• The knowledge about how to give birth already exists inside every woman. Women's bodies were designed to give birth.
• The nutrition of a pregnant woman has a great impact on the health of her baby from its life as a fetus through adulthood and that breastmilk provides optimum nutrition for the newborn baby.
• A woman will labor the best wherever she feels the safest and most secure. For some that may be a hospital; for others it may mean at home or in an alternative birthing center.
• Birthing a baby requires integration of the mind, body, and spirit.
• Birth is one of the greatest challenges life has to offer. It provides an opportunity for personal growth.
• While cesarean sections may be necessary at times, the current rate is too high.
• In most cases, VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) is a safer alternative to routine repeat cesareans.
• Birth Works is a process, not a method. Birth Works seeks to facilitate a woman's or a couple's personal process in childbearing, not to impart a preconceived method of labor and birth. There is no one right way to give birth. Each birth is unique.
• A woman in labor deserves an environment in which her privacy, autonomy, and emotional security are protected, and her mobility is encouraged.
• Expectant parents should have access to information they need about obstetrical procedures. They should participate in decisions regarding the judicious use of obstetrical medications and procedures.
• A woman's beliefs influence her birth. Exploring her beliefs heightens self-awareness, serving as a catalyst for positive change.
• The emotions of a birthing woman have profound effects on the birth outcome. Women must be allowed to express all their birth-related feelings.
• The practice of Human Values builds character and instills confidence in birth and life.
• Love is the foundation upon which positive birthing begins, and that one must have love of one's self in order to love others.
***I love the Birth Works philosophy and the recognition that human values do, indeed, shape childbirth experiences around the world.
