Industrial Birth

What *is* industrial birth, how do we identify it, how do we differentiate it from sovereign birth, and in what sense is the industrial birth model replicated covertly in so-called “natural birth” communities?

How has this phenomenon of “birth in captivity,” as Sister MorningStar describes it, become so universally prevalent across our planet?

In this chapter, Emilee and Yolande break down industrial birth as you’ve never encountered it described before, revealing the ways that “human rights” in childbirth and “informed consent” are mythological constructs that actually serve to uphold and perpetuate obstetric rape, trauma,
and abuse.

Authentic Midwifery 

Opinions abound online and in birth communities as to what constitutes “authentic midwifery,” but in reality, most birth workers are deeply confused about who they are and their role in the world, precisely on account of the way the politics of birth and birth-work are constructed.

For the past decade, Yolande and Emilee have been at the forefront of articulating a clear, consistent, integral framework for understanding what it is to embody the work of authentic midwifery in the context of understanding what true power, responsibility, and appropriate authority look like.

Physiological Birth  

What *is* physiological birth, really, and why is it that so many midwives and obstetricians invoke the term “physiological birth” while describing the very same procedures and approach to birth that defines industrial birth?

In this module, discover why the term “physiological birth” has come to replace “natural birth,” why so many mothers (and midwives) describe heavily sabotaged and traumatizing births as “physiological,” and how one’s definition of “physiological birth” will always depend on the kind of perspective, education, and experience we receive as birth-keepers. 

Freebirth

What is freebirth, and what is freebirth not? There is so much confusion out there about what a woman’s underlying motivations might be for choosing freebirth, and who has a right to do so.

How does freebirth fit into the landscape of the sovereign paradigm, and why is it important for birth keepers, authentic midwives, and birth professionals to have some knowledge and respect for freebirth in particular?

This module will offer an overview of how freebirth and sovereign birth are distinct, and the profound connections between the two, and will give you an understanding of why freebirth will always be linked to the reclamation of midwifery.

Birth Trauma 

The majority of women who choose the sovereign birth paradigm often do so having first experienced birth trauma as a result of direct obstetric violence in a clinical setting or midwifery betrayal.

In this module, we articulate what birth trauma is, how it happens, the nuances and subjectivities of what trauma constitutes, and how to begin supporting women who have suffered from trauma during birth.

Understanding the landscape of obstetrics and how it is orchestrated to manufacture trauma is a requirement for learning the skills to effectively support women in acknowledging, processing, and healing birth trauma.

Case Studies

In this module, Emilee and Yolande share the video footage of a variety of births that women have volunteered to share especially for this program, with Yo and Emilee’s recorded analysis and critique.

These video clips range from hospital birth, to homebirth with midwives, to freebirth. All depict varying degrees of sabotage and/or harmonization with the biological rhythms of the birth process, along with a number of variations of normal, which provides a crucial degree of context and perspective to anchor the wider discussion in the rest of the modules.