tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276357.post4580381805604562531..comments2021-03-22T07:46:02.329-07:00Comments on Letters from Laura - Thoughts on Unassisted Childbirth: The Original Birth AttendantsLaura Shanleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04207774333833035614noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276357.post-54175831146567402122011-11-11T07:44:05.158-08:002011-11-11T07:44:05.158-08:00Great comment, AmericaoCanada! I agree! Thanks f...Great comment, AmericaoCanada! I agree! Thanks for sharing.Laura Shanleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04207774333833035614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276357.post-55005854059668723692011-11-10T07:00:38.696-08:002011-11-10T07:00:38.696-08:00I loved the article! While I didn't have my dr...I loved the article! While I didn't have my dream 'unassited' birth with my son, I do hope to in the future.<br /><br />I have felt strongly about birth for awhile, and am currently reading a 'midwife' book. While I do enjoy the book, and how it is written, I find that it does sort of raise the midwife up a bit, and lower the woman a little. Perhaps not intentinally... but it makes me slightly turned off to midwives. <br /><br />I sort of want to be a midwife, but I disagree with how they are more 'doctors' on the go noawadays. I'd love to live in a village and be a sort of mother's helper. Unfortunately that is not how our modern world works so I may not do anything.<br /><br />Birth does belong to the mother, and she can do it. Fear, illusions and doubt are in probably 99% of the cases, the only real problem.AmericaoCanadahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06919488545626924252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276357.post-78629538935880339392010-05-09T14:08:29.663-07:002010-05-09T14:08:29.663-07:00Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful comments...Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful comments, Claire! I so hope we get to meet again!Laura Shanleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04207774333833035614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276357.post-18815399323619542872010-05-09T03:35:14.735-07:002010-05-09T03:35:14.735-07:00Hi Laura - I met you at the Trust Birth conference...Hi Laura - I met you at the Trust Birth conference in LA this year - I am Claire - a midwife from Australia. Thank you so much for your post (JF directed me here this evening). You have expressed so much truth and I wish more women could hear it and take it on board. <br />My journey has been a round about one - from nursing, to intensive care to midwifery (found my love) to home births and now to supporting women in their choice to unassisted birth if that is what they desire. <br /><br />(Even in my midwifery practice, I spend all my time in pregnancy getting to know women so I am not a stranger in their space. No VE's or pushing directives from me.)<br /><br />I have come under much fire for going public with my views - that birth belongs to women, not midwives, and now see it as my life's work to have it come to fruition for women "midwife" each other in their communities. I also call doulas and mothers present at births "midwives" in the true sense of the word - with woman. No qualification necessary - just supporting what the woman wants. <br />Midwives as "professionals" is what is wrong. Convincing the world that midwives needed a medical education, even an accredited "midwifery" education is where medicalised birth took its last ground. The idea of a hired professional at such an intimate time just seems unnatural doesn't it? <br />Sorry for such a long comment - just wanted to say - love your work.<br />Many blessings<br />Claire HallClaire Hallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09752187911131332454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276357.post-57666702167815041682010-04-08T10:49:07.256-07:002010-04-08T10:49:07.256-07:00wow. this is exactly what i've been TRYING to ...wow. this is exactly what i've been TRYING to say to everyone who thinks i need a midwife. haha<br />thank you thank you thank you for this!e.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03198507762528928696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276357.post-47155600235900631912009-08-17T14:55:47.681-07:002009-08-17T14:55:47.681-07:00Thanks so much, Sarah!Thanks so much, Sarah!Laura Shanleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04207774333833035614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276357.post-42096931816998779032009-08-17T14:25:35.700-07:002009-08-17T14:25:35.700-07:00Months later, but I really enjoyed this article. V...Months later, but I really enjoyed this article. VERY well done, beautifully articulating my thoughts exactly! I really appreciate how you've - intentionally or otherwise - taken on the roll of Public Defender of Unassisted Childbirth and the Woman Who Choose It! You give us all a good name!Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00907539721865214428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276357.post-23639402537612956562009-06-15T19:21:04.547-07:002009-06-15T19:21:04.547-07:00This was very informative and helpful. Something j...This was very informative and helpful. Something just didn't seem to make sense that midwives were always around. Thanks Laura.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276357.post-66852310192502510242009-06-06T17:03:55.564-07:002009-06-06T17:03:55.564-07:00If the mother feels she needs support, she can ask...If the mother feels she needs support, she can ask a friend to be with her. And it doesn't have to be a female. I had 3 friends at my first birth and all of them were male. If a woman truly doesn't have any friends or family, and she doesn't feel comfortable giving birth alone, then a midwife might be the next best thing. But only if the midwife didn't insist on adhering to government rules and regulations. Thanks for your comments, JenJen!Laura Shanleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04207774333833035614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276357.post-36677308800132588822009-06-06T12:38:40.747-07:002009-06-06T12:38:40.747-07:00What about situations where the pregnant mother ha...What about situations where the pregnant mother has no mother or other close female family member nearby? I know hiring a midwife is not a real replacement for family, but it still seems like there has to be some alternative for those without family.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17838176251788426253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276357.post-20518587900123494662009-05-01T17:23:00.000-07:002009-05-01T17:23:00.000-07:00Congratulations, Laura! I briefly looked at your b...Congratulations, Laura! I briefly looked at your blog (your family is gorgeous!) and will go back and read more later. Regarding midwives, it's too bad that so many of them are doing to UCer's what doctors have done to them. They don't understand the concepts behind UC, and in some cases are actually siding with doctors in condemning it. UC requires a change in consciousness, and this is something that many people fear. But those who are able to truly internalize these concepts and create the birth of their dreams are forever changed. