I had a thought today amidst my Indie Birth work (I was listening to a woman share her ideas about how to create a birth revolution in her community) and though it wasn’t a new thought for me, it felt like the first time I’ve been able to capture it in a way that I can share here.

We could have 1000 doulas, 1000 lactation consultations, and 1000 midwives in each and every city, and still it would NOT MATTER if they weren’t actively putting themselves out to their community, being present, putting up billboards, educating people, creating opportunities for people to expand their thinking, and just generally interrupting the status quo journey of the birthing years in some meaningful and sustainable way. I have sort of endless ideas, many of which are embedded in our birthwork programs the Birth Warrior Project: 120 Day Doula Training and Transformation and the Indie Birth Midwifery School.

In other words, it is easy to train someone to be a doula or a midwife. It is NOT as easy to train someone to be a birth revolutionary (which is what we need more of, and what we hope to inspire and support here at Indie Birth).

But the only way for birth workers to do that hard revolutionary work is to 1) have really amazing self care practices for optimal health and wellbeing of their own and 2) to also be uplifted and supported by their community.

I have a free class tomorrow where I’ll be teaching a small group of local women about birth and creating their own powerful birth experience. The amount of energy it takes for these classes is pretty huge. I didn’t always see it that way, but I can see now what a toll it takes on me and my family, and my printer ink :). It is a sacrifice, albeit a gift I give joyfully, it is to give of my time and expertise in these ways.

So if you want to live in a more beautiful world – one where the birthing years are supported and honored, where WOMEN are honored, where the sacred is revered as sacred once more, where babies are loved and cared for deeply according to their innate needs, and all the other issues that are beyond the scope of Indie Birth (but are still so crucial) – then be the birth worker doing this important work (book the class, invite people for a potluck, drop a stack of your cards in the baby aisle at Target or a women’s bathroom, donate some great birth books to your local library, host a raffle for 2 free hours of postpartum care!), or do something really nice for the birth workers in your community who are ALREADY doing this.

If you want to become a revolutionary birth worker, pick one of our programs and get started ASAP – check out our Birth Warrior Project: 120 Doula Training and Transformation and the Indie Birth Midwifery School