04/07/2026
Most natural out of hospital (or in the hospital) births will transpire with little cortisol inducing drama. Births, with women who focus on optimal nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices, generally happen beautifully. I am not the "savior" at birth. Usually, the outcome of your birth would have been the same with or without me. I may have some suggestions to help things progress and help you feel supported. I do have training and experience to help ease the birth journey and walk beside you in the role you were born to do. Most of the work was done before this moment. We have spent months preparing for this moment. Really, I help with some knowledge and skill, but you did the work to prepare.
Since the majority of births transpire without an emergency, it has developed a cultural attitude of TRUST BIRTH. Births have a way of pleading to get in the birth pool and then getting mad because the water is wet.
Reasons I don't trust birth:
Because:
*I have seen a waterfall of blood pouring over a baby's face and we have to get baby out before we can stop it.
*A baby born with a lack of surfactant had a heartbeat that would drop abnormally low without oxygen therapy.
*Shoulder dystocias so stuck that you can feel the adrenaline burning through your stomach
*Women within seconds of birthing were sitting in 2 quarts of blood
*Babies whose good outcomes were dependent on Neonatal Resuscitation
I have seen those births that were dependent on midwifery skills to prevent injury, morbidity or even death. Those births that take my adrenal glands weeks, if ever, to recover from. Those births that I trained for years and spent hundreds of hours in education to be prepared for. Those births that you do what you have to do because there is no one else and cry about when your emotions catch up with you in the quiet space.
I 100% believe women have the right to choose to birth their way. Their freedom to freebirth should be protected. I worry that many are not making informed choices about it. I worry that if things go wrong that the community that encouraged this experience will turn their back on them and they will be alone. I am concerned that some "birth keepers" are either ignorant or narcissistic and not giving informed choice. Just Trust birth. I worry that the enormous pressure for a mom or partner may traumatize them beyond what they realized when they hold all the responsibility. I worry that they will be unable to shoulder the responsibility. This is evident when they show up at a hospital claiming some unnamed midwife attended their birth.
It is concerning when midwives just trust birth and don't give truly informed consent. Informed consent can be manipulated by any provider for or against a procedure. It is concerning when midwives don't follow standard of midwifery care and ignore the signs of possible distress.
Birth can be twirling in the daisies and making crowns and then be angry because the daises didn't match their dress. I don't trust birth. I respect birth.
On a lighter note: What is the most ridiculous tantrum your toddler has thrown?
