Respect the Body and it's Natural Functions- The Core Values of Enlightened Birth & Doula Services

Over my many years of being in this field of Birth, I have seen a lot of things which people do to disrespect the natural functions of the body. Such as enhancing or speeding up birth, assuming that drugs don’t affect the body of both mother and child, assuming that the child inside the womb feels nothing and is affected by nothing. Restricting the mothers body during labor, etc.

I consider that one of the natural functions of the body, it to maintain a peaceful environment inside the womb for the child, for labor to start when it starts and for it to take as long as it takes.

However, I am not new to birth, and I understand that for some people, natural enhancement are required to get things rolling. And I believe that as long as we do not cross the line between helping the body to

accomplish it’s goals, and FORCING the body we are doing better than how we have been doing since “Modern” Medicine became Modern Medicine.

Some of you may disagree, and prefer to labor in very medical, hospital setting. Happy news is, this Core Value still applies to you! Even by doing just a little bit, you can help someone achieve a much nicer birth in a hospital

If a mother in labor feels hunger, feed her, if she is thirsty let her drink, if she wants to use the bathroom, let her walk herself to it, let her move, let her labor in peace. The paranoid rules that hospitals enforce on all mothers are meant to prevent major complications in High Risk patients– we are not all “High Risk” and these labels do not apply to all people. Respect the body and it’s natural functions and birth will be less of a hardship on the mothers body, and the baby’s body and help to decrease the fear of natural birth.