I’d like to share a list of blogs that all support the idea of empowering birth. What do I mean by that? I mean that the framework for understanding everything about birth is based on the perspective that the pregnant woman is the one with the power. The mainstream view is that birth is dangerous, surgeons make it less so by being all-knowing and by only being motivated by what’s in the mother’s best interest, and if the mother wants to have any control over any aspect of the birth she must get the surgeon’s permission first.
Empowering birth stems from remembering what has long been forgotten, that women have always been the ones with the most at stake and the ones who must live with the consequences of what happens during the birth. Women should be the ones in control at all times, and when they are educated and encouraged to be in touch with their own bodies, they can have births that are as safe as life gets, and that leave the woman feeling empowered by the amazing talents of her body. When women feel a sense of autonomy and safety, birth outcomes are improved, and when women are in state of fear and tension, the risks of birth multiply.
The list of blogs is diverse, but what they all share in common is the desire to educate and empower women to have births that leave them empowered by their choices, actions and awesome abilities.
| Birth Anarchy | Emphasis on women’s rights, and has a membership section with additional support for personal activism. |
| Birth Without Fear | The most popular and commercial blog on this list with almost 1 million page views/month, as well as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest & Twiter presence. |
| Doula Spot | An online community that connects new and expectant parents to childbirth professionals. |
| Empowered Birth | Blog by a midwife whose first birth was a Cesarean, but then went on to have a VBAC. |
| Giving Birth Naturally | Lots of useful information, such as Critical Skills for Women Giving Birth Naturally, book list, birth videos, and includes online childbirth classes. |
| Gloria Lemay | Well-known childbirth activist who blogs about home birth, breastfeeding, holistic education of midwives and doulas, keeping baby boys intact, and health & wellness. |
| In Search of the Perfect Birth | Blog by the author of the book of the same name. She has had unassisted births and focuses on birth physiology, passionately believing that autonomy is the true key to empowerment and health. |
| Indie Birth | Indie Birth believes that birth is a rite of passage, that women know how to birth and that babies know how to be born. Website features a blog, a podcast, and a paid online curriculum. |
| Midwife Thinking | Written by an Australian midwife while getting her PhD. Very well-researched material on a wide range of topics. |
| Midwifery Today | The website for the print magazine that features many of their articles for free, back issues, and info about their conferences. |
| Sara Wickham | Midwife, author, speaker, & researcher provides information, inspiration and illumination for midwives, birth workers, women and families. |
| Spinning Babies | Her motto is “Easier Childbirth with Fetal Positioning” and she educates about the benefits of physiologic birth. |
| The Unnecesarean | Moto: “Pulling Back the Curtain on the Unnecessary Cesarean Epidemic.” 5 years of blog posts, and a Resources section. |
| Whole Woman | Helping women successfully manage pelvic organ prolapse, urinary incontinence, and chronic hip pain without surgery so they can live full, active lives. |