Creation, 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.…
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Meet the Mentor: Carrie Kenner
In our ongoing Meet the Mentor series, you’ll get a chance to meet some of our amazing Birthing From Within Certified 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! We are happy to be…
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Nourishing the Life Within: Chicken Quinoa Soup with Greens, Coconut, Turmeric, and Ginger
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 of posts, 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…
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BFW Dictionary: Gate
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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Why We Don’t Use Childbirth Education Handouts
The topic of childbirth education handouts often comes up in online groups for birth professionals, and the Facebook group for Birthing From Within practitioners is no different. When the topic was raised again recently, BFW mentor and doula Megan Malone-Franklin had a fascinating response. Megan and her wife, BFW mentor and doula Marlee Malone-Franklin, don’t use childbirth education…
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Worry 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…
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Spreading 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 . . .…
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Meet the Mentor: Nikki Shaheed
In our ongoing Meet the Mentor series, you’ll get a chance to meet some of our amazing Birthing From Within Certified 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! We are happy to be…
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The Place of No Story: “My Birth” by Carmen Winant
They started popping up in New York City area birth workers’ Instagram feeds in the spring months of this year – cryptic images of a collection of birth photographs taped to a white wall with blue painter’s tape. Some of the images were zoomed in, showing just a few photos; others were zoomed out to…
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On Being Human in Birth
If there were an award for outstanding work in helping humans to be human, Birthing From Within would win hands down. So many childbirth classes work in black-and-white terms: proven ways to shorten your labor, or to birth with no pain, or even to enjoy orgasm as your baby emerges from your body. Such classes…
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Meet the Mentor: Erika Primozich
In our ongoing Meet the Mentor series, you’ll get a chance to meet some of our amazing Birthing From Within Certified 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! We are happy to be…
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BFW Dictionary: Mentor
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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