Your Birth. Your Baby. Your Responsibility.

Although I believe each birth experience, whether assisted or unassisted, is a beautiful testimony, this book highlights the understanding and importance of unaltered physiological birth.

When contemplating the decision of whether or not you should have a provider, such as a midwife or doctor, a friend, a partner, your parents, a doula or anyone else at your birth, it is critical to reflect deeply on your intentions and desires. Who you have at your birth matters greatly. Fears, ideas, past experiences, and much more will be projected both subconsciously and consciously, often with sincere, loving intentions.

The crucial point to understand is that medicalized providers are not trained in physiological birth. Instead, they operate within a model that often utilizes variations of normal to justify their medical practices, rather than trusting in the natural process of birth. It is essential to recognize that by choosing a midwife or another medical professional, these individuals will ultimately be the ones making decisions regarding your care, rather than you. The inFluence from someone with a medicalized mindset can subtly and profoundly impact your mental state and emotional experience during labor.

My understanding and belief is that allowing our body’s natural intelligence to navigate the variations of normal is key to achieving the ideal outcome. The innate synergy between mother and baby is incredibly powerful and rooted in instinctual survival mechanisms. A woman’s body is biologically designed to know how to respond in these delicate situations, without requiring conscious training or assistance. I also hold the belief that a mother can intuitively recognize when it is appropriate to seek outside help.

Physiologically, women are designed to understand what their babies need to not only survive but thrive. This includes sustaining life for not only baby but also mom.

Allowing the mother to make instinctual decisions and take actions during labor is not only possible but can be advantageous. For instance, a mother may instinctively know to give breaths, suction, unwrap the cord, or stimulate her baby as needed, enhancing the baby’s transition into the world.

Conversely, the intervention of a medical professional during these critical moments can disrupt this delicate balance. Implementing interventions can lead to unnecessary trauma furthermore leading to ideas of doubt and even difFiculties with bonding and breastfeeding. While these interventions may appear to be life saving, who’s to say that if mom were to have naturally progressed, in a place of comfort without someone diving in, that either A, the emergency would have never occurred or B, mom could have instinctively managed the “emergency” herself?

Birth is generally only an emergency if we make it one.

For many of us who choose freebirth, we want to be in control of the “just in case.” We believe we are more equip and innately skilled to mange or NOT manage the variations of our own birth. No monitoring devices, medical devices or medical training can trump moms innate intuition.

Your birth. Your baby. Your responsibility.

For mental, emotional and spiritual support, search for local and virtual birthworkers that align with you. If someone makes you feel uncomfortable, speak up and protect your space.

While physiological childbirth emphasizes the importance of natural processes, this perspective does not intend to discourage anyone from seeking medical attention. It is important to approach this decision with seriousness and careful consideration.