We should birth wherever our body takes us.

We should birth wherever our body takes us. 

During birth there is no reason a woman should be restricted to any one location unless she is under medical supervision for a serious condition, or undergoing a c-section. Of course if she chooses to be on an epidural, she cannot walk and therefore remains tethered to a bed.

There are a multitude of motivations a woman should be active and mobile during her labor and birth. 

As the woman remains upright throughout her labor the baby receives continues opportunities to descend through they pelvis and engage the birth canal. The woman should walk, stand, squat, and move into various “active” positions such as hands & knees, tailor pose. She can also create figure 8’s with her hips. In an active labor, the uterus also gets opportunities to tilt back and forth which also assists the baby by providing space for them to shift and by massaging (pre birth stimulation) their torso. 

Labor is a marathon. If you expect your body and mind to make it to the finish line, this is going to require a daily commitment during the pregnancy. A commitment to movement, and to the dispelling of fears, myths and mental blocks. 

The average birth today will set up a woman to remain on her back, tethered to a bed, in fear of the unknown and highly dependent on the industrial medical complex. What we see in Hollywood is a woman, “resting” on a bed, either waiting or writhing in pain. This is so far from what could be your reality and the biological reality in general. 

When a woman is on her back in labor the weight of her uterus, the baby, amntioic fluid, and placenta all compress the inferior vena cava which lives behind the uterus. This inferior vena cava supplies oxygen to the baby and the lower half of the woman’s body. Is it any wonder why we hear about baby’s hearts and oxygen levels decelerating so much during birth leading to “emergency c sections”.

At a home Birth the woman has the entire space at her disposal. She can let her body lead her in and out of rooms, the tub, balcony, garden, toilet, cozy bed. She uses furniture as a tool to support her body. This is purely intuitive and sometimes guided by a doula, midwife or husband who can provide containment when the woman is in full surrender. 

When the time comes to push an un-medicated woman will know. Nobody needs to tell her she has to push, or what to do because her body will lead. 

Sometimes women plan to birth on in their beds or in the birthing pool, however the baby may have other plans. They may need a certain position to exit and this is why we sometimes see babies born on toilets, on the floor or while mother is on hands and knees. 

During this birth I was the photographer and doula. We moved pretty quickly into this position. Kind of like stop, drop and roll (push) ☺️ She needed to recline on the wood floor. As the doula I got under her so I could be her “bed” and because I had my camera nearby I could capture the birth while supporting her physically and energetically. Her husband was by her side and midwife assisting the baby’s exit/entrance (however you want to see it). 

Usually 3-20 minutes after the baby is born, the placenta is born. The mother puts the baby to the breast immediately. This will contract the uterus and encourage the placenta out. At a homebirth there is no rush, no false sense of urgency (unless there is actually something genuinely requiring urgent care). The mother can enjoy her baby while the placenta takes it’s time being born.  

Once it’s out the mother can see the placenta. Midwives will typically show the mother the placenta while it’s still attached to the baby via umbilical cord.  There is a subtle, nuanced transition where the placenta slowly surrenders itself. Like a true mother. 

As the baby is formed, the placenta is created by both the sperm and the egg. It sustains life for the baby and is it’s first companion and touchstone before meeting the mother on the outside. It makes its own sounds and frequencies that form the baby physically and energetically while in the womb 

For these reasons it should be given the same reverence as a we would a mother. Never discarded or mishandled. 

And how beautiful is it that after the placenta sacrifices itself, as a disposable organ, leaving the body when the birth is finished, it gives itself up to the mother and baby to be consumed for nourishment. 

If you are considering a sovereign, intervention-free birth experience please do not hesitate to reach out. 

Warmly,

Eyla