Birth Works: why don't we know it?

What better a way to celebrate Mother's Day than to attend a lecture by the nation's leading midwife?!

I had the privilege of attending Ina May Gaskin's talk entitled "Birth Works; why don't we know it" at Town Hall this past weekend. For those of you who aren't familiar with Ina May, she is considered to be the mother of modern midwifery. As part of a group of young hippies that were living off of a large plot of land in Tennessee called "The Farm", she started attending births for women living on "The Farm" with no medical training. She had grown up on a farm herself and had seen how birth can be a very natural process that does not always require medical interventions. In the beginning she was very lucky in that none of the births she attended had any complications and went very smoothly. Soon a local physician heard about her and offered to teach her some of the basics so that she would be prepared. She eventually became a certified professional midwife (CPM) and has attended over 1200 births. She has written multiple books that have become some of the most commonly read literature for expecting mother's around the world.

I wish I had a video clip to share with you from her talk, but all I have are a few key notes:

1. We can learn a lot from animals. Animals give birth in the wild without help all of the time. Watching them can be a valuable learning experience in trusting your body and it's ability to create something wonderful that it can also give birth to in a wonderful way. Here are a couple of AMAZING videos of some impressive mothers in the animal kingdom. WARNING: not for the faint of heart!

Elephant Birth

Chimpanzee Birth

2. Women in recent history have begun to fear aspects of giving birth. This fear started out as a fear of interventions and medical equipment, and now women fear their own bodies and rely on medical interventions and equipment.

3. All women deserve a supportive environment during birth despite her economic status or ethnicity. This requires being surrounded by people who support her and her wishes, encourage her, and empower her. Check out the MAMA Campaign.

Finally, all this to say that every women is entitled to her own vision of what birth should look like for her. A completely "natural" childbirth is not for everyone, and medical interventions can be very necessary and have saved many lives. Be empowered to envision birth however you want it, and surround yourself with people who support that! But above all else, research your options and their positives and negatives. Be educated and empowered!