Inspiring birth workers & birthing families since 1998 to honor birth as a rite of passage through ritual, art, story, & community.
Birthing from Within was founded in 1998 by midwife Pam England when she realized that something was missing from birth preparation in our culture.
While lots of organizations address parents' brains and bodies, very few address their hearts.
Birthing from Within works to fill that gap by providing parents with preparation for the deep psychological and emotional transformations of birth.
Birthing from Within helps parents…
build flexibility, resilience, and coping skills, so that they are less vulnerable to birth trauma.
combine practical medical knowledge with the power of embodied practice, ritual, story, and artmaking for authentic preparation and healing.
detach their sense of self-worth from medical outcomes.
stay connected with themselves, their babies, and their partners as they navigate the complex journey of birth.
Birthing from Within helps birth professionals…
guide parents through the journey of birth, helping them navigate intensity, uncertainty, and unexpected outcomes by drawing upon their inner resources.
combine modern medical information with embodied understandings, allowing parents to access what they have learned even in the intensity of the birth experience.
access continuous inspiration and reinvigoration of their practices, preventing and healing burnout.
address the needs and challenges of the communities and contexts in which they work.
connect with a dynamic and diverse community of birth workers who share an understanding of birth as initiation.
-
We believe that perinatal support for all birthing people is a key contribution to the project of collective liberation.
We believe that the Birthing from Within philosophy, skills, and community are powerful tools for transforming birth in our culture.
We strive to illuminate the importance of humanity, compassion, and connection in our work by using trauma-informed best practices; intercultural humility; inclusive language; and respect and accountability in our interactions with our clients, course participants, and each other.
We are committed to addressing racial disparities in birth outcomes and trauma, as well as our organizational and personal biases, and to being open and responsive to feedback on how to improve our own approaches, behaviors, and policies.
-
Birth is a process of initiation.
While there is much that parents can learn prenatally about birth, pain, and the modern medical system, birth is ultimately synonymous with the unknown.
Because birth is ultimately unknowable, birth professionals and parents benefit from looking beyond attachments to particular outcomes.
Birth preparation begins years before parents take a pregnancy test, begin prenatal classes, or hire a doula.
In order to be prepared to give birth in modern culture, parents need to access both modern knowing and inner knowing.
The task of a Birthing from Within doula or childbirth educator is to awaken a coping mindset and the internal locus of control in parents in order to help them stay present, access all possibilities, and take action when needed.
By normalizing a wide spectrum of ways to give birth, support birth, and cope with intensity and the unknown, Birthing from Within childbirth educators and doulas help reduce birth trauma in themselves and the parents they work with.
When a childbirth educator or doula thinks in terms of mentoring rather than teaching, they become able to develop trusting, honest relationships in which parents' inner wisdom can be acknowledged and nurtured.
Birth professionals can support parents with the most open-hearted care when they engage in self awareness and personal reflection.
Non-Discrimination Policy:
Birthing from Within is committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive community and learning environment, where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. Discrimination or harassment of any kind, including but not limited to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status, is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
This policy applies to all Birthing from Within employees, clients, contractors, vendors, and event participants.
If you witness or experience discrimination or harassment in a Birthing from Within online space or live event, please complete a grievance form and we will be in touch to address your concerns.
