In the summer of 2005, I was pregnant and seeking alternatives to hospital birth. Internet searches gave me no results for Louisiana birth centers or midwives. The one homebirth support group I found in Baton Rouge was no longer active. But I kept searching for options.

In October of that year, my husband and I birthed our fourth child at home, alone. It was a beautiful sacred moment, and one of the happiest day of my life. Still, I remembered the solitude of that pregnancy.

The following spring, I sought to reach out to other women seeking homebirth. It took only a few meetings though before I realized that it wasn’t just homebirthers needing resources and support, it was all women seeking natural birth options. Thus was founded the Louisiana Natural Birth meetup.

We are a resource site, listing birth professionals, classes, and services which assist women choosing unmedicated birth. We are a support group, sounding off on the message board, seeking common experience, referrals, and advice. Primarily though, we are a meetup group, a gathering of women regularly sharing each other’s joys and sorrows, frustrations and elations.

Our goal is to promote natural birth as a healthy, empowering, doable option. We envision birth as a natural process, one requiring great inner strength and surrender, and one which needs minimal intervention. As women, we are strong, but that does not mean we need to be alone.

The vision of the Louisiana Natural Birth group is to work with birth professionals from all facets of the field: obstetricians, nurse midwives assisting in hospital, professional midwives assisting at home, doulas, and other birth assistants. We want to work together to ensure that each woman seeking non-medicated birth will be encouraged in her choice to do so.

We promote this path because natural birth is not simply the “brave” thing to do. Or the “trendy” thing to do. We certainly hope it is not viewed as the “extreme” thing to do. No. For the vast majority of women and infants undergoing normal pregnancies, natural birth is the optimal thing to do.

Each child's birth is a moment a mother will remember forever. Thus it should be a moment of beauty, intimacy, and sacredness. One that is treasured and shared with joy. Too often a woman’s birth experience is a grievous story of fear, helplessness, and manipulation. We encourage families to be proactive in their births –ask questions, make informed choices, anticipate a wonderful, amazing, awesome birth! And share those experiences with others.

Since our beginnings four years ago in March 2006, over 300 members have come through our site, from New Orleans and St. Charles, Houma and Shreveport, and everywhere in between. Today we are 244 members strong. We are the Louisiana Natural Birth meetup.

I had the chance to think about this topic a lot lately, even before Amy asked me to write it. Some very active members have been at odds with the LNB lately and have asked me to reconsider what this group is all about.

So, for clarity's sake and for the sake of those who were unable to attend, I'm posting the speech given about the Foundation, Goals, and Vision of the Louisiana Natural Birth meetup.

Thank you Mryiah for sharing these thoughts. It is certainly good for me to have clarity on what your hopes are for this group, it is important to me that I continue your vision, keeping the group's intgrity. As I mentioned earlier there is always going to be members that come and go but I am truly greatful to the ones who stick around and help to keep the LNB balanced and interesting. We need diverstiy. And we need the attention and respect of the birth professionals in our community. We can empower women all we want but we also have to influence those caring for women if we hope to see women get what it is they are asking for.

I keep thinking about this vision, as different members have their own visions and pull for various aspects of birth to be modified.

I like to walk the middle ground. I believe it is dangerous to fall into either extreme of "hospital birth is the only safe birth" or "homebirth is the only truly genuine birth experience." Some people have this idea that walking the middle road is being two faced or facetious or ingenuine. I don't feel that way about this approach.

My goal is to present women with the options available to them and allow them to do the research and make their own decisions. Once they choose the path they plan to take, it's up to us to support them in their decisions. I'm asking women to take responsibility for their choice of birth. That doesn't mean that I wait for them to make the "right" decision and blame them when things don't fall into my ideal of what birth is supposed to be.

I own all my birth experiences. I don't regret going to the hospital. I don't regret going unassisted. I made the choice according to the options I had at the time. We should appreciate our experiences for what they are and if we see something that should be different, then choose differently the next time around, but with hope, not regret.

Still thinking about the issue here. I agree that homebirth is great. Homebirth should not be the only "good" option though. As much as I hate to be involved with anything promoting "women's choices" because of the insidious undertones involved, LNB is about offering women birth choices.

The present situation is such that, even if just because of the pressure of the cultural norm, most women are hospital bound. The best we can do is provide support and resources for the woman to handle herself in that situation. While the odds are certainly not in the woman's favor, it is possible for a woman to birth naturally in the hospital. Unfortunately, sometimes the woman prepares herself and things still don't work out as planned, either because the woman's situation actually required intervention or because she was convinced that she couldn't go through with a natural labor. So what then? That's a tough question. I don't think it's beneficial though to present the woman with a list of "could've"s and "should've"s. Help her see what went well. Help her process it for herself and let her sift through the information on her own terms.

This is a rather inadequate analogy, but birth experiences can be compared to dating relationships. I entered in willingly. I enjoyed the experience for what it was. I learned things about the process and about myself. And that experience gave me wisdom for the next time around.

This is turning into a blog entry, but I welcome anyone's input.

I agree. There is definitely no one right place to birth. Natural is optimal though, and I like how we promote that rather than WHERE to do it.

It takes alot of soul searching to come to the way you want to birth. I've heard some birth stories which I would consider horrible, but the couple found the birth to be the best thing ever. I quickly forget my feelings and just become happy for them, in a genuine way too. B/c THAT is what matters, that their birth experience is satisfying for them and they are happy with it. Sure, not everyone has that; and if they are willing to talk about it, I move forward gently and let them do the talking and asking of questions.

Raising my virtual glass and cheering "here here!!!"


