Hi Everyone and welcome to the Heartseed Health Podcast. In this episode we’re exploring the midwifery model of birth. We’ll be talking with 2 midwives from the Community Roots Midwife Collective in Longmont, Colorado. All of us (as far as I know) were birthed onto this planet by our mothers one way or another (thanks Mom!). It is a powerful and sacred event the can carry a lot of significance for the family. There are many different ways of approaching birth, and as a culture, here in the US, we tend to see it as a medical event that belongs in a hospital rather than a natural event that can happen in our homes. Now, most of us are incredibly lucky to be living in a place and an era where adequate health care options are available and where birth, which can involve life or death situations, can be supported by medical help if and when needed. Birth is a miraculous undertaking for the human body regardless of where it takes place. Every family has to make the decision of how they want and are able to bring new life into the world. Birth is the last place we want to be bringing shame or guilt and I think it’s incredibly important, that we treat everyone else’s choice with dignity and respect. As an acupuncturist I work with women in all of the stages of bringing new life into the world. From supporting fertility and conception, to dealing with morning sickness and other pregnancy challenges (including breech baby presentation), and in the promotion of labor and postpartum recovery. My experiences have taught me humility and respect for the strength and resilience of the human body and spirit, and has given me an equally deep appreciation for ancient and modern medicines. I hope everyone is able to listen to the episode with curiosity and an open mind. I’m happy to field any questions and I know Nichole and Lo are as well. I hope you Enjoy the interview - How Lo and Nichole decided to become midwives - How the Community Roots Midwifery Collective Came to be - Who tends to choose home births and why - What some of the common barriers to home birth are (and how some people overcome them). - The sliding-scale and the birth fund. - How birth affects everyone in our community. - A little about the experience of a home birth and how it can differ from other perinatal care. - How expecting couples can stay connected and maintain a supportive environment. - What do midwives do to take care of themselves? - Birth as a Rite of Passage… - Important things to think about with postpartum care. Recommended Resources: -Aviva Romm’s postpartum book (https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Health-after-Birth-Postpartum/dp/0892819308) - Citizens for Midwifery - http://cfmidwifery.org/index.aspx - Midwives Alliance for North America - https://mana.org/ - Colorado Midwives Association - http://coloradomidwives.org/ - Ina May Gaskin’s books: http://inamay.com/books/ Contact info: Collectivemidwifery@gmail.com www.midwifecollective.com Facebook Page Thank you again for listening the Heartseed Health Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please feel free to share it with other who may appreciate and enjoy it and I encourage you to subscribe either via iTunes or our website to get updated when the next episode comes out. I look forward to connecting again soon.