Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Womb with a View


I know a doula who starts off every one of her introductory conversations with the question "have you ever seen a birth"?

How do we know about birth? From stories told by our sisters, grandmothers, and mothers. Told by our best friends and co-workers and random people in our yoga class and at the co-op and on the subway. Told by our douals and doctors. Stories on the internet, on the TV and in movies, on the radio, at the Natural History museum. This is alot of information; maybe even overload. But have you ever SEEN a real birth?

I knew I wanted to be in the birthing field before I had ever seen a birth, I was positive that this was the right career for me but still there was a bit of trepidation...what would it actually look like? Scary, gory and painful? Would I faint?

By the time I had my first birth, I had already missed two (those babies just came so fast!) and so had seen the blood, placenta and tear repairs. My first one was so breathtakingly natural and beautiful- it made me (almost) cry. I felt part of something that was strong and intuitive.

A new feature on my side-bar is a list of birth/ baby films- under "Birth Media"- that I love and think are terribly important as visual resources for all expectant parents and birth professionals alike.

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