Natural Birth is the process of allowing a woman to listen and move as her laboring body bids. Natural Birth is to give her as much space, or as much coddling as she demands. Free from interruption, or invasion, to be allowed to eat, and drink!

Natural birth is to be free from modern unnecessary interventions,  letting nature do…what it has done for the last 250,000- 400,000 years.

Free from drugs, fetal monitors and TIME! Free from time.

When A woman is given TIME she will birth naturally and the entire transition with its sea shore like rushes..will have an experience good or bad that will ultimately reshape her adult life.

But in America today, where 1-3 Women will have a Cesarean Section, those freedoms of natural movement are under the drip of western medicalization.

And this is where a Doula comes in…

Whats a Doula?

A Doula traditionally meant ‘Servant’ or ‘Slave’ in the Greek  language. It was adopted in the 80’s by the natural Birth movement and has stuck ever since.

A Doula in the year 2010 means a woman ( and on the rare occasion a man) whom gives emotional, physical supporting to a woman in the birthing process.  Doulas have been depicted through out the ages side by side a large bellied vision of mother hood, bent or taunt back in the throws of labor.

We are not clinical support, though many Doulas like myself have extensive medical backgrounds. We are there to ease the Mother and her partner, making something as natural as a monthly cycle, or  a bodily movement go as smoothly as  Nature will allow.

And if we know anything about nature and Birth…its completely unpredictable!

Sadly most women in the American society fear child birth and have a picture of terrifying pain, the tearing of the entire body, and the horrific thought of possibly having a major dangerous invasive surgeries like the Cesarean section.

 

While in an emergency of severe non clinically induced fetal distress; the Cesarean section is an amazing operation.

But its not necessary when women are allowed to move, eat and labor as their body bids them. The united states has the Highest rate of cesarean. there is conflicting data. Any where between 45-60% infant and Mother die on the surgical table or with in several days. (Note data is difficult to get based on reporting of the physicians and the bad practice of NOT informing the CDC of surgical related death. ( yes most OB surgeons report deaths during C- Section as part of the birth, and not a substantial 2-3 liter blood loss from slipped scalpel or unwarranted surgery.)

 

The facts need to be known. Most women do more research on the next couch they will purchase, or the interior of their car then they do preparing for their birth.

 

Most women are told that C- Sections have marginal if low risk and side effects. Again I BS. When I was working for a large hospital here in Seattle, I asked several of the OBs if they had ever been to a Natural birth, including their own.

One OB had been to a natural birth. in INDIA! And it was while she was on vacation!

I also asked them what was the hospitals epidural rate.

“Oh, I’d say easily 80- 85% of them get the drip”

And how many of those women end up with C- Sections?

The Docs paused and looked at each other, just making the connection.

“…70-75%… wow, that’s not good.”

 

That wasn’t the last time I talked to those Drs about invasive Birth practices and the medicalization. Though they agreed there was a serious problem and they were ashamed and blanched as their labs coasts when I brought them more hard statistics, they said.

“Look, our hands are tied, we’re crunched by numbers and that damn clock.’

They’ve got a clock in every room! The Charge Nurse tells us to open up beds…because the Chief Medical officer doesn’t want the women laboring in his halls! So we call it a failure to progress.“

 

“Failure to progress”  My favorite excuses as to why nearly 65%  of women are slashed open and robbed of one of the most important transitions in their life. While that sounds more like a trailer for the next flick, its the truth.

One in three babies will be born by Cesarean.

I want to empower and bring the strengths ALL women are born with to the labor table. Where in the last 10,000 years did we go wrong?

Why have we women here in America lost our way while all of our fellow nations, who by far have substantially 70% less health care…have healthier mothers and babies?