Labor & Birth
12 Ways to Change Birth in Our Culture, Part 10: Know that Birth is a Heroic Journey
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…
Read MoreWho Should Be There?: Making Decisions about Who Will Attend Your Birth
Many parents-to-be spend at least some time worrying about who should be present for the births of their babies. Childbirth educators, doulas, and other birth professionals often field questions about the matter. “Who should I bring to the hospital with me?” “So-and-so wants to be at the birth, but I’m not sure I want that…what…
Read MoreBFW 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…
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 MoreOn 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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