Homebirth Unveiled—The Voice & Heart of Homebirth Mothers. (150+photos)
The Intimate Moments of Homebirth.
My intention with this blog is to create awareness and understanding around homebirth. As you read each entry, please be mindful that each Mama has opened her heart and shares her most intimate moments with you in order to create awareness and understanding, as well as to inspire others to choose to birth at home.
Once upon a time, at the birth of the United States of America, most women birthed at home. The birth knowledge, birth intuition, birth wisdom and power belonged with women and midwives. In a brief 200 year period of our history, women have lost their power, given it away and it has been taken.
Now, many women are:
- - choosing to re-claim their innate and intuitive abilities and wisdom to birth without fear.
- - consciously choosing to not partake in the fear that society and the medical community has created around birth.
- - choosing love in birth and birthing in love.
- - tuning into the messages of their bodies and allowing their bodies to birth new life onto this earth as they instinctively and intuitively know how to do.
- - reclaiming and embracing their power and trusting themselves and their babies!
The moment of conception intimately takes place within our homes. The moments of parenting and raising our children take place within our homes. Let us embrace the intimate and sacred moments of birth in our own homes, surrounded by loving presence and surrendering to trust and our higher power.
The vibration of love at birth instead of fear allows our babies to maintain their highest radiance and life force, as is evident in these beautiful photographs. The vibration of love at birth helps Mama to open her heart, her place of connection between the divine and earth.
Our bodies are perfectly designed to both grow and birth healthy happy babies.
Again, please view this blog with the deepest respect and admiration possible for these beautiful women, babies, and families. Please notice your thoughts and feelings as they arise when you are viewing the photos and reading the statements of reflections from these gracious mothers. Please do share your thoughts and feelings so that the mothers will know that they are both respected and admired for sharing their experiences and for what they have accomplished – beauty in birth – bringing beauty to life. Thank you mothers!
- Be advised that Helene is not to be held responsible for any conceptions that occur as a result of the impact that viewing this blog may have.
Welcome to Homebirth.
More Information
If you would like more information, visit Mothers Naturally to learn more about home births, pregnancy nutrition, the benefits of having a midwife, and much more. Also visit Citizens for Midwifery, a national consumer-based group promoting the Midwives Model of Care! CfM works to provide information and resources promote the local midwife, as well as midwives and midwifery care across the United States! Also subscribe to Midwifery Today to check out birth stories, articles, news and review. For more information on the history of midwifery and homebirth, read the book “Midwives, Nurses, and Witches: A History of Women Healers” by Barbara Ehrenreich.
The Normalizing Homebirth Project Inc.
Inspired by the heart and voice of these beautiful and courageous homebirth mothers who have shared their experiences, I have founded a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation, The Normalizing Homebirth Project Inc., whose mission is to support homebirth mothers with scholarships and homebirth mentoring. Support this project today with as little as $5 and give the gift of homebirth to a family who would otherwise be unable to birth at home due to insurance companies refusal to cover the cost of homebirth. The financial cost of homebirth is far less than a hospital birth (literally thousands and in some cases even tens of thousands less), yet many insurance providers refuse to cover the cost for a homebirth midwife. Every woman deserves a choice!
If you are a woman interested in homebirth or planning a homebirth, please do consider the invaluable service of regular emotional support through telephone communication with a homebirth mentor. Through grants and donations that we receive we plan to offer scholarships and in the near future we will have the application available from our website.
You can become involved today in supporting this grassroots effort in several ways. We are looking for volunteers to serve as Homebirth Mentors. Donations and fundraisers are greatly appreciated and accepted. More volunteer opportunities are on the horizon.
“Be the change you wish to see in the world!” Mahatma Gandhi.
Would you like to be involved in future creative projects to bring awareness to divine mothering and birthing with love?
Here’s how:
- Mother Divine – A compilation of poems on mothering from mothers around the globe. Submit your poem here.