I know what is best for me. I do wish I had had the faith in myself, body and baby that I had the second time the first time around. . . but my first birth experience helped create that faith that I have now. I don't regret anything, I did what I could and for now I'll let Ingrid believe it when she tells me she was born in our tub like Leo. Her birth was perfect and she is still my perfect baby, even if things were different.

It's not our place to tell anyone what's best for them. . . ever. We can only offer our experiences, the knowledge we have and if a woman takes that and whatever else she comes across, processes it all and finds her path then we can respect her for the journey she's taken without agreeing with her decisions, because our opinion doesn't matter. If we were to command that women birth a certain way we are no better than a provider commanding women lay on their backs.

So, here's to the middle and being available to the greatest number of women that we can. . . for all those who will lend an ear.

I would love to hear from more members about this topic....

What do YOU think the purpose of the LNB is? How has it helped you in your journey? What would you like to see for the future of the group?

I especially want to hear from those who feel the LNB is not meeting their needs. What would you like to see more, or less of? What would you do differently? What do you see as our purpose and how have we fallen away from our intended purpose?

This group is only as strong and effective as it's members. We are about women coming together and sharing their own opinions and experiences. Your feedback, positive or negative, is always welcomed and encouraged. I would prefer that you post here so we can discuss this matter openly and come to resolve or further our purpose, but PM if you are not comfortable with this.

I wish I fully shared your optimism and acceptance and comfort for how you can help women obtain the birth they want (or at least they say they want). After teaching for 3 years in the BR maternity world, I feel more broken down then ever. It is hard to watch women who say they want a 'natural' birth make choices that I have seen to be statistically risky and rarely result in an outcome that was all they dreamed of, and often results in a downward spiral that results in all they DIDNT want to happen.. The worst part is seeing the women come out onto the other side (post partum) who never try natural birth again. They never feel comfortable with the idea of birthing naturally again. No, the worst part is they now feel like its not even important. Their first baby is fine. They are fine, right. Right? "I'm fine, right??? Don't you think it was fine?"

I feel horrible inside, because whether I could have helped more, regardless of whether it was 'their choice', I feel badly for the little babies whose chance at breastfeeding was damaged, the mothering relationship that I feel like was disrespected, and the potential that can be lost forever.

Are there women who come out the other side? Yes, I was one. Hospital, pit induced, non-pain med birth turned homebirth. I am the exception, the rare exception. Just because I came out 'okay', doesnt mean that everyone is as lucky. Lucky is the word I use often. I just as easy could have been a section, by the true grit in my heart, I was not. If I had been a section, the potential of a bradley instructor (the only in BR), nursing momma, and the future homebirther, would have been put into great danger. Who would I be now if things had gone ever so slightly differently 4 years ago?

I always strive to be polite to those making 'their choices'. I just have a hard time being supportive, yet informative, for the majority of mommas who want a 'natural' birth, yet go on to accept so many of the obstacles that are hospital policy and the known risks associated with certain birth customs/norms here in BR. Its frustrating as someone who is being asked to help to repeatedly see the same things happen, "my ob wasnt on call; the baby is big; my fluid low" but not say anything other than "oh gosh, I am so sorry that happened to you." While in the back of my mind I am yelling "I tried so hard to politely tell you that this happens all the time, but you insisted that you were special and things would be different for you."

I certainly dont think all women should homebirth. That is not what I think this issue is about. Birth can neither be objectively described as 'good' or 'natural'. For me, I am struggling with the idea of 'can birth be safe?'. What is our responsibility as mothers to seek out 'safe' birth? To most, sections and inductions and epis (of both kinds) and circs adn formula feeding are 'safe'. I dont think they are safe at all. I think they can be risky behaviors that put our children as risk.

I want to support women in making safe birthing decisions that are for their families best long term health and that support the family bond. i am still so conflicted about how is best to go about that. LNB is doing a great job at allowing women a place to come and discuss their issues.

Nicky,
I really appreciate your input. I was completely unaware of those types of experiences going on -- women never wanting to try natural birth again, because what's the point?
Thinking about it now, I do remember being in a conversation similar to that with a group of women. They were laughing about how they all had wanted natural births and "What were they thinking? What was the big deal back then!" I went home so frustrated because it's a really big deal to a lot of us.
I have to point out that I'm always learning and that's why I invite these discussions. I want to hear your experiences and views. It pains me to hear those stories from Nicki.

I read this today and wanted to share:
For too long now, pregnancy and birth have been under the control of a patriarchy that persists in treating women like children and birth like a well-oiled machine where only the end product matters, not the journey of its creation. As a result of this, two separate backlashes are forming. Those who experienced trauma or rape in their first births are either electing for planned caesareans (which have their own, very real risks), terrified of going through the pain and degradation again, or forgoing hospitals altogether and birthing their babies at home, sometimes even unassisted by any professionals (called ‘unassisted childbirth’ or UC). While homebirth is a perfectly safe option and one that I fully support (I’m having one myself this autumn), I know that many women are not comfortable with the idea and instead of forcing them into something they don’t want, we should be striving to make all birthing environments, whether at home or in hospital, both safer and more peaceful and empowering.

This came from Not A Happy Birthday.

One reason I greatly dislike hospitals is because of the medical professionals so often taking on that parent/child relationship. I knew I couldn't handle that during my first birth and that's why I chose to transfer to a birthing center at 32 weeks. I wanted to be treated like a responsible thinking woman. I reluctantly birthed my third child in hospital, followed by a UC birth. I'm very uncomfortable in the hospital environment. It irks me the moment I walk through the doors. Still, I recognize that other women would be completely uncomfortable at home. And I think our goal should be to "make all birthing environments...sarfer and more peaceful and empowering." It's a long long long road. But that's the ultimate goal. In the meantime, most of us continue to choose homebirth.