Dr. Grantly Dick-Read is considered the "father of natural childbirth". He said "It is not only that we want to bring about an easy labor, without risking injury to the mother or the child; we must go further. We must understand that childbirth is fundamentally a spiritual, as well as physical, achievement. The birth of a child is the ultimate perfection of human love."
I believe that we can raise the bar of goals surrounding childbirth in America today. Simply having a "healthy baby" cannot be the highest achievement. We can do better. We can help moms stay low risk and have births that are filled with joy and freedom in a wild and sacred way. Somewhere in the midst of this kind of birth, women find inner strength and power that is unmatched through any other human act. It is beautiful and to be protected and fought for.
One of my favorite quotes is by Laura Staveo Harm. "There is a secret in our culture, and it's not that birth is painful. It's that women are strong."