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!Laura Shanleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04207774333833035614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276357.post-33686408466409742522009-05-01T16:53:00.000-07:002009-05-01T16:53:00.000-07:00Thank you so much for writing your latest entry La...Thank you so much for writing your latest entry Laura. I think I shut myself off to the hysteria until I gave birth to our 3rd child a daughter unassisted 11weeks ago and then all of a sudden so many people came out of the woodwork against everything that just felt so right to me for us this time. <br /><br />I felt so raw, to even talk about our journey seemed taboo we have a healthy baby 'just as well nothing went wrong'. Much of my mothering life I have spent around other birthing activists including midwifes and now I was the so called reckless one. It was as though I should be ashamed to have not worked through my apparent issues and found a midwife. The thing is now looking back our daughter knew all along this was how it was meant to be and all I had to do was inform myself and trust our instincts together so for me it was a huge learning experience, a journey in believing in myself and trusting what I felt was right.<br /><br />I am appalled that midwifes who claim to be with woman would be mocking UC, claiming it is because 'they have seen things go wrong'. I have never been one to criticize either but right now I am seriously questioning those I considered true midwifes with a heavy heart.<br /><br />It is often said that women who choose to birth unassisted do so for many reasons but rarely are they actually even close to the mark of the real reasons and if they can get past this mentality that birth belongs to the keepers then maybe us women would be listened to clearly.<br /><br />Maybe a tad jumbled here feeding at keyboard so have a bit of breastfeeding brain.<br /><br />I also wanted to share with you our birthing journey in the hope that maybe someone else finds some light through our journey http://lozsconfessions.blogspot.com/2009/03/journey-to-birthing-zahli.html<br /> <br />With Love<br />LauraIshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04663804674168323479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276357.post-29350091387010871572009-04-24T12:48:00.000-07:002009-04-24T12:48:00.000-07:00Thanks for all the great comments, gals! I've been...Thanks for all the great comments, gals! I've been hesitant to criticize midwives over the years because I know that in most cases their hearts are in the right place. But it seems that many of them are taking on a savior mentality in an attempt to rescue us from our supposedly incompetent selves. They reject Big Brother (in the form of ACOG or the AMA) but don't realize that in many ways they're becoming Big Sister. No, we don't need "new and better authority figures" in birth. We need to believe in our own abilities. The good midwives realize this, and encourage women to be as self-sufficient as possible. The savior midwives try to take over and then scold us if we reject their offers of "help."Laura Shanleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04207774333833035614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276357.post-25294575839581862042009-04-24T11:30:00.000-07:002009-04-24T11:30:00.000-07:00I agree with this article, I have given birth unas...I agree with this article, I have given birth unassisted twice, once to my two yr old daughter and now to my two month daughter, my family and friends call me "supermama" and I have remained humble however I feel a strength and courage in me that no other situation could have provided to me, I completely recognize the importance of keeping birth private and not having a doctor or midwife telling what to do and how to do it, some of my female counterparts have had difficult birth experiences while I have never allowed the fear to take over the sacred aspect of birth.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01601455971633296183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276357.post-53256645121236196612009-04-24T10:23:00.000-07:002009-04-24T10:23:00.000-07:00Well said! I loved your conclusion, that birth bel...Well said! I loved your conclusion, that birth belongs to moms, babies, and sometimes dads.sociallyskilledhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04014309763676143248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276357.post-38368827446622138912009-04-23T20:57:00.000-07:002009-04-23T20:57:00.000-07:00I love the unjustified arrogance of all of these '...I love the unjustified arrogance of all of these 'professionals'<br /><br />God forbid that during my pregnancy, some woman/midwife told me to my face, that my choice to have a natural unassisted birth was very wrong or nearly a crime, I dont know if I could keep myself from slapping her. <br /><br />It is insecurity and the influence of society leading the 'Sheeple' of the world to doubt themselves and to rely way too heavily on other people telling them what to do. (just so happens, that those ‘other people’ are making lots of money off of you in the process) The Sheeple are too afraid and scared to do it on their own, natures way.<br /><br />A gal I know is pregnant and she nearly lives at the hospital now and wont stop having scans, since she found out that she was pregnant. This is because she's a hypo-condriac. The sad shame is that our 'modern' human society encourages that type of behaviour instead of empowering its people with real knowledge. <br />Thank you Laura for your knowledge and for your effort.Lisa2dutchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14369805789091543183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276357.post-85060619291748694332009-04-23T12:20:00.000-07:002009-04-23T12:20:00.000-07:00You're being way too nice, Laura.
A midwife with ...You're being way too nice, Laura.<br /><br />A midwife with a big ego is not helpful to dilation.WiseWomanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10339841433199041747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276357.post-2961651209155590132009-04-21T14:45:00.000-07:002009-04-21T14:45:00.000-07:00Say it louder, Laura!Say it louder, Laura!Cindyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03172922140243959944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276357.post-89999173895553000412009-04-20T06:04:00.000-07:002009-04-20T06:04:00.000-07:00Thank you for putting this information out there. ...Thank you for putting this information out there. I think mothers need to understand this!Malloryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04991788960863652000noreply@blogger.com