12 Ways to Change Birth in Our Culture, Part 3: Initiating, Nurturing, and Supporting Birth Workers
In 2010, Pam England wrote a series of pieces about ways in which we can change birth in our culture. The Birthing From Within leadership and blog team has chosen 12 of these pieces and updated them to reflect current understandings within the birth world as well as our current approaches and offerings as an…
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BFW Dictionary: Birth Art
There are so many words that are special to Birthing From Within, words that we use in very specific ways that are important and meaningful — but not always entirely self-explanatory. The purpose of the BFW Dictionary posts is to shine a clarifying light on the language used by BFW and its practitioners and to…
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How to Use Childbirth Education Handouts Thoughtfully
One of the wonderful things about practicing Birthing From Within is that while we all work from the same core ideas and experiences, no two mentors are exactly the same. About six months ago, BFW mentor Megan Malone-Franklin wrote a wonderful piece for this blog about why she and her wife don’t use handouts in…
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12 Ways to Change Birth in Our Culture, Part 2: Embracing our Elders
In 2010, Pam England wrote a series of pieces about ways in which we can change birth in our culture. The Birthing From Within leadership and blog team has chosen 12 of these pieces and updated them to reflect current understandings within the birth world as well as our current approaches and offerings as an…
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Report: Ghost Ranch Advanced Birth Story Listening Retreat
In November 2018, a group of amazing birth workers gathered at Ghost Ranch, in Abiquiu, New Mexico to journey deep into the world of Birth Story Listening with our fearless guides Pam England, Nikki Shaheed, and Nicole Tricarico. We came from all corners of the USA and around the world. We brought with us expertise…
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Nourishing the Life Within: Vegan Herbal Broth and Golden Curry Lentil Stew
In Ancient Map for Modern Birth, Pam England writes of the importance of “Nourishing the Life Within” with tasty, satisfying, and nutritious food. In this series, we tap chefs, nutritionists, postpartum doulas, and other kitchenistas for their favorite ideas for: pregnant and postpartum parents…sleep deprived doulas, midwives, and nurses…and anyone whose inner spirit is in…
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12 Ways to Change Birth in Our Culture, Part 1: Magical Birth Stories for Children
In 2010, Pam England wrote a series of pieces about ways in which we can change birth in our culture. The Birthing From Within leadership and blog team has chosen 12 of these pieces and updated them to reflect current understandings within the birth world as well as our current approaches and offerings as an…
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Meet the Mentor: Koyuki Smith
In our ongoing Meet the Mentor series, you’ll get a chance to meet some of our amazing Birthing From Within Childbirth Educators and Doulas. You’ll learn a little bit about their Birthing From Within work – and, just for fun, get a glimpse into their personal lives and opinions! Today, let’s meet… Koyuki Smith It’s…
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Report: Black Birth Matters 2018 Conference
On October 27, 2018, my fellow facilitator Koyuki Smith and I presented a Birthing From Within workshop at the Black Birth Matters conference, organized by the Birthmark Doula Collective in New Orleans. The theme of the conference was “Mind over Matter: Mental Health and Mothering.” The title of our presentation was “Learning Through Listening: Using…
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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…
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BFW Dictionary: Outcome
There are so many words that are special to Birthing From Within, words that we use in very specific ways that are important and meaningful — but not always entirely self-explanatory. The purpose of the BFW Dictionary posts is to shine a clarifying light on the language used by BFW and its practitioners and to…
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What 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…
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