- Homebirth Unveiled – The book! Similar to this blog, Homebirth Unveiled – the book, will serve to inspire others with the voice and heart of homebirth mothers. (The process for submitting your photo and reflection is separate from this blog.) Coming Soon!
- Honoring the Feminine with Words of the Heart – Open Mic in Boulder, Colorado. This poetry, short story and song event will serve as a fundraiser for the Normalizing Homebirth Project Inc. on Friday January 28th at 7pm. Your $20 love donation includes drinks and desserts. Please register by emailing Helene (helene@towardthelight.biz). Materials and support are available to assist you in organizing your own fundraiser for the Normalizing Homebirth Project Inc.
- In order to participate in upcoming publications with me at Elephant Journal blogs for birth and mothering, friend me on facebook or subscribe to my blog!
Final Words of Thanks
This project has given me an opportunity to connect with so many women on different levels. I have thoroughly enjoyed, from the depths of my heart, hearing your stories and creating positive dialogue about natural birth and homebirth. I appreciate your willingness and openness to give of yourselves through this blog. You are amazing, powerful and beautiful women! May you continue to share your stories of love and open your hearts to the beauty all around us. Yours in service, Helene.
Incorrect source, offensive, or found a typo? Or do you want to write for Elephant?
Absolutely beautiful and amazing Helene!! It fills me with joy to see so many woman who have birthed their babies at home!! It really gives me a sense of unity with those I don't even know. I wish every woman could feel the joy and ecstasy that comes along with giving birth in the loving environment of home. Maybe, with this blog and the Normalizing Homebirth website, homebirth will once again become the norm! How wonderful would that be! Thank you Helene, for doing this.
You came up with such a fantastic project. Thank you for your dedication, Helene. Keep up the great work!
Thank You for letting me be apart of this amazing project! great job!!
This brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for creating such an incredible project that will surely touch so many women!
Thanks so much for putting this all together! It's beautiful!! ♥
~*April Rogers*~ (mom of Jacklyn – picture #35)
Amazing and beautiful photos. Thanks so much for normalzing homebirth.
This is beautiful and I feel so special and honored to be pictured here with my second baby:)
Breathtaking! The passionate, profound soul of homebirth is shown in all its spectacular incarnations. The faces, the adoration for brand-new babes that have come to their parents in an environment of total support and faith, are utterly beautiful. I feel my own home waterbirth memories so vividly! Thank you.
Big "like" on this project Helene and heartfelt thanks to all of these women for allowing us a peak into their most intimate moments in their lives!! The oxytocin comes flying off the photo stream and one can't help but be filled with feelings of Love and amazement in the wonders of Birth!!
Thank you for taking the time to put this together and share. It is so important.
Gracias por compartir algo tan importante con nosotros!
I love this. what a beautiful project.
Beautifully put together, to Helena and all the mothers. I’m pregnant with my first baby and I’m looking forward to the delivery, thanks for the support!
Although I made the choice to not have children, I appreciate the beauty and joy reflected in this article. Nicely done!!
Love this. My last son was a homebirth!
Awesome! I love all the pictures! I can not wait to experience yet another wonderful homebirth!
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful testament to home birth!
Love the beauty of homebirth, love the stories, the photos, the families. I do. But, honestly? Not one person of color? This is a white world, I know it. I'm in it, I live it…trust me. But not one? And no one ever seems to notice or care or see anything wrong with us portraying images of mostly all white women doing this work. ALL women need to see themselves birthing babies at home. Privilege is a big part of it, yes. But I know there are plenty of families of color birthing babies at home all over this world! Let's make an effort to include them visually. Please. With all the racial and ethnic disparities in health care, especially social problems surrounding birth, this needs to become a priority. All in peace and love. <3 ~ Lori, doula, mommy, wife, homebirther.
There are a few women of color … its hard to tell from the photos. The third one from the bottom and another closer to the middle. I would have liked more, but I this is what I received. Are you a woman of color? If so, I'd love you to participate in the book.
