Childbirth

Rachael Larimore was raped years ago and survived. More recently, she has given birth three times, all of them via c-sections. Considering her history and experiences, she’s unsympathetic toward Arizona mom Joy Szabo and others who equate forced c-sections with rape. She’s got a point, which she makes in the post, “Childbirth is Not Burger King. You Can’t Always Have it Your Way,” at Double X. But in arguing that Szabo’s use of “rape” is hurting rape victims, she errs in the same way she’s accusing Szabo of erring: that is, she makes assumptions about the trauma of other people’s experiences and diminishes that trauma in the process. Read More »

As a Doula, I always suggest my clients create a Birth Plan. I look at it like a learning tool, because in my early experiences as a Doula, as well as my experiences being the pregnant woman, I’ve found that there are so many subjects in a birth plan that many couples don’t even know they have a choice about! From the atmosphere in the room, to what a woman chooses to wear, from whether or not she wants pain medication offered to her, to how she wants her baby cared for after the birth, going over a Birth Plan can show a couple all of the various options they can have. Read More »

In the days and weeks after this particular birth, I’ve asked myself so many questions and learned some very important things. While some of those things I cannot express without breeching any confidentiality, one of the most important things I learned needs to be shared and talked about. And that’s why I am telling people this story, both in conversation as well as through this article. Birth can be so much different than most women in this country know it. This one girl, her beautiful baby and their birth story are proof of the possibilities. Read More »