I have been part of the Gentle Birth Movement for many years.  I first learned about homebirth and how to honor women in labor from the highly respected elder midwives at the Midwife Alliance of North America (MANA) conferences, who shared stories about homebirth and talked about expanding midwife education and outreach. Over the years, I was able to put all of this into practice while helping hundreds of women give birth. It is these mamas and babies who are my greatest teachers. It is though observing the miracle of life unfolding before me that I truly began to trust birth and to trust that a woman’s body could do it without interventions. Now is time for women to reclaim birth and that is what this is all about.

What is occurring now is that we are in the midst of a paradigm shift away from the medical model of birth to a more traditional, natural model. Women are demanding respect for their birth process and  “a-back-to-nature” way of birthing. Many women are called to help by pursuing careers as Midwives and Doulas. Our vision is to empower the movement forward, to strengthen the “troops” with knowledge, information, and education about gentle birth, and to provide options, choices, and the best available products that support women during this momentous time in their lives.

This is about gathering our global community together, expanding our consciousness, and strengthening our base. Women are the leaders, the sisters, the mamas, and the friends. We are all in this together to help shift the medical model of birth. Of course there is a time and a place for all medical intervention and thankfully we have really skilled doctors and nurses who save lives every day. However, there are far too many interventions happening in childbirth and what was once a very low Cesarean Section rate in this country has now risen to an insane 35 percent. Really? Is this what we want for our sisters, our daughters and our future mothers?

This is the moment that the midwives and gentle birth advocates have been working towards for decades. Pioneers and amazing midwives like Ina May Gaskin, Robin Lim, Dorothea Lang, and Marina Alzugaray and many others have risked everything to bring natural alternatives to birthing women.  Today, with ever increasing frequency, women’s birth choices are being respected. More and more women are choosing out of hospital birth experience and more women are bringing Doulas with them into the hospitals.

The shift is occurring in auxiliary fields as well. Insurance companies are beginning to hear the outcry for change. Midwives are reimbursed now for  homebirth by some insurance companies (albeit minimally) and some insurance companies are even reimbursing Doulas who are certified by DONA.

I have seen many positive changes over the last 15 years related to how birth is handled. We still have a long way to go, but I do see the light at the end of the tunnel. Little by little what is truly important – empowering women, protecting babies and preserving the sacredness of birth – will prevail. Birthwell is dedicated to this process.

You may wonder what we are up to? Besides offering wonderful childbirth services and holistic treatments for women and babies, Birthwell Los Angeles has created a line of amazing gift baskets and other special products that can be ordered on-line. The idea is for this cottage industry to support and employ single mothers who can bring their babies to work with them. The purpose is to generate funding for the many educational projects that we have planned for the near future. I am happy to bring this vision to you, so please help spread the word and share this with as many women as possible. As we have witnessed with the “Occupy Wall Street” movement, the little people can be heard and can make a difference when we all come together.

Until next time,
Happy Birthing,

Mari Oxenberg CNM

“Birthwell Birthing Secret of the Month”:

How to handle the intensity of labor contractions using your voice and your breath.

I always tell my clients that “Babies come with sound”. This is something that I learned in my Prenatal Yoga Teachers Training course at Integral Yoga in Virginia. It was explained to me by my wise teachers that is it virtually impossible to tense up your muscles when you are making a low deep sound while you exhale. The lower the sound you make with your voice, the more relaxed your body becomes. The more relaxed your muscles are, the less labor hurts. Therefore, one of the most important things you can do while in labor is to keep your body as soft and relaxed as possible. Hard to do when you are feeling strong contractions, I know, unless you are allowing your voice to make deep, low and full sounds.

So don’t be afraid to use your voice in labor. Go deep within and with your voice let your primal mama out! This may come naturally to some women, but others may need to practice this before hand in order to feel comfortable. That is why I incorporate sounding in my prenatal yoga video and encourage pregnant women to practice using their voice before their labor starts. “Practice makes perfect,” as they say.