A Renaissance in Natural Childbirth


Childbirth, a collection of 39 birthing stories from women who have chosen natural deliveries, accompanied by midwives, doulas or physicians. They share personal stories of pregnancies, labor and natural births, mindful that this archetyp- al rite of passage calls forth a woman’s inborn power and strength. Opening doors for others who want to trust their body’s ability


vocation via three of her own birthing experiences, Aurichio became a child- birth educator after realizing how much knowledge she lacked during her first delivery. “With each birth of a child, I moved closer to my calling of becom- ing a home birth midwife,” explains Aurichio. Aurichio’s midwifery care is very personalized and focused on a woman throughout her entire pregnancy. Each hour-long visit is about the client and


“Women should be health-minded, attuned to their body so that they recognize monthly changes and interested in how they can take part in the prenatal care of their baby.”


– Denise Hoagland to birth naturally, their nar-


ratives support and encourage a return to a less medically and


technically dominated process, the norm even before the 21st century. The Monmouth County area offers


by Linda Sechrist I


s anyone among us, boy or girl, man or woman, able to resist the lure of a story told by our mother about the day we made


our flailing entrance into the world? Our mother’s birthing story—details of a midnight rush to the hospital, an unexpected home delivery or the flood of emotions as the precious little one was gently laid on Mother’s chest—can be an everlasting source of delight and interconnectedness. Today, a growing movement of mothers-to-be and their attendant caregivers supports the ben- efits of natural childbirth, considered the best, safest and most empowering way to bring forth new life. Editor Janet Schwegel taps into this movement in Adventures in Natural


ever-increasing options for women who choose to gain control over their birth experience through research and dedicating time to finding the right midwives, doulas and doctors.


MIDWIVES


According to the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, the reduced costs associ- ated with out-of-hospital maternity care contribute to the increased demand for midwives and doulas, as do religious and cultural practices and personal preferences for birth settings that are both safe and private. Dina Aurichio, certified profes-


sional midwife (CPM) and owner of New Birth Experiences, is an 18-year veteran of childbirth counseling and midwifery. A woman who arrived at her


her needs, be they natural remedies for the discomforts of pregnancy, questions about prenatal testing or counseling on diet or an exercise regimen. “In that time, I am getting to know my client and her baby by palpating her uterus— feeling her belly,” says Aurichio, whose hands tell her the baby’s position and what it is doing. Aurichio attends and cares for her client-in-labor in the woman’s home, so the birth mother can feel safe and secure. “Some women choose to give birth in water and some choose else- where; wherever Mother is giving birth is where I am,” she declares, noting that one of the joys of midwifery is seeing baby go from mother’s womb to Mother’s arms. “There is never a moment when the baby is taken away,” says Aurichio, who notes that follow-up postpartum visits occur in the client’s home so that Mother and baby can be kept together. Aurichio cites a recent North


American study published by the BMJ Group comparing the outcomes of


natural awakenings August 2010 9


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