I am not a midwife, even though many often assume that is the case. I just have a passion for birth as a women’s rights issue. Some say it is a human rights issue. The basic right to choice with regard to place of birth as stated in the World Health Organization’s statement on birth. To be respected and encouraged to participate in all the decision making while giving birth. To be able to give birth in their own way.
I’ve been a birth advocate most of my adult life. Since the late 70’s I have been personally involved in birth in significant ways. Since 1996 I have formally been helping families evaluate their birth options. This includes who, where, what and how as well as after baby arrives. Some parts of the standard birth environment have improved. Some have not. I encourage parents to interview, research and evaluate all their options. There are more decisions than most could imagine and at the end of the day it is the family that will live with the consequences of those choices.
The fact that one third of all women end up with major surgery, c-section, has begun to be noticed by many parents. What can be done about this? The choices parents make can go a long way toward avoiding this but the fear of possible surgery has to out weigh the fear of the pain of labor. I believe that this single factor is the road block to fully engaging in the research needed to make informed decisions about birth. The mind will need to be open enough and the heart brave enough to want to expend the effort involved to do the research necessary to make truly informed decisions.
I love this work. I enjoy being a part of the process of building families. It is best if referrals contact me personally as going to the web site can be overwhelming. I take phone calls and email. I then set up a short call to determine if a consult would be beneficial. Parents on public insurance can also be helped. There is a charge for this service. Thank you for your consideration.