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 some of these pieces as inspiration and jumping-off points to create a new 12-part series about changing birth in our culture that reflects current understandings within the…
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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 some of these pieces as inspiration and jumping-off points to create a new 12-part series about changing birth in our culture that reflects current understandings within the…
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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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Nursing From Within: How BFW Supports My Work as a Nurse
Medical professionals have a way of speaking with authority. We are taught about building therapeutic patient relationships in school, but we have the habit of always speaking as though we are imparting our expert wisdom from on high. I never learned how to build really honest, supportive connections until I encountered Birthing From Within. As…
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BFW Dictionary: Labyrinth
On October 27, 2018, BFW facilitators Deidre Coutsoumpos and Koyuki Smith had the honor of presenting a workshop, “Learning through Listening: Using the Labyrinth to Move Through Trauma,” at the second Black Birth Matters conference hosted by Birthmark Doulas in New Orleans. Many participants were eager to learn more about labyrinths, both real and metaphorical, and how we…
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