Waterbirth International

Waterbirth International is having a crisis and you can help. Visit their page to donate.

They had their first ever Gentle Birth World Congress this past year. It was extremely successful but apparently drained most of their resources. They are on the verge of closing! They need to raise money to keep functioning. I hope they are able to get what they need and continue on!

Waterbirth Int. is such a wonderful organization. They have so many resources available to help women and their families. I was contacted a couple of years ago by a woman who was working with them to have a waterbirth at one of our local hospitals. The hospitals here are largely unsupportive of waterbirth, even to the point of picking women up out of the tubs while the women are trying to push their babies out.

Our local midwifery organization had a waterbirth conference and Barbara Harper and Cornelia Ennings were both able to come and speak. I spent a couple quiet hours with Barbara as we discussed birth and our visions for maternity care in the United States. She is a wonderful lovely woman and I hope they are able to raise enough money to stay open so she can continue with her vision.

Lately I have been so discouraged about the conveyor belt course of birth in this country. I don't understand why consumers don't protect themselves. Why don't people take responsibility for their bodies, for understanding how things work and why they do this? Why don't people CHOOSE? This isn't like buying a can of soda or picking out a movie. This costs thousands of dollars and affects the rest of your life - physically and mentally. Not only will it touch your life, but the choices a woman makes about what is done to her or for her are going to affect her baby's life - forever. It seems like this should matter more. We should pick only those who are deserving to attend us. We put far too much trust in something that is broken, and not enough trust in something inherently normal.