Absolutely beautiful!!! I am in love with un-interfered with homebirth, and have been blessed to have two at home (first in a birth center). It is the best way to birth, and I can not fathom trying to birth in a hospital. I talk about homebirth all the time because I love it so much. Thanks so much for creating this gorgeous collection of photos and stories.
Thank you all for your supportive comments! So glad to hear your wonderful stories! Please forward this to your friends and family and let's normalize homebirth together! Today! Peace.
Wonderful blessings! Thank you for the post!
Thank you! Beautiful and moving….my 3 were all born without intervention and midwife assisted in birthing centers and their births were empowering and wonderful, but each time, the trip to the birthing center was a ghastly interruption and I have wistfully longed that my children were birthed at home. Assisted homebirth is expensive though and was beyond our reach at that time. Blessings to those who are able to make that choice, and let's move toward a time where homebirth is considered normal and available to all who choose it.
I feel so much happier now I udrnsetand all this. Thanks!
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Birth in this manner has the capacity to heal lifetimes of pain. It felt as such for me during my homebirth. Thank you for helping to normalize & encourage this courageous & divine process.
[...] is just lovely. Enjoy! [...]
[...] was looking at the article about home births on Elephant Journal the other day and it reminded me of one of my favorite films, Stan Brakhage’s Window Water Baby [...]
A beautiful project….easy to do with such beautiful subjects/subject matter. I birthed my 1st daughter at home in 1988 and my second daughter at home in 1995. Each birth further simplified and radicalized my thoughts around birthing, women's health care, parenting and my living life philosophy.
Thanks for the love you put into this work. Thank you.
The photos just kept going and going and going! So beautiful, every one!
Thank you so much for sharing.
[...] and realize we now have something again we don’t want to lose. I instinctively told her a story of the birth of one of mine. And there I was suddenly looking at the most beautiful amazing child, perfect in [...]
I'm a homebirth Momma and natural Childbirth educator and I love that these stories are here for Mommas to read. The first step to having a great birth is simply realizing that it's possible. Look at how many Mommas are having amazing and deeply satisfying experiences! You can too! The next step is finding out how you do it… and then you do it. Mommas you are capable of so much more than you could ever imagine please don't short change yourself. You are AMAZING!
[...] “Must-Haves” For a Mindful Birthing Day! Whether you are staying home or birthing out of home, begin preparation for this special day early in pregnancy for a smooth, [...]
WOW !…what can you say nature at it's best.
Just fanastic! Homebirth is unique and life-changing – a double whammy on top of birth itself. I couldn't imagine birthing my baby any other way!
How can I contribute my photo?
Hi Kristin,
I'm not taking anymore photos at this time for this blog, but….
please sign up for the newsletter for the project or find us on facebook! If you have a video or a slideshow video I'd love to feature it! http://towardthelight.us2.list-manage.com/subscri…
[...] you are comfortable with and can trust. 5. Trust your body and your instincts. Know that many, many women before you have taken this journey and have succeeded. Believe that you are capable of wonderful and awesome things and that this is [...]
[...] This was my first home birth, my third birth, and by far my most transformational. I had my first son as a single teen mother. That birth was highly medicated and very traumatic. I [...]
[...] [...]
[...] hospital birth. I also believe it to be the best choice for my family and for my babies – to be able to enter the world in such a peaceful and gentle way. I am very sensitive to my surroundings during labor and I generally do much better when I am [...]
[...] when I witnessed and participated in the linking of two generations of my family, when I felt my wife’s power and glimpsed her true self, and when I met this brand new family member for the first [...]
[...] 14:11 PM #3 http://www.elephantjournal.com/2010/…ers-150photos/ Some stories and pictures from home births, I will add links as I come across them [...]
Wonderful!
I had my last 2 at home and it was the bes start I could have given them.
[...] Homebirth Unveiled: The Voice and Heart of Homebirth Mothers (150+ photos) [...]
So beautiful!! <3
Posted on EJ Health & Wellness Facebook
Jessica Stone Baker
Co-Editor, Elephant Health & Wellness
The Mindful Body
[...] Want to hear from more homebirth Mamas?? Click HERE! [...]