Bellywater Births believes the following:
Over
the years, I have listened to many
women, ages 16-90; describe in vivid
emotional detail their reproductive journey. Most expressed that
negative or false information via faulty notions, media, well intending
family members or in-congruent medical opinions induced fear within them concerning their growing baby, labor & birth. Most of these women made “assumptions” on their ability to birth & parent. They discovered they were not
making decisions. They were shortchanged. Due to fear, they were
somehow lulled into thinking that “safety” was based on geography,
i.e. Hospital birth with a “real doctor”. Geography with its personnel
& machinery fostered a false
sense of security. Many revealed they felt as if they had to deny their
instincts. They were pressured into obeying the “rules”.
In retrospect,
many women realized they were taught NOT
to trust their bodies or intuition in growing & birthing their
baby. Some reported that they experienced fear in their birthing
experience, resulting in feelings of inadequately & failure. Others
expressed self doubt, which resulted in allowing others to take
authority over their lives. To honor and empower birthing women…to
facilitate healing and self-discovery,
I share with you my …
Philosophy of Care:
- I believe birth is a normal/natural physiologic condition of the
female body.
- I
believe women are strong, capable, intelligent, intuitive,
spiritual,
human beings that are capable of caring for their own
bodies and are
able to birth their babies naturally, gently, lovingly, and without
medications, surgical or medical interventions.
- I
strive to emphasize wellness and preventive measure
through education,
nutrition, stress relief/management, establishing healthy boundaries,
relaxation, and moderate exercise.
- I
am responsible to inform & educate a birthing woman as to
the available interventions, appropriateness and the outcomes of each.
- I respect a woman’s right to be treated with dignity by having
her informed desires honored.
- I believe
a woman is able to give birth in the comfort, security,
and familiarity
of her own home with a loving partner and
supportive family, friends,
and children. Guests & Children are
welcome to be present at the
birth, if decided by the birthing
woman and her partner.
- I
believe a woman is ultimately responsible for her
pregnancies, births
& children. She & her partner have both the
right &
responsibility to become informed/knowledgeable;
moreover, they have
permission to be the only direct
care provider for their unborn child. A woman can exercise power of
choice for a birth attendant appropriate for her needs & compatible
to her belief systems.
- I desire to encourage a woman to be a decisive decision
maker in pre-conception, pregnancy and postpartum. I have a willingness to
give a woman the necessary tools to make intelligent and instinctual
choices. My sincere purpose is to equip & encourage a woman to
value her intuitive knowledge of herself and her unborn child.
- I
choose to walk with a woman on her journey to wholeness in
her
childbirth experience. Encouragement past “assumptions” to
truth
through self-discovery. The goal is to raise a woman’s
personal
confidence, not just knowledge. Most importantly, she is
self-assured,
comfortable, and completely capable of making every choice pertaining
to each step of her reproductive journey. This will consequently affect
her confidence and ability to parent/mentor her young.
