Holding the Vision for transformative birth:
about nourished waters birth services
“Women in altered states KNOW what they need, what is happening & why, how to proceed instinctually in ways the caregiver could never know in ordinary reality””
Birth Tending is the art of standing with you at the gates… the sacred act of PRESENCE, not managing, the mother-baby duo and the scene
As such, my services are centered on the pregnancy-postpartum continuum, with the emphasis on helping mother drop into her own Knowing, accessing the altered state and therefore her innate wisdom and instinct.
My vow to you and to myself is to do my best to never MANAGE your pregnancy, labor or postpartum. I am available to assist in any way your sovereign being calls for (within reason of course), but I am first and foremost dedicated to helping maintain the scene in such a way that you will have nothing in the way of accessing your own innate knowing.
I operate my business under a Private Membership Association, allowing us to access one another outside of the public sector and make our own private arrangements and agreements regarding your desired level of care in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
I also offer public classes and private mentorship in Empowered Sovereign Birthing, be it with the ultimate aid of a midwife or doctor, or free birthing without an official assistant. It is my goal to empower families with as much knowledge, permission, and ultimately tailored guidance to help them choose wisely and intuitively for their birth and postpartum time.
I have a plethora of skills and knowledge, having studied midwifery and apprenticed as a student midwife, as well as studying with indigenous midwives, bodywork experts, and so on to acquire a skill set focused on pelvic floor and womb health and recovery.
What birth tending is to me:
Helping maintain the scene for a woman to open, drop in to her primal, innate body wisdom, and decreasing or eliminating distractions for her to facilitate a truly transformational experience in an altered state of consciousness
Upholding birth first and foremost as a transformational, initiatic, rite of passage experience for mother and baby, and elevating the experience of ANY pregnancy or birth you may have, to find the Knowing, the Transmutative power, and the growth possible within all things.
Giving the Power of birth and the transformational life experience of these biological suits our spirits are given BACK to the mother, father, and child, (or whatever holy family unit is at the center) as the holy trinity of the crucible of relationship and relating to God/Life itself. Holding the space of sanctity and presence for that crucible of transformation, in the face of the sometimes unholy powers of modern medicine and state, which seek to medicalize, compartmentalize, and anesthetize the spirit against the raw, sometimes tragic, often magnificent transformative power of standing at the gates of Life and Death.
Nourishing the mother-baby unit and the whole family unit, both physically and emotionally, mentally, spiritually, to allow her the spaciousness necessary to open to her depths, connect with her child, and find her sovereignty in the birth continuum experience. Creating the space for growth and healing, purging and re-weaving, dreaming and integrating, so she can be the changing woman that she is.
Commemorating the birth experience through weaving of community, song, dance, movement, prayer, ceremony and nourishment in grounded ways and lofty ways, for the whole mother baby continuum and healing now and into the distant past and future.
Providing information, empowering options, and experienced guidance to provide for holistic and alternative options for the birthing scene and practice for families seeking to birth outside the system, or even within it. Regardless of birth scene or choices, I am available to help you seek the very best of informed consent every step of the way, and to allow you to know your potentials, and remain open to the miracle of deep Knowing even in challenging situations.
I do have a plethora of knowledge and emergency skills, including neonatal resuscitation. I will act in any capacity needed according to the situation, just as I would save anyone’s life in any setting if I could. However, I am not a practicing midwife and I am not a replacement for a midwife or doctor. I am available for families who desire a doula, or who are free birthing and desire mentorship. This is my primary capacity at this time.
What birth keeping is not for me at this time:
Acting as midwife under a state law which does not have the nomenclature in place anyway for home birth midwifery practices at this time, nor acting in the capacity as a midwife would. While I have many emergency skills, I am not as trained as a CPM yet, and I am continuing to pursue my education while attending women in a capacity I feel comfortable with.
Taking the responsibility away from the parents for making the best choices they deem fit for their birth process, pregnancy or postpartum
Testing for disease, or providing medicine intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease or emergent situation. I can only offer suggestions of what may work, and I will never stand by rather than try to save a life in any situation I am in, but the choices are up to the family themselves to educate, inform, and choose for themselves the best course of action.
“Even a sonogram can be a holy experience”
