* God designed women's bodies to give birth. He did a pretty good job, being the Creator and all.
* Women rarely need assistance to give birth, much less medical assistance. The current climate in which nearly every single birth story has some kind of drama in it has been fabricated by the medical industry (a word I use very deliberately) in order to sustain itself.
* Midwives are the appropriate care-providers for most pregnant and birthing women. However, women can also take their care into their own hands if that's what they'd prefer. Which means they can also give birth alone.
* Home is where the birth is.
* Hospitals have their place, and it's great that we have the benefit of medical technology for the approximately 5% of women and babies who need it.
My own birthing journey has taken me through the pit of birth trauma at the hands of the medical system, but that experience served me well in numerous ways so I know that all things work together for good. ;) I encourage women who have suffered birth trauma to acknowledge their own pain, to speak up about their experiences (that includes traumatic homebirths), and to embark on the journey of healing and making better choices for themselves in the future.
This post sums up my feelings about the importance of birth. It covers the big picture stuff, including the spiritual element, rather than the whats, wheres and hows.
