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Getting Behind the Birthlove Cause

© Sonia Fluke

I have been wanting to write about natural childbirh for a long time, but wasn't sure how to weave it into my topic. Of course you can't get much more self reliant than birthing your own babies at home, but while my knowledge on the subject is broad, my experience is somewhat limited - I have never had it. My three children were born by c-section for varying reasons, depending on which medical professional you are speaking to at the time. It would be fair to say I hardly feel qualified to write about something I only long to do.

What I can write about however, is the actions of someone else involved in the natural childbirth movement - a very inspiring lady named Lielah McKracken. Lielah and her husband Bill began the "Birthlove" website to educate, encourage and support the rights and dignity of all birthing women. The site has since become a sounding board for women and parents everywhere - with an amazing amount of information on birth, as well as Lielahs own feelings about parenting, babies and children. Her articles touch on aspects of her life with her seven children and she shares freely her views on everything from homeschooling to potty training.

The basic tenet for the Birthlove site is to honor women and birth. Birth, that is, in it's most natural form. Not the medicalised, drug induced, factory style birth process we have come to know. Lielah promotes natural childbirth, namely unassisted birth, amd is willing to share the knowledge and medical data that led her to believe it to be the safest option.

Lielah's book "Resexualising Childbirth" has received much acclaim. It contains many of Lielah's thought provoking articles, which are presented in a proufoundly intelligent manner. In it, she explains the theory that birth is an inherently primal and instinctive act, not a medical condition that requires artificial intervention. If you are even mildly interested in birth and babies, I urge you to get a copy.

I wrote to Lielah when I first discovered her site. Her reply to me was passionate (she was angry at my doctors), warm and encouraging, totally supportive. She was frank and abounding with information that was helpful to me. She provided more than a few medical references and some excellent advice. I have watched her site grow since then and I have to say she is a credit to the female community at large. Her unwavering suport of her sisters is indeed an inspiration.

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