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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Meet the Mentor: Kathie Neff
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… Kathie Neff Kathie,…
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Report: Decolonize Birth 2018 Conference
Two weekends ago, I attended the third annual Decolonize Birth conference in Brooklyn, NY. Decolonize Birth is run by Ancient Song Doula Services, a community-based full-spectrum doula collective and training organization founded by Chanel Porchia-Albert. This year’s conference title was “Addressing the Criminalization of Black and Brown People within the Healthcare System.” I was only…
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A 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…
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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 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 starting…
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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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