Posts by Pam England
Information Frenzy and Awareness Moments
Are you wondering what “birthing from within” means? Or what it means for a person to “give birth from within”? In a word: awareness. It would seem at first glance that a person who gathers lots of information during pregnancy is motivated and headed in the “right direction.” However, a more important detail of preparation…
Read MoreWhat about Cesarean Birth?: A BFW Perspective
This piece on cesarean birth is a modified excerpt from Ancient Map for Modern Birth by Pam England. To read more (and see the full list of citations), buy your copy here. Many pregnant people know and accept that cesarean birth may become necessary and do not resist learning more about it or considering the possibility, even…
Read MoreA Doula’s Gift
Once, there was a hospital midwife in Albuquerque who earned a favorable reputation among parents for her unusual form of labor support: she sat in the corner of the room and knitted. Initially, I anticipated mothers would feel the knitting-midwife was not really present to them, but, in fact, every mother I spoke with said…
Read MoreCreation, Not Imitation
Because the soul is progressive, it never quite repeats itself, but in every act attempts the production of a new and fairer whole. Thus, in our finer arts, not imitation, but creation is the aim. – Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841 When a childbirth mentor is in the flow, it’s a beautiful thing to witness or to receive.…
Read MoreWorry is the Work of Pregnancy
The reduction or even elimination of WORRY is often a main goal of expecting parents, and of the professionals who work with them. The positive intention behind this approach is obvious…but perhaps we ought to examine it a bit more closely. One of Pam England‘s important insights is that “Worry is the work of pregnancy.” In other…
Read MoreSpreading a Dream Tapestry Under Your Feet: The Soul Thread in Childbirth Education
Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths, Enwrought with golden and silver light, The blue and the dim and the dark cloths Of night and light and the half-light, I would spread the cloths under your feet: But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet . . .…
Read MorePam England’s Story
Birthing From Within® was conceived and developed by Pam England, MA, CNM, homebirth midwife and mother, who, inspired by her own birth experiences, developed this innovative, holistic approach to childbirth and postpartum preparation. When Pam became pregnant for the first time in 1982, she believed that her plan to birth at home was ensured because…
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