Dr Gregory White, the infamous author of "Emergency Childbirth" states that any 8 year old can catch a baby. He's totally right. Childbirth is a normal, natural, and healthy process of a woman’s body. It is not a medical event. Childbirth that occurs outside of a hospital, or without the presence of a trained medical professional is not an emergency.
Preparing for an unassisted birth does not mean you need to have one.
You are your own authority.
Increase Your Confidence
This isn't about "empowering women." It is about women remembering that they are powerful. Birth is not something that happens to us, it's something that we do. We know how to do it, and we don't need anyone there to give us step by step instructions. Seriously.
However, it is a lot harder to hear the voice from within with consistent extreaneous distractions. Sometimes we dont know what we are looking for until we happen across it and it just feels right. Other times, we have an inner whisper that, perhaps, we have a bit of resistance to. Taking the time to sit with all of your options, to ask lots of questions, & find your own answers will help you to navigate your goals, set boundaries, and make confident, sovereign choices.
Lastly, what better way to move through your fears than to become educated about them?
Build a Stronger Support Circle
Exploring the physiology of childbirth may inspire you to rethink who you invite into your space.
Who do you truly trust to be this intimate with you? To provide for you? Who exists in your life now that can reciprocate this love?
Feeling prepared for the unexpected may also help to soothe your support people's worries, so that they can be a better, more grounded anchor for you.
Decrease Your Risk of Perinatal Complications
The first step in preventing complications is understanding what causes them!
In birth, less is more.
Birth consists of an intricate hormonal matrix that can only optimally unfold when the birthing woman is left undisturbed, and is supported by people who love and trust not only birth, but the birthing woman.
Being prepared to labor at home for longer may inspire you do just that!
This in turn decreases your rate of interventions and screenings that interrupt your body's physiologic process, and allows you a familiar space to sink deeper into the beautiful waves of intuition and surrender.
If you're one of the many people who are concerned about home birth and safety, this intellectual dive may bring forth comfort. You will find that home birth statistically results in better outcomes for mothers, and comparative outcomes for babies when compared to institutionalized births.
Prepare for a Simple, Nourishing Postpartum
Preparing to birth at home leads right into “what about after the baby is out?” This opens the doors for exploring what an undisturbed golden hour can look like, with an intact cord, skin to skin, and being the first person to hold your baby.
Having the preparations for your first meal after birth, and deeply nourishing, easy to digest meal preparations for the days and weeks following birth is one of the best things you can do to support your energy, milk production, and psychosomatic health after your baby is born.
Heal Generational Trauma
The birth industry has never been perfect. Your mothers and grandmothers who have been impacted by their experiences in the obstetric system have a lot to carry. Reclaiming your internal authority brings some release to any generational trauma carried in your body, and helps the wisdom of your ancestors to shine brighter than ever before - to serve as a beacon of love and guidance for you in your birth time and beyond.
Every Time a Woman Steps Into Her Power,
She Opens the Gate for Another Woman to Join Her.
OUR FAVORITE BIRTH EDUCATION RESOURCES
Embody Birth School with Maha Al Musa
Neonatal Resuscitation with Karen Strange
Get Access to our Full Resource Directory and More on Patreon
WORK WITH US
Birth matters. Postpartum matters. This time is a sacred dance between a mother and her baby.
While birth, like life herself, is unpredictable, we women are made for it. Birth, and the weeks surrounding it, is a time of discovery worthy of deep reverence.
Let's dive into your dream birth and explore how you can prepare for this divine bodytime.
NEW! | Undisturbed Birth & Postpartum Guide
Your birth and postpartum plans should be unique and in alignment with you and your values.
This guide sets the tone for undisturbed sacred space as birth and the early weeks of your Earthside return unfold, where birth is it's most protective.
Related on Patreon
Diana and Lynnea have a revigorating discussion on the origins of birth plans, obstetric violence, and setting intention for your birth space.
You can have a listen and check out our other video podcasts exclusive to Patreon below.