I CARE DEEPLY ABOUT YOUR BIRTH.
There are no second chances when it comes to your birth. The journey you take prepares you for the mother you need to be for your child. Being a mother is going to challenge you to your core and that’s a good thing! We evolve, grow, and find purpose through the difficulty. I believe in mother-led birth in which the mother is the center, the sole authority over her experience. This does not mean she needs to be alone. Having the right support and setting yourself up with a circle of trusted caregivers is essential.
In the last 50 years, the rates of cesarean birth have increased 500 percent, with no improved outcomes for mothers or babies.
In the United States, one in three women give birth via cesarean section. Some hospitals in this country have rates of C-sections at 60 percent or higher. This is not normal or necessary.
Many women are afraid to give birth. We are told the safest choice is to hire a surgeon and birth in a hospital. We are told what we are “allowed” and “not allowed” to do with our bodies. We are told we need to be drugged in the process.
Many women have seen their friends and sisters traumatized by their birth experiences. They do not want to go down that path, but they are not sure what might be available to them.
Education and support is the first step. As women, we must learn to trust ourselves and our bodies. This is hard! From an early age, most of us are conditioned to defer to an authority outside ourselves to tell us that we are ok. Let’s remember that we are mammals and mammals have been giving birth on this planet successfully for millions of years.
Let’s remember our ancestors and that our bodies know how to give birth. We didn’t have to tell our bodies how to grow our babies. Perhaps you have a story in your lineage of a grandmother or great grandmother birthing all of her many children at home and she lived to tell the tale. She was resilient and strong. You are your great grandmother’s dream. Find the fortitude and fearlessness that is yours.
