Broadening the Conversation about Childbirth

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A conversation with three co-editors of Squat Birth Journal wasn’t on my original taping schedule. But when they contacted me, I thought it’d be a great topic for a show. Natural child birth, birthing without interventions and drugs, is about as sustainable an alternative (to the medical system) as it gets.

I had a dynamic and fascinating conversation with Jaydee Sperry (independent midwife), Meghan Guthrie (student midwife), and Danny Scar (aspiring midwife) (photo, right to left). Squat’s byline is “An Anarchist Birth Journal.” The people in the radical birth movement want to broaden the the conversation about options for families giving birth.

We conversed about “medicalized” midwives working within the medical system; midwives and doulas (who support the mother during labor) outside the medical system; the ability of midwives to facilitate higher-risk births like breech or twins; health insurance limitations and why laws regarding midwifery need changing; educational efforts so families know their options for birth; birthing within a caring community.

Returning to natural childbirth seems an essential element for sustainable living. After all, we’re all here because the vast majority of our foremothers practiced natural childbirth, most likely with midwives and within the embrace of community. (squatbirthjournal.blogspot.com).

Watch Reclaiming Childbirth (episode 190).

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