Who Holds Authority Over Your Birth

First published as a Saturday Love Letter on March 7th, 2026.

How has your first week of March been?

I’ve been enjoying the drier days.

And the light is changing, isn’t it? The evenings are stretching out again.

I have been quite busy and I’m loving it.

I’ve also had some lovely messages about my February series on the sacrum and the sacral chakra. Many of you said you appreciated learning more about how intelligently designed your body is. So we’re continuing that journey.

This month, we’re moving slightly higher.

The solar plexus sits just beneath the centre of your ribcage.

Anatomically, it corresponds with the celiac plexus, a network of nerves that supplies many of the organs in the upper abdomen. It is closely connected to your diaphragm and your autonomic nervous system.

Energetically, this space is associated with personal power and choice. 

And that brings me back to something I said in February.

Even the most mobile sacrum will not help you if you end up sitting on it.

That statement sparked a lot of conversation.

Because birth is as much about the environment as it is about the body. 

And it is about who holds authority in the room. 

In an ideal world, everybody would understand that that person is the mother alone. She may be vulnerable in the throes of labour, but there should be no question that she remains the only authority over her own body.

In reality, whether or not you birth upright often depends on who is supporting you. 

Sometimes circumstance plays a role, sure. But often, it comes down to habit, culture, and what feels easiest for the professional present. I regularly hear from women who were encouraged to lie down at the last minute in the name of perineal protection.

When you are informed, you are in a stronger position to advocate for what feels right for you. Or to have your partner speak for you so you can stay immersed in labour.

This is where the solar plexus comes in. This area of your body responds quickly under pressure. 

The diaphragm tightens when you feel ignored in your wishes, and the breathing you’ve worked so hard to deepen can become shallow.

So ask yourself, how will you respond when someone suggests something to you that doesn’t feel right to you?

And how do you even know what feels right or wrong?

At Born Through Yoga we talk about intuition as a felt sense in the body.

What does “yes” feel like compared to “no”?

Your solar plexus, just below the ribs, is where many people feel that signal first.

Can you notice it now?

Place a hand just beneath your ribcage and imagine someone offering you your favourite food. How do you feel when you say “Absolutely, I’ll have that”?

Equally, what would it feel like if someone offered you that thing you’ll never eat?

This is how you can start to notice how your body says yes and no.

It is also where you can feel when you imagine a doctor or midwife telling you to do something you don’t want to do. 

For now, just notice if you feel like you are likely to comply against your better judgement or not. 

Later, perhaps you can practice to say “no thank you”.

Give it a try.

This month we’ll explore the solar plexus area of the body which will take us from the topic of discernment and personal autonomy to the anatomy of the breath and its role in helping babies be born and breech babies turn.

If you’d like to explore this work more deeply:

• Email me to book a 1:1 session to work directly with your breath and pelvic balance
  • Join us at Born Through Yoga in April
  • Or read more in my book about upright birth and informed decision-making

 Lots of love,

Nicole

Email me to [email protected] with your enquiries.