Midwife, mother, yoga teacher and organic farmer
Caitlyn Atkinson is one wise woman. Not only does she deliver babies for a living, but she also connects with her community through home-grown produce. During our chat it’s clear that nurturing women during pregnancy and postpartum is critical. A large element of this is in food, but it’s also so much more.
Cailtyn lives with her husband, Dan, and daughters, Grace (5) and Sage (2) on a bio-intensive organic farm within Dan’s fathers property. This is where there are intensive beds instead of tractor lines. "It’s where the natural canopy of the garden provides protection and eliminates weeds and other pests, eliminating the need for pesticides." They have been providing their delicious produce to the community for several years now. “As our family has grown, so has Dan’s desire to be a grower and be part of the community.”
They grow all kinds of produce, from the humble carrot to the exotic feijoa, plenty of mandarins, oranges, apples, limes and lemons, plums, cucumbers, tomatoes, rhubarb, zucchini, broccolini, pac choi, spring onion, Jerusalem artichokes, garlic, leek, spinach, kale, beetroots of the yellow and red variety and so much more.
Not only is a farm great for food, Caitlyn and Dan’s kids know the ins and outs of vegetables and fruit from a young age. “Both can identify the map of the garden and where to find it. My 2 year old knows what a carrot is; I pulled my first carrot at 30!” So at least while juggling the kids and farm life, there are lessons for them to learn.
So what about the organic or non-organic lesson? There was no definitive answer. For Caitlyn, it’s obvious as she lives farm to table and eats seasonably, so organic is the go to option 99% of the time. “We say a little goodbye to tomatoes at the end of summer. I just wouldn’t go to the shops and buy a tomato - it just doesn’t taste the same. You (also) see where farmers have issues with pests, and see what they spray - which is not ideal.”
Caitlyn in the garden picking their delicious tomatoes with Grace, Sage and Sunny the pooch.
“We say a little goodbye to tomatoes at the end of summer.”
But buying organic is obviously not always an option, and so a varied diet is the important factor here. Eating what’s in season does provide this, “but of course when I was pregnant the hot chip cravings were not readily available in the garden. I loved salads and light foods, but definitely craved the odd hot chip and pickle.” We can only do so much. We just need to be mindful of what we can and can’t do. Pregnancy provides us with a bit of a reset in many ways, as we are now eating with another in mind.
Thus it comes down to this word nurture. Caitlyn believes that “if you’re mindful about what you put into your body and your mindful of how you treat yourself and you can take that same mindfulness into pregnancy and the things you consume, what you do, how you adapt.”
So eating mindfully is about respecting your body. If you want to have a healthy pregnancy the best place to start is within yourself and your own health. Going into birth strong is so important and this comes down to what we eat. It also gives us a head start when entering postpartum when our bodies need the most nurturing of all.
Organic garden produce available every Saturday at the Margaret River Farmers Markets.
Caitlyn not only delivered our baby girl Floriane, but she also prepared me several meals post birth. "You need to make sure you eat good food postpartum. This really comes down to the people around you helping to heal and build your strength.”
In preparing for her second child, Cailtyn says she knew what to expect and prepared some dahls, curries and bone broths to have postpartum. "As opposed to eating toast like I did when my first was born, I wanted to eat all the nourishing foods which more ancient cultures recommend. These foods are easily digestible and warming in order to allow your uterus to contract back down you want to keep this space warm to heal. My Nan is Burmese, and she often says that when we have babies we should just eat broth.”
In fact, she mentions that postpartum is all about nourishment in every aspect. “It’s a time to go inward. It’s critical that you nurture yourself with what you eat and allow others to help to nourish and heal you.”
“Helping to cultivate a relationship with that internal wisdom that we all do have and knowing that we are the experts of our body. This comes forth when we give birth if we have practiced this during pregnancy.”
Just when I thought she couldn’t do anymore, Caitlyn is also a proficient pregnancy yoga teacher within the South West region of WA. Nurturing your body at this time is also critical and can bring so much quiet strength and wisdom to birthing. “There are so many benefits to doing pregnancy yoga; from practicing breath work, meditation for labour to practicing rest and mindfulness when you can get it, as well as allowing yourself to escape your household and have space held where you can connect with your baby.
Sometimes women can be apprehensive about birth. So this yoga tries to weave in birth practices. And whether or not we go off and use these, the main takeaway is to trust your body and know how to navigate your own journey.
There is a large mind/body disconnect in our society so there is a lot to take from just sitting down and being quiet. Like everything, this is important to practice and learn it to the point where it comes naturally and your feelings inside are reflected on before going into labour. "Finding equanimity from yoga you can hopefully bring that into pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Helping to cultivate a relationship with that internal wisdom that we all do have and knowing that we are the experts of our body. This comes forth when we give birth if we have practiced this during pregnancy.”
Reflections
As I entered the world of fertility and pregnancy, there was definitely a shift within the way I examined what entered my body. No longer eating for just me to face the consequences, but rather thinking of a future human. I think many people, especially those who are reading this, probably feel this way. Sitting down and chatting to Caitlyn made me realise that not only is nurturing the body necessary more than ever at this time, but the mind also needs to be on board in order to connect with yourself on a new level.
All of these elements come together. Nurturing a baby definitely has parallels with nurturing a garden, and ones own body. And nurturing is not only great during pregnancy and birth, but also throughout motherhood and life. I see Caitlyn embody these principles everyday and I think we need more of these inspiring, strong midwives to help guide us through challenging times such as pregnancy and birth.
You can find Caitlyn at her Instagram account @gunyulgupfarm
Written by Georgia Gregory
