philosophy of birth

On the day you give birth, more than 300,000 other women will be birthing their babies right alongside you. In every town, city and hamlet, women will be giving birth. They might speak your language or communicate in a way that you do not understand. They might choose a midwife, an obstetrician, or a trusted wise woman to care for them. They might be surrounded by friends and family or they might have chosen solitude. But women will be working hard to bring their baby into our world – just like you. Birth is beautifully normal. Birth is work women know how to do.

Unfortunately, in our society today birth has often come to resemble a mechanized, medical emergency more than a peaceful, natural event. It is no wonder than many women's perceptions of birth are filled with pain and fear.

We believe in giving pregnant women accurate information about the choices available to them. Knowledge is power. However, cognitive knowledge is only one kind of power. There is also the power that comes from within. We can know things intellectually, but also need the emotional confidence to use that knowledge for our own good and for that of our child.

We believe that birth is a process, not simply an event. It begins when we are first aware of the new life growing inside us, be that an intuitive knowledge or those two pink lines showing up on an early morning test. It continues as we watch our bodies change and swell, as we begin to feel the waving arms and kicking legs of the child we are carrying. And it does not end until long after our child has entered this world.

Our goal is not just a healthy baby but a mother who knows her inner strength, has confidence in her ability and power, and has faith in her body to do what it was designed to do.