Childbirth and the Magic Pebble

What is it about east-coasters that make us find one another wherever we are?

Two weeks ago I took this childbirth educator workshop up at OHSU in Portland. One of the trainers is originally from New Jersey, which is really Brooklyn only with more malls and trees. Wouldn't you know it, we hit it off right away. I ended up missing a day of the training because I was at a birth, so this trainer graciously offered to give me a private class to fill me in on all that I missed.

What I walked away from the meeting with is this: I should probably teach in a hospital.

I always envisioned myself teaching out of my house, and truthfully, I probably will. But that's not where my greatest impact can or will be. Most of the people who would take my out-of-hospital class will probably have out-of-hospital births, which means that many of the things about intervention and so on will most likely not apply. The majority of women in the united states are having their babies in hospitals. They deserve a great education by great teachers who are passionate about birth. Educators who believe in their hearts and bodies that birth is normal. Educators that know that women were designed to birth their babies and that they innately possess the knowledge and power to do so.

Do I wish that more babies in the US were delivered by midwives? Absolutely.
Do I think home birth is a safe, wonderful option and should be more widely accepted by the medical community? You betcha.

But like with any other social change, the scales tip one pebble at a time. If I can impact one woman by equipping her with the tools she needs to have a safe, powerful, ecstatic birth, no matter where it will take place, it's a good day.