic, challenging, adventurous and so eye-opening. The whole process will always stay with me as one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
HOW DID YOU NAVIGATE THE PROCESS OF WRITING TOGETHER?
SWO: I would take a chapter and Teresa would take another and then we would switch. We were in multiple locations over the course of writing but for a brief moment we were able to be together to write the last half. That was a pretty epic experience.
TP: We wanted the book to be from both our voices so while there was a main writer each chapter, we ensured that the secondary writer weaved in their own take, perspective, and voice so that it really felt like a blended voice rather than two distinctive and separate takes. If either of us got writer's block or felt stuck on a particular section then we swapped out and had eyes on each other’s chapters to lend a hand. It felt entirely supportive and encouraging and honestly, I’m so proud of the way we managed to handle the process while living in different countries!
WHAT WERE EACH OF YOUR NON-NEGOTIABLES TO BE INCLUDED IN THE BOOK?
SWO: I remember feeling really adamant and so did Teresa about having photos from our actual day-to-day lives in there besides the photoshoot we did. We wanted the real pictures that we took on our phones and we had a little spread of those in the back of the book.
TP: A full chapter dedicated to Pregnancy Loss was a must for me. I am still really disillusioned by the lack of time spent discussing the ins and outs of loss in pregnancy and birthing books. This was really important to us both. I was also really excited to include a section on the natural pain relief methods that work for us, from movement, to water, visualisation to vocalisation to certain positions there are so many things to try to help ride the powerful waves of birth.
WHAT CAN READERS EXPECT TO FIND WITHIN THE COVERS?
SWO: Stories from us, from our friends, from doctors, midwives, nutritionists. We have photos from our lives and from the shoot. We have little tips we learned and messages from our husbands and friends. We even talk about things like what to do if you don’t have insurance. It gets pretty down and dirty too when we talk about all the aspects of pregnancy birth and labor including the dreaded poo talk.
TP: All. The. Things. Honestly, we cover the whole gamut when it comes to pregnancy, fertility, loss, birth, and the postpartum period. We wanted to ensure our book was inclusive to all experiences and pathways to parenthood. Our aim to empower readers to listen to their mama intuition, be informed, listen to what works for them and leave the rest.
WHO SHOULD BY THIS BOOK?
SWO: If you are thinking of having a baby one day we have an entire chapter dedicated to you.. if you have experienced pregnancy loss there is a chapter for you. If you are trying IVF, have a donor, or a surrogate we talk all about this in our book. If you are newly pregnant, just had a baby, or are having your 2nd or third this book is for you! We take you all the way through the postpartum journey and into a talk about your family dynamic and the first few months with your new babe.
TP: Anyone with young children, thinking of having children, trying to have children, pregnant, about to give birth, navigating the postpartum period. It’s valuable to all facets of life. We’ve been hearing stories of lots of grandmothers reading the book to prepare for grandparenthood and we’ve found that our book has been purchased by many partners and friends of loved ones embarking on the parenting stage of their lives. Every book sold brings us so much joy!
WHAT DO YOU HOPE THE BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FOR THE READER IS?
SWO: I want this book to feel like you are sitting down with a friend who is walking you through this journey while holding your hand. We want to help you become informed and arm you with all the knowledge we have learned so that you can make your decision on what feels best for you.
TP: We hope they feel empowered. We hope our reader feels connected to what they’re reading and that they feel inspired to follow their own mama gut feeling that exists inside all of us. We hope they find the book insightful, easy to read, funny at times, and that it feels like we are giving them a big squeeze, reminding them that they’re doing an amazing job.
IF YOU HAD TO PICK A FAVORITE CHAPTER, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY?
SWO: I love the chapter on birth because it always fascinates me to hear other birth stories and I just love reading about the process. Birth is a miracle and it blows me away. No matter what kind of birth you wish to have we talk about them all because every birth is unique and each mother will have a different experience.
TP: Birthing Power is my favourite chapter! I just LOVE birth. It’s such a remarkable, life-changing, and transformative experience. I love being so wild and free, being in tune with my body and baby and just being open (pardon the pun) to whatever birthing experience unfolds. The tools we share in dealing with the power of birth are still helpful to me even when I’m not birthing. The idea of meeting intensity and challenging situations with an embracing and accepting nature is still relevant to my everyday life. We have had such amazing feedback from our birthing chapter and I can’t wait to whip it out again as I get closer to my new daughter's birth.
TELL US A LITTLE BUT ABOUT WHY IT WAS SO IMPORTANT TO YOU BOTH TO INCLUDE A CHAPTER ON PREGNANCY LOSS?
SWO: Even though it feels like something people are starting to talk about it has been a very hush-hush subject for a long time. I experienced pregnancy loss while writing the book and this chapter made me feel seen, it held me and it helped me heal when I experienced loss. I was so grateful to have these stories and pages to refer to and I hope that by dedicating an entire chapter to something that is so common it will help other women.
TP: I have experienced loss myself and at the time (2015) it seemed like a topic that not many were willing to talk about. I couldn’t find it mentioned in all the pregnancy books I had been reading up until that point and suddenly I felt kicked out of the club. I was no longer pregnant so the books I was reading didn’t apply to me. We wanted our book to feel different, we wanted to be the comfort for a mother that finds out they’ve experienced loss after they’ve started reading our book so that instead of having to put it away they can keep reading the book and find some solace in our shared experience.
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST HOPE FOR THE BOOK?
SWO: This book is a celebration of women, it is about sisterhood and being there for the women in your life. We created yourzenmama.com to foster a community for people to come and share their stories and this book is an extension of that. We hope that this book will bring comfort and arm you with all the knowledge to help you make informed decisions in your process.
TP: That it is helpful to people around the world, that it feels welcoming, informative, warm, and inviting. We hope it feels likes you’re chatting to your baby/pregnancy/birth obsessed best friend and that it helps to inspire you to continue to follow your instincts.
APART FROM THE ZEN MAMA GUIDE… WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE / MOST CALLED UPON PREGNANCY RESOURCE?
SWO: Ina May Gaskin books. Positive thinking, visualization, and affirmations. My doula friends. My female friends.
TP:
Podcasts!
Dr Berlin Informed Pregnancy podcast
Australian birth Stories podcast
Books
EVERYTHING/ANYTHING by Ina May Gaskin
The womanly art of Breastfeeding by Le Leche league
The First 40 days by Zheng Ou