Until recently, homebirth has been the natural mode of delivery since the beginning of time. It has only been in the last century that out-of-home birthing became the norm, a change engineered by ambitious men during a time when it was believed best to bring the natural world under control. What resulted in the birthing world was a surge into the hospital. It started with a fad, developed into a sign of prestige, then became pervasive when fear took over. With it came the inevitable spiral of cause and effect: the more intervention was introduced, the more it was needed, until birth was no longer recognizable as a natural process in human experience. Instead, it had been orchestrated into an assembly line procedure, quotas, indiffernt workers, procedure manuals and loss of rights and autonomy.

Home birth is a personal, individualized, home-oriented, spiritual event.
Prayer, blessings and the love and support of family members are encouraged.  Being a family experience it has the potential to strenghthen family ties more than any other event.

Laboring at home is not only a nice and safe experience; women laboring at home actually enjoy giving birth. The home enviornment just doesn't allow labor to progress in an abnormal fashion. The mothers are surrounded by familiar sights, smells, foods and people who care about them. No one has to worry about which unfamiliar people will be walking in or what they will be doing to them to alter the progress of labor.

Profile of a Typical Midwife Client:
majority are college educated
have taken childbirth education classes
have researched birthing options
desire a non-interventive birth
desire greater family involvement
desire more personalized care
many home school
more breastfeed
desire to take a more active role in their own health
more nutrition conscious
desire to be an active participant in decisions
finances are a factor for some
have extended family support

The mother-to-be who has a desire to assume active responsibility for her body, her life, and her expereience; who is healthy and at low risk for home delivery is a good candidate.

Referrals are avialble upon request. Be sure to check out the testimonials page.

Thank you for considering Advocating Birth.

Happy Birthing,
Janessa Craig, L.M., M.M